1 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha, and welcome to stuff. 2 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: I've never told you a protection of I heart radios 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: have stuff work. Oh that's gonna make me hungry. Yeah. Yeah, 4 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: it's very rare that we do episodes on this show 5 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: that I have crapings them. I'm gonna need some pancakes 6 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: now that we've been talking about them. I could go 7 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: for pancakes. I have a pancakes wherever. We need to 8 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: go to the Pancakes social Right near us. There is 9 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:39,559 Speaker 1: a pancake restaurant in here. I've never been to it, 10 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: not a sponsor, just located near us. On lists list listen. 11 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,480 Speaker 1: You say, well then we must go. Well, we're gonna 12 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: have to persevere it through this. First. I wanted to talk. 13 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you, are you a cook, Samantha. Well, 14 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: I am a box or an instructions kind of cooker. 15 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: So essentially, if you hand me tell something and tell 16 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: me to do it this way, then I'm like, cool, 17 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: let me do that. But I'm also one of those 18 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: worriers when it comes to cooking, so I will overcook 19 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: almost everything, yes, because I don't want to die or 20 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: have some kind of body malfunctions. Because of my dinner 21 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: or I don't want anyone else to experience that. So 22 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:29,119 Speaker 1: chicken is always gonna be a little more cook than not. Um. Fish, Yeah, 23 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: probably a little more cooked than not. Now, steak I'm 24 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: pretty good with. But it's like ground bee, ground truck 25 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: ground turkey. Yeah, I'm gonna probably overcook back quite a bit, 26 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: but I'm gonna add a lot of spices to it. Um. 27 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: I'm pretty good at when it comes to baking, because 28 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: you have to follow those instructions. There's no real way 29 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: to like navigate away from that without making a complete 30 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: disaster unless you are trained or having right It's good. 31 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: But even with baking, like you have to have a 32 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: certain amount of liquid to go with all of the 33 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: dry or you're gonna have something really bad if you 34 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: have expired things which I figured out, like baking powder 35 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: or baking soda. You know that it messes up things 36 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: as well, so that have kind of figured out. But 37 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: I'm also one of those that, oh, I did it, 38 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: and then I try again. I screwed it up somehow, 39 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: like it turned out so well last time, and no 40 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: one believes me. It's the humidity I always blame that. 41 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: I love cooking I'm the opposite of you. Right, you 42 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: make full on festive mills. I do those out of 43 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: boxes once again, like everything comes out of a macaroni 44 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:38,239 Speaker 1: cheese box or canned veggies that I'm going to reheat somehow. Yeah, yeah, 45 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,399 Speaker 1: I I love it. I don't necessarily love the obligation 46 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: of it. It was something I struggled with for a 47 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: while when I was like, I'm a feminis, now should 48 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: I cook for other people? The answer is yes, but 49 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: it's fine if you like to do it then yeah, um, 50 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,359 Speaker 1: but I I am. I'm risky perhaps with my behavior cooking. 51 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: I don't overcook ill on the edge of yes, that's 52 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: that's an that makes I'm not gonna eat with other people. 53 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: Come okay, then I won't risk your health. You're not 54 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:10,799 Speaker 1: going to make one of those. I was like, look, 55 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: chicken medium, well or medium. I'm like, what the hell's 56 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: wrong with you? You're gonna die. I won't impose my 57 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: behavior upon you or any of my uncooked but you know, 58 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: my first experiences. Maybe that's what this is why I 59 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: like like box things. Is from my easy bake ovin. 60 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: All you do is add water and then you stick 61 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: it into the light. Bulb. I wanted an easy bake 62 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: oven so badly, and I got it as a gift 63 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: when I was seven, way too old. Friends, I haven't 64 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: