Betty Crocker: Difference between revisions

[[Image:Betty-crocker-cookbook-reissue-1955.jpg|thumb|Reissue of the original 1955 Betty Crocker cookbook]]

'''Betty Crocker''', an invented [[persona]] and [[mascot]], is a [[brand name]] and [[trademark]] of [[United States|American]] [[Conglomerate (company)|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.

Company executives chose the name "Betty" because it seemed warm and friendly to them. The [[surname]] "Crocker" was borrowed from retired executive [[William Crocker]]. At first "Betty Crocker" was used to provide the simulation of a personal signature to replies to customers asking advice. In [[1924]], Betty Crocker got a voice with the debut of the daytime [[radio broadcast]] ''Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air'', voiced and scripted for a decade by Marjorie Husted.

In [[1928]], Washburn Crosby merged with five or more other milling companies to form General Mills, which continues to use the Betty Crocker brand on various products.

In [[1929]], Betty Crocker [[coupon]]s were introduced. Inserted in bags of flour, they could be used to reduce the cost of [[Oneida Society|Oneida]] [[cutlery|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, which told purchasers to "save and redeem for big savings on fine kitchen and home accessories in our [[catalog]]". Betty Crocker points are still in use, and are found on a wide array of General Mills products, from flour to cereal to soup to soy milk. They can be redeemed for discounts on Betty Crocker catalog items.

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 for awhile. She also appeared in the [[CBS]] network's first color commercial, in which she baked a "mystery fruit cake". Hawley continued to portray Betty Crocker until 1964.

A portrait for Betty Crocker first appeared in [[1936]], subtly changed over the years to accommodate General Mills' cultural perception of the American homemaker: knowledgeable, caring and Caucasian. The current image of Betty Crocker, according to the corporation, is actually a combination of over 20 real-life women thought by the company to represent the true Betty Crocker.

In [[Golden Valley, Minnesota]], the [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]] suburb where General Mills is headquartered, there is a street called Betty Crocker Drive.

In 2005 the 10th edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook was published. This year it is also available in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. There are also a number of Betty Crocker-branded products, such as hand mixers, which support General Mills' product line of foodstuffs.

==See also==

*[[Box Tops for Education]]

*[[List of famous Minnesotans]] ''(Hidden Hometown Heroes)''

==External links==

*[http://www.bettycrocker.com/ Betty Crocker official website]

*[http://www.cookbkjj.com/college/betty_crocker.htm ''Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book''] edition history: changing portrait-style images of Betty Crocker since 1936

*[http://www.hhmuseum.org/mg/mg_hhm.htm Susan Marks-Kerst, except from "Betty Crocker: Marketing the Modern Woman,"] in ''Hennepin History'' (Minneapolis), Spring 1999

*[http://chnm.gmu.edu/features/sidelights/crocker.html Betty Crocker's history]

*[http://www.findingbettycrocker.com/ Betty Crocker biography by Susan Marks]

[[Category:Advertising characters]]

[[Category:General Mills brands]]

Has six or 12 entrees, each of which serves six. <br>

It takes about two hours to assemble 12 entrees<br>

Price comes out to a little more than $3 a serving<br>

The Bethpage store, which opened on Feb. 18 at HR Singleton's Shopping Center on Hicksville Road<br>

The Easy Meal Prep Association, a trade group based in Cheyenne, Wyo., estimates there are currently 627 meal- assembly outlets nationwide, representing 241 companies<br>

Super Suppers got its start in fall of 2003 in Fort Worth, Texas, the brainchild of Judie Byrd. Byrd had founded the Culinary School of Fort Worth in 1986 and, at the same time the school was evolving into an institution geared toward training professional chefs, she was developing programs for the non-cook<br>

Super Suppers franchised its first store in 2004<br>

According to Bill Byrd, Judie's husband and chief executive of Super Suppers, it costs around $35,000 in franchise fees, $25,000 for equipment and furnishings, and anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 to get the location into fighting shape<br>

To ensure consistency from location to location, the recipes are tested with ingredients that principally come from Sysco, the $210-billion company that is the largest distributor of food and food service products in North America. <br>

In Bethpage, Gina Scarda supplements the Sysco products with produce she buys locally, but the bulk of the food comes frozen (tilapia fillets, chicken breasts and ground beef morsels), canned (marinara sauce, tomatoes and beans) and chopped (onions and celery). <br>

I think that this company will do well because so many people like to have take out food. They will make a lot of money based on the demand for their food. <br>