Betty Crocker
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Betty Crocker, an invented persona and cultural icon, 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. The name Betty was selected because it was viewed as a cheery, All-American name. It was paired with the last name Crocker, in honor of William Crocker, a Washburn Crosby Company director.
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[edit] Early years
In 1808, Washburn Crosby merged with five or more other milling companies to form General Mills.
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 1945, Fortune magazine named Betty Crocker the second most popular American woman. Eleanor Roosevelt was named first.
In 1949, actress Adelaide Hawley Cumming 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.
[edit] 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 was launched in April 2007; BettyCrockerStore.com will be part of the BettyCrocker.com web site in conjunction with Cooking.com.
[edit] Products
[edit] 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
[edit] External links
- Betty Crocker official website
- Betty Crocker official store website
- Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book edition history: changing portrait-style images of Betty Crocker since 1936
- Susan Marks-Kerst, except from "Betty Crocker: Marketing the Modern Woman," in Hennepin History (Minneapolis), Spring 1999
- Betty Crocker's history
- Site for a book about Betty Crocker by Susan Marks
- Biography of Adelaide Fish Hawley Cumming
- NYC DOE: Letter to parents about staph/MRSA