asked for this shares, so I just got it and 65 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: kind of put it away and donorated it. Uh. Look, 66 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: I love those sugary paper tasting cookies so much. Well, 67 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: I was very jealous of you. I didn't know you, 68 00:03:54,800 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: but I used to um and my French class we 69 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: had a day where everyone will bring in desserts and 70 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: at the time, I wasn't that into cooking, and I 71 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: would bring in a Duncan Hinz brownie mix brownie box 72 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: mix every year and people loved it, and they would 73 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: always ask me the recipe and I would act all coy. 74 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: Oh it's secret recipe. As far as I know, no 75 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: one ever figured it out. Oh you're a commercial. Well 76 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,280 Speaker 1: that's what they do in commercials. Yeah, it's a family 77 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: recipe and I needed to look around. It is like 78 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: a box of something. Yeah, people were so they wanted 79 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: it so badly. I even had one of my schoolmates 80 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,919 Speaker 1: mom asked me for it. Well, you know a little, 81 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: but we're not talking about Duncan Hines to day, who 82 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,799 Speaker 1: is a real person. We're talking about some famous female 83 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:50,600 Speaker 1: faces on food products, which is one big famous box product. 84 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: What Betty Crocker, she has all those box products, Yes, exactly, 85 00:04:55,120 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: Betty Crocker, Antemima and Mrs Butterworth. Briefly, um, and since 86 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: this is a time of a lot of cooking for 87 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: many of us, we thought it would be time like maybe, yeah, yeah, 88 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: I will be bringing some kind of dessert to my 89 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: friends giving friends Christmas thing for their friends Christmas. Yes, 90 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,239 Speaker 1: feast mus Oh. I like what they named it because 91 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:23,599 Speaker 1: we also do like people all whatever white elephant thing dirties, 92 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: and I think that might be a different thing. Maybe. No, 93 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: I think this someone's gonna tell me something else. Don't 94 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: send me anything, don't send me pictures, don't send any 95 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: dirty Santa pictures. Please antic you know it's really good. No, 96 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: I'm the one who message with the impacts, don't do it. 97 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: And I just want to say before we get into 98 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: this that when I was researching it, I got a 99 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: ton of results like the top five sexiest food icons. 100 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: Just made me think, why does the green emma and 101 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: then have to be sexy because the legend and duh 102 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: that if you're eating it it's gonna make you horny. 103 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: The green image, yes, because always I grew up knowing this, 104 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: and we were all felt a little naughty. We'd save 105 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: the green for the last. I don't think it worked, though, 106 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: I would be shocked. I have never heard this. Wow, 107 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: we knew this growing up. The green amine, the things 108 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: you know when you're a kid, the things you believe. 109 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: I think you're so witty when you're a kid. And 110 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: then the red eminem's were poison. Oh no, I didn't 111 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: hear that. The brown eminems are like whatever. Yeah, but 112 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: I like, of course, I actually really like the yellow ones. 113 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:44,599 Speaker 1: This is a real journalistic deep keep going, now, Okay, 114 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: so let's talk about Betty Crocker. There's a fascinating history 115 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: here until she was dethroned by Flow of the insurance. 116 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: What insurance is that progressives like ten representatives and one 117 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: of them is that? And yeah, okay, so Flow. Betty 118 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: Crocker was the most famous fictional female in the US, 119 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 1: according to ad Week. New York Daily News article listed 120 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: her alongside Barbie, Santa Claus and Uncle Sam as one 121 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: of the world's most influential fictional figures. Over two hundred 122 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: grocery products carry her name. These days, Betty Crocker graces 123 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: many boxes of cake mix and canned icing, But she 124 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: used to be someone women could contact for cooking advice. 