Betty Crocker, an invented persona and mascot, is a
brand name and trademark of American food company General Mills. The name was first developed by the Washburn Crosby
Company in 1921 as a way to give a personalized response to consumer product questions.
Origin
Company executives chose the name "Betty" because it seemed warm and friendly to them. The surname "Crocker" was borrowed from retired executive William H.
Crocker. At first "Betty Crocker" was merely used as a fictitious personal signature to replies to customers asking
advice. Then, in 1924, Betty Crocker found a voice with the debut of the daytime radio broadcast known as The Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air. The show was voiced and
scripted for two decades by Marjorie Husted, and went on to run through to
1953 (and was a big hit in its time)
Early years
In 1928, Washburn Crosby merged with five or more other milling companies to form General Mills,
which continues to use the Betty Crocker brand.
In 1929, Betty Crocker coupons were introduced. Inserted in bags
of flour, they could be used to reduce the cost of Oneida
flatware. By 1932, this scheme had become so popular that General
Mills began to offer an entire set of flatware; the pattern was called "Friendship" (later renamed "Medality"). In
1937 the coupons were printed on the outside of packages, copy on which told purchasers to "save
and redeem for big savings on fine kitchen and home accessories in our catalog".
From 1930, General Mills issued softbound recipe books, including in 1933 Betty Crocker's 101 Delicious Bisquick Creations, As Made and Served by Well-Known Gracious Hostesses, Famous Chefs, Distinguished Epicures
and Smart Luminaries of Movieland.
In 1949, actress Adelaide Hawley became Betty Crocker for many years. She appeared for several
years on the Burns and Allen Show, and even had her own TV show. She also
appeared in the CBS network's first colour commercial, in which she baked a "mystery fruit cake".
Hawley continued to portray Betty Crocker until 1964.
A portrait of Betty Crocker first appeared in 1936. It subtly changed over the years, but always accommodated General Mills'
cultural perception of the American homemaker: knowledgeable, and caring. The current image of Betty Crocker, according to the
corporation, is actually a combination of 75 real-life women of diverse backgrounds and ages thought by the company to represent
the true Betty Crocker.
In Golden Valley, Minnesota, the Minneapolis suburb where General Mills is headquartered, there is a street called Betty Crocker
Drive.
Current
In 2005, the 10th edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook was published, as well as a Spanish/English bilingual book that collects some of the more
common recipes for Spanish-speaking readers looking to cook American-style food. There are also a number of Betty Crocker-branded
products, such as hand mixers, which support General Mills' product line of foodstuffs.
In 2006, it was announced that the Betty Crocker Catalog was going out of business, with all of its inventory on sale. Points
were redeemable until December 15, 2006. A new online store
will be launched in April 2007; BettyCrockerStore.com will be part of the BettyCrocker.com web site in conjunction with
Cooking.com.
Associated Products
Dunkaroos
Dunkaroos are snacks made by Betty Crocker, containing cookies and frosting. The cookies, which are cinnamon or chocolate chip in flavor, are meant to be dunked into the frosting before eaten and come in different
shapes(biplane, bicycle, hot
air balloon and the mascot's head). Usual frosting flavors include chocolate (with chocolate chip cookies) and vanilla(with
cinnamon cookies), and vanilla can also contain rainbow sprinkles. Individual snack packages contain about ten cookies and a cubic inch of frosting.
They feature a Kangaroo mascot on the boxes, each box contains 6-individual packages of
frosting and cookies which contain the nutritional facts on the cover. They are rarely seen in advertisements, though they are
sold in locations such as Costco and Dollar General.
References
- Dunning, John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-507678-8
- An Adventures in Odyssey episode makes a significant reference to the Betty
Crocker cook book
- Marks, Susan. (2007) Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food University of Minnesota
Press. ISBN 978-0816650187.
- A young Bada Bing dancer named Tracee is sarcastically referred to as Betty Crocker by
Silvio in the thirty-second episode of the HBO original series The
Sopranos
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