125 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: Dear Betty Crocker, my cake won't rise. Dear Betty Crocker, 126 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: was the secret to fluffy pancakes. Dear Betty Crocker, I 127 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: need a good pie recipe. Betty Crocker not only provided 128 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: the answers to cooking questions like these, she was also 129 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: a proponent of trying new things in the kitchen, and 130 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: she would be there as a safety net if something 131 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: went wrong. But now for the important question, is she 132 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: a real person? And the answers Nope. The Washburn and 133 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: Crosby Company, a flour milling which would go on to 134 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 1: become General Mills, developed the character of Betty Crocker as 135 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: a part of an advertising campaign. So Washburn Crosby got started. 136 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: In eighteen eighty entered the International Milling Competition with their 137 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: new Flower, and they won the gold medal. They were 138 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 1: so thrilled that they changed the name of their product 139 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: to Gold Medal Flower, which still exists and the number 140 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: one selling brand of flower to this day. The company 141 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: decided to run an ad for Gold Medal Flower in 142 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: the Saturday Evening Post. The ad consisted of a jigsaw 143 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,199 Speaker 1: puzzle of a small town square, and the prize for 144 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: correctly solving the puzzle and sending it in was a 145 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 1: gold Medal flower shaped in cushion, which I actually would 146 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: really like myself, even though I don't so Wait, is 147 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: it like a shape of the actual Over thirty thousand 148 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 1: people sent completed puzzles to Washburn and Crosby, and a 149 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: lot of them included baking questions. To the company's surprise, 150 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: the smallesh advertising department, composed entirely of men and led 151 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 1: by Samuel Gale, had dealt with customer questions and completes previously. 152 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: They would direct these questions to the women who worked 153 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,680 Speaker 1: at the Gold Medal Home service staff. However, Gail wasn't 154 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: a fan of using his name when he signed off 155 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 1: on this advice. He suspected the customers would rather get 156 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: advice from a woman, who, of course did most of 157 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:20,320 Speaker 1: the cooking and the home at the time. Gunder norm's 158 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 1: being what they were. The very fact that these men 159 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: consulted women before answering questions reinforces that um, that whole 160 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: thing that whole idea, and most people writing in were women. 161 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,320 Speaker 1: The amount of questions the company received as a part 162 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: of the contest really emphasized the need for a woman 163 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: to answer these questions, so a woman people would trust, 164 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:42,680 Speaker 1: So they invented a fictional woman to fill their needs, 165 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: Betty Crocker. Her last name was actually borrowed from William G. Crocker, 166 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 1: who at the time had just retired as the director 167 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: of Washburn Crosby. The first name was chosen because it 168 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: sounded all American, both cheery and unthreatening. With the name 169 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: decided upon, they needed a signature a female employees were 170 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:02,079 Speaker 1: called upon to submit their ideas. The winning signature was 171 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: Secretary Florence Limbard's, so any letter answering a customers question 172 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: would be signed Betty Crocker quote unquote. People were even 173 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: trained to match the signature. Such was the demand for 174 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: Betty Crocker, the company created the Betty Crocker Kitchens cooking 175 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 1: schools that they sponsored throughout the country. Women who worked 176 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: in the home department at the company who were involved 177 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,439 Speaker 1: in answering mal addressed to Betty were called the Croquettes. 178 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: The Crockett which is really kind of gross sounding I 179 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:32,160 Speaker 1: don't know why. For three years, Betty Crocker existed primarily 180 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: in written format or in name at these schools. That 181 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: changed in when she debuted on Washburn Crosby's new radio 182 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: cooking show on Minneapolis w c c O, which stood 183 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 1: for Washburn Crosby Company. This was a station they saved, 184 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: the company saved from bankruptcy. The show was called Betty 185 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,720 Speaker 1: Crocker Cooking School of the Air. Graduates of the on 186 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 1: air school sent in reports to be graded by Betty Crocker. 187 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: That first year there were two hunt thirty eight graduates. 188 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:05,440 Speaker 1: The show was written and hosted by home economist Marjorie 189 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: Child hosted. The show pretty quickly went nationwide after that, 190 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: and each region had their own Betty Crocker voice. The 191 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: scripts were written at the company's national headquarters. It had 192 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: featured prominent guests like Joan Crawford and Carrie Grant In 193 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 1: The radio show became a part of the new NBC network, 194 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: where it would remain for twenty four years. Over a 195 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: million listeners enrolled into the on air cooking show over 196 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,680 Speaker 1: that time. So when Hustard was later asked about the 197 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:35,080 Speaker 1: whole thing, she said, it is very interesting to me 198 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,320 Speaker 1: to look back now and realize how concerned I was 199 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:40,440 Speaker 1: about the welfare of women as homemakers and their feelings 200 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: of self respect. Women needed a champion here where millions 201 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: of them staying at home alone, doing a job with children, cooking, cleaning, 202 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:50,439 Speaker 1: on minimal budgets, the whole depressing mess of it. They 203 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,680 Speaker 1: needed someone to remind them that they had value. Very smart. 204 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:58,319 Speaker 1: The first grocery item bearing Betty Crocker's name was a 205 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: soup mix in, and the cake mix appeared a few 206 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:04,959 Speaker 1: years later in n And then in nineteen fifty, Betty 207 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,959 Speaker 1: Crocker's picture cookbook hit the shelves. It sold two million 208 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: copies in its first two years and has sold over 209 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:14,959 Speaker 1: sixty million copies since, and it's still available under the 210 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:19,840 Speaker 1: name the Betty Crocker Cookbook Do They Really Uh? It 211 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:23,120 Speaker 1: is sometimes referred to as the Kitchen Bible or Big 212 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:26,560 Speaker 1: Red Recipes complete with pictures. That was a new thing 213 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: that was very exciting at the time. It was another 214 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:34,200 Speaker 1: way to make cooking less intimidating. In Fortune magazine named 215 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 1: her the second most popular woman in the United States 216 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:42,679 Speaker 1: behind Eleanor Roosevelt. They also outed her as a fraud. 217 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: She wasn't a real person, but nobody seemed to carry 218 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: out uh and this whole thing on to her nickname, 219 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 1: The First Lady of Food. Surveys from this time period 220 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 1: found that nine out of ten women were familiar with 221 00:12:55,360 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: Betty Crocker. She was getting about five thousand letters a day, 222 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,440 Speaker 1: according to Susan Marks in her book Finding Betty Crocker, 223 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: The Secret Life of America's First a Lady of Food. 224 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 1: People who visited the headquarters to find out Betty Crocker 225 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: wasn't real often started crying, and the company even kept 226 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: tissues at hand for this. Yeah, I guess it's really 227 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:19,720 Speaker 1: heart biking, and I think we forget too. There was 228 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 1: no internet at this time. Um, you're really dependent on 229 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,679 Speaker 1: either people you knew in your life teaching you or 230 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:30,439 Speaker 1: sharing the recipes with you or recipe books. And if 231 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: you're trying to mix things up, especially on a budget, 232 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 1: which women were pretty judged for at that time, how 233 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: fancy of a thing can you make? This cheap thing? 234 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:43,720 Speaker 1: That's why we got things like aspects. Um. That is 235 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: a lot of stress, and I'm sure it was very 236 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 1: comforting to have someone you could call and who just 237 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: be someone you could talk to about it at the 238 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: behest of the U S Office of War Information in 239 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: Betty Crocker spent four months on the radio show Our 240 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: Nations rations aimed at helping listeners be creative and resourceful 241 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: when it came to cooking with rationed foods and parallel 242 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: there was a Betty Crocker pamphlet about the same thing, 243 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: called Your Share. Seven million copies of it were distributed. 244 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: A second pamphlet, Through Highway to Good Nutrition, was recognized 245 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 1: by the American Red Cross for contributing to the national interest. 246 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: Well that's big so. In nineteen fifty one, the advent 247 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 1: of televisions in home across the U S. Met Washburn 248 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: and Crosby needed to find someone to be the face 249 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: and voice of Betty Crocker. They hired actress Adelaide Halloway 250 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: for the role. Betty Crocker showed up a handful of 251 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 1: television programs at the time, including Betty Crocker Television Show 252 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 1: and The Betty Crocker Star Mattenee. There were illustrations previously. 253 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 1: The first official portrait, completed in nineteen thirty six, was 254 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: a composite of the faces of the women who worked 255 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: in Washburn and Crosby's Home Service Department by NASA McMain. 256 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: It didn't change for two decades. The image has since 257 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: been updated seven times to reflect current taste. In eighteen 258 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: sixty five, she was depicted as sort of a Jackie 259 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: Kennedy esque, but in general she stayed pretty much the same. 260 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: A white woman with brown hair around the age of 261 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: thirty two, wearing red and white. A nine condition by 262 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 1: painter John Stewart Ingle did image her with olive skin 263 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: in an attempt to make her more inclusive. He created 264 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: this portrail based on seventy five images of women. General 265 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 1: Mills thought captured the spirit of Betty Crocker. By observing 266 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,040 Speaker 1: the evolution of Betty Crocker, we can get an idea 267 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: of the evolution of American women, yeah, and especially how 268 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 1: we perceived them. From a nineteen fifty four to nineteen 269 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: seventy seven high school seniors competed for scholarships around their 270 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: skills in homeck and the Betty Crocker searched for the 271 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: All American Homemaker of Tomorrow. The Betty Crocker monthly recipe 272 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: magazine debuted in nineteen seventy two called Sphere. The Betty 273 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 1: Crocker magazine. I found an excellent archive of all of them, 274 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: and people are still into this magazine. They remember this 275 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: recipe that so good, and they try to find it 276 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: on the archive. In the comment section, you can see 277 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 1: people helping each other out about just researching the levels 278 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: of ingredients and recipes. I wonder how that has changed 279 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,920 Speaker 1: over time. Yes, challenge, fascinating, Let's do this, don't tip me. 280 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 1: The magazine opened with this quote, as women were lucky 281 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,280 Speaker 1: to be alive right now amid the universal tumult. It's 282 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 1: more than ever a woman's world, with twentieth century reality 283 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: located somewhere between the swooning vapors of Victorian forebears and 284 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: the militant fervor of women's lib Wow. There's just some 285 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: really big extremes. So seven can I be the swooning 286 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 1: victorianka cool? So nowadays she has a website full of 287 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: recipes and advice. When the Betty Crocker iPad app debuted 288 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: in two thousand and ten, it was among the most 289 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: popular free apps. Betty Crocker pamplets are available in grocery stores. 290 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: Still really yeah wow. In two thousand fourteen, she got 291 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: some media attention when the company started supplying same sex 292 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 1: wedding cakes in a Minnesota, their home state, when gay 293 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: marriage was legalized, the company gifted the first three gay 294 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 1: couples married in Minnesota with gifts and a wedding cake. 295 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 1: In the same year, her website launched thirty cakes for 296 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: thirty days of Ramadan. The Middle East is the brand's 297 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,639 Speaker 1: second largest market. A two thousand and sixty update of 298 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 1: her cook book added an entire chapter for vegetarians and 299 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 1: recipes like chicken to Jane. It's also been translated into Spanish. 300 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: Other books have been added to the enterprise as well, 301 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 1: like Bay Crocker's Home Indian Cooking. Two fifty books with 302 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:33,920 Speaker 1: her name have been published at General Mills headquarters in Minnesota. 303 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:37,920 Speaker 1: There's a Betty Crocker available for questions two seven. So 304 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: now if you go there will be a Betty Crocker. 305 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:44,119 Speaker 1: If you go looking for Betty Crocker, someone will be there. Wait, so, like, 306 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: did they just all change it out? I guess as 307 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,680 Speaker 1: a shift there's shifts. Sure, sure, sure, what had to 308 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 1: be on the night shift? I would love to interview 309 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: someone who've been Betty Crocker. Does anybody know anyone that's 310 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: been Betty Crocker. Please let us know we need to 311 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: interview Betty. We can we have a ten minute session 312 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 1: where people sending in questions. Yes, I would love to 313 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: think it would be awesome. Yeah. I have to say 314 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 1: the story of Betty Crocker was a lot more interesting 315 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,120 Speaker 1: than I thought it was going. It is very interesting. 316 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:18,440 Speaker 1: It's also a great It just shows how we've changed, 317 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:21,600 Speaker 1: and it's interesting to look at it through this character 318 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: as kudos to them progressing over time. Yes, well, we 319 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: have some other food characters to talk about, but first 320 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: we have a quick break for word from our sponsor 321 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 1: and we're back. Thank you sponsoring. Is it time for 322 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,640 Speaker 1: the sexy syrups? Apparently Samantha doesn't agree with my characterization 323 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,439 Speaker 1: of syrups, but I find most commercials to pick them 324 00:18:57,520 --> 00:18:59,520 Speaker 1: as sexy. I see all. I think it is sticky 325 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 1: and I don't like it. Well, don't I mean not 326 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 1: to get too into sex in this episode, But isn't 327 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: that a thing people put like honey or syrup and 328 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: people's bodies don't all alright? All I could think it 329 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: was like, well, we agree to disagree, sexyrum. I'm not 330 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: saying they are sexy I'm just saying they're depicted as sexy. Yes, 331 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:26,960 Speaker 1: And so we're talking about Aunt Jemima. This discussion around 332 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:29,959 Speaker 1: sexy syrup goes back to my question of why everyone, 333 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:32,640 Speaker 1: every character we're talking about is somehow related to pancakes 334 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,960 Speaker 1: and syrup. I didn't find the answer to that, but 335 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,399 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about Yes, An Jemima. She is 336 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: the face of a line of pancake mixes and syrups. 337 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:45,199 Speaker 1: To get to the bottom of Aunt Jemima's history, we 338 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: have to go back to eighteen ninety and a former 339 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 1: slave by the name of Nancy Green, then living in 340 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:53,919 Speaker 1: Chicago after being born into slavery in thirty four in Kentucky. 341 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,959 Speaker 1: The original creators of the mascot, Charles Rutt and Charles Underword, 342 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,159 Speaker 1: came up with her look of an apron and bandana 343 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty nine. They had just purchased Pearl Milling 344 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:09,399 Speaker 1: Company and they were looking for something to someone to 345 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:12,679 Speaker 1: represent their new idea of a self rising pancake flower 346 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: that only required water. And this is one of the 347 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:20,680 Speaker 1: first mixes available in the US. They drew inspiration for 348 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 1: this character from a minstrel show that was popular at 349 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,480 Speaker 1: the time. And just a refresher. Minstrel shows where a 350 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,879 Speaker 1: popular nineteenth century and later form of American entertainment in 351 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 1: which white actors and black face portrayed black people as lazy, stupid, 352 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: easily frightened, and highly superstitious. A popular song of these 353 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: minstrel shows was penned in eighteen seventy five by a 354 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: black performer, Billy Currsands, and it was called Old Aunt 355 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: Jemima and Minstrel Shows. It was performed by people in 356 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: black face, and a white man portrayed Aunt Jemima as 357 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,200 Speaker 1: a slave on a Southern plantation. He wore the look 358 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:58,560 Speaker 1: that they ended up going with. The two original creators 359 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: of antje Mama's character in regards to selling a food 360 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: product sold a company the same year they came up 361 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 1: with her to R. T. Davis. He found Nancy Green 362 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:11,119 Speaker 1: and with her created the Antjemima brand. People were intensely 363 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 1: curious about the true identity of Anti Mima, so much 364 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 1: so that the police were called to control the crowd 365 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: at the Antemma exhibit at the World's Colombian Exposition. Green 366 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 1: served thousands of people that visited the exhibit pancakes, and 367 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 1: people reportedly were so charmed by her kind demeanor that 368 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:32,720 Speaker 1: she was awarded for her show woman shift at the exhibition. 369 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: As a result of her extremely successful appearance there, the 370 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 1: company received fifty thou orders for their pancake mix. In 371 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,440 Speaker 1: the wake of it, They renamed their company to Aunt 372 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: Jemima Mills Company in nineteen fourteen, and they were so 373 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 1: impressed with Green's performance they offered her a lifetime position 374 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 1: as their spokesperson as sales of their products continued to soar. However, 375 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: that came to an rupt end in when she lost 376 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 1: her life in a car crash. The owner, Artie Davis, 377 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 1: was forced to sell the company to Quaker Oats due 378 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 1: to financial issues. Soon after, Anna Robinson was tapped to 379 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:09,160 Speaker 1: be the new face of ant Jemima, a portrait now 380 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 1: appearing on packages. She also appeared at the nineteen thirty 381 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 1: three World's Fair, which was followed by Chicago based blue 382 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:18,960 Speaker 1: singer and actress Edith Wilson. She became the first person 383 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,439 Speaker 1: to appear as the character in commercials, and at this 384 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: time as still included racial dialects like Isa. Former teacher 385 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 1: and actress ethel Ernestine Harper assumed the mantle after Wilson 386 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: after that an advertising employee, a Quaker Oaates named Rosie Hall, 387 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,439 Speaker 1: took on this position When she died, her grave was 388 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 1: deemed as a historical landmark. In nineteen fifty five, Eileen 389 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: Louise made her first public appearance as the mascot of 390 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:45,440 Speaker 1: an Jemima restaurant in Disneyland, and A Short Harrington also 391 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: did a stand as an Jebama at public events in 392 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 1: the New York area. The Aunt Jemima radio show ran 393 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,040 Speaker 1: for from nineteen thirty to nineteen two. Jemima was played 394 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 1: by a white black face actress who portrayed Antjemima and 395 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: other formats. It was essentially a minstrel show for radio. 396 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 1: As early as the nineteen fifties, people were questioning the 397 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:09,200 Speaker 1: races undertones of Aunt Jemima. The n double a CP 398 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: started strongly recommending that schools not invite Aunt Jemima to 399 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:17,000 Speaker 1: speak at them. Increased public scrutiny led Quaker Oats to 400 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 1: cancel a television campaign in nineteen sixty seven, around the 401 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,719 Speaker 1: time We got the Civil Rights Act, and ditch her 402 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 1: name from their Disneyland restaurant. The brand updated Aunt Jemima's 403 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,920 Speaker 1: image in nineteen nine in an effort to avoid criticisms 404 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: of a mammy stereotype. Gone was the headscarfor traded out 405 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,400 Speaker 1: instead for a lace collar and pearl earrings, and her 406 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:42,639 Speaker 1: skin was lightened. She also gradually got thinner. Many historians 407 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 1: argue that the mammy stereotype is the stereotype of something 408 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,200 Speaker 1: that never existed, and said it was a fiction cooked 409 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: up by white Southerners to plaquate themselves around relationships between 410 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 1: white men enslaved black women. The mammy was sexually undesirable 411 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: and not a threat to white women or social norms, 412 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: happy to serve the white man, and played into the 413 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: narrative that black women were happy to be enslaved. According 414 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: to Kimberly Wallace Sanders in her book Mammy, A Century 415 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 1: of Race, Gender, and Southern Memory, quote Antimima's success was 416 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: predicted upon a fascinating interweeding of commerce, memory, and racial 417 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: nostalgia that served as a vehicle of post Civil War 418 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:22,399 Speaker 1: national consolidation. An African American woman pretending to be a 419 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,199 Speaker 1: slave was pivotal to be the trademarks commercial achievement in 420 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:28,920 Speaker 1: eighteen three. It's success revolved around the fantasy of returning 421 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,879 Speaker 1: a black woman to a sanitized version of slavery. The 422 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 1: anti Mamic character involved the regression of race relations, and 423 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,919 Speaker 1: her character helped usher and a prominent resurgence of the 424 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 1: happy slave mythology of the Antebellum South. This popular recreation 425 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:45,320 Speaker 1: of an African American woman's lives stood in direct opposition 426 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: to the efforts of real African American women struggling to 427 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,280 Speaker 1: publicly assert their citizenship. As a symbol of racial harmony, 428 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:54,480 Speaker 1: An Jemima proved to be preferred version of African American 429 00:24:54,520 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 1: womanhood and exultation of slave accuracy nostalgia. Beginning in Latice 430 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,720 Speaker 1: Night appeared and as for spokespersons for Quaker Oaths very 431 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 1: briefly presented her as Aunt Jemima herself. As two of 432 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:13,959 Speaker 1: Harrington's great grandsons were suing Aunt Jemima's parent company, Quaker Oats, 433 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: for two billion for unpaid royalties and damages, Harrington played 434 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:23,160 Speaker 1: Antemima previously. According to them, their mother and Green Nancy Green, 435 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:27,360 Speaker 1: were instrumental in developing the self rising pancake mix. Even 436 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: before she was Auntjemima, Harrington had a reputation for her 437 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:35,560 Speaker 1: delicious pancakes. One of Harrington's great grandsons wrote in the suit, 438 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,200 Speaker 1: Aunt Jemima has become known as one of the most 439 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:41,880 Speaker 1: exploited and abused women in American history. It's really kind 440 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:43,879 Speaker 1: of gross. I was wondering how much they paid these women. 441 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 1: Ah yeah, I'm sure it was not at all reasonable. Yeah. Yeah, 442 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: so that's a bit of that's a pretty dark history 443 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: for that. Um, when we do have a little bit 444 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:02,120 Speaker 1: more for you, but first we have one more quick 445 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: break for word from our sponsor, and we're back, Thank you, sponsor, 446 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:23,400 Speaker 1: And we're back with Mrs Butterworth. More's up more syrup. 447 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,480 Speaker 1: I'm telling you. So, I didn't even consider her when 448 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:30,040 Speaker 1: I was originally planning who who do involve in this episode, 449 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 1: but that the study we mentioned earlier finding Betty Crocker 450 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 1: is the most recognized woman in the United States or whatever. 451 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: Mrs Butterworth was behind her, which is interesting. I do like, 452 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 1: as we're talking, I can see the picture of the 453 00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 1: children talking to the bottle. Yeah, that's what I'm saying 454 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: right now, But I don't remember that commercial pretty distinctly. 455 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:55,159 Speaker 1: They have a whole wealth of commercials available throughout the 456 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 1: decades if you would like to see them. So yes, 457 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,560 Speaker 1: let's talk about her. She is now synonymous with a 458 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:04,280 Speaker 1: brand of box pancake mixes and syrups, although her most 459 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 1: iconic iteration is as the shape of the pancake syrup 460 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: bottles that shape a bottle in the shape of Mrs 461 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: butter with a woman who was patented in nineteen sixty six. 462 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:20,480 Speaker 1: Mrs Butterworth is unique in this sense. She was one 463 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: of a few, if not the only, products shaped after 464 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:29,320 Speaker 1: their namesake. I couldn't really think of anybody else, all right. 465 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,520 Speaker 1: She's sort of a grandmotherly in her shape, a button 466 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,720 Speaker 1: down dress with a collar, a wide skirt. Her hair 467 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: is up in a bun. I suppose the sweetness of 468 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:42,919 Speaker 1: syrup is sort of symbolic of the sweetness we assume 469 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,920 Speaker 1: women have. She does cross her hands in her lap 470 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 1: almost yeah and yeah. Since Ginger norms at the time 471 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: place women in charge of all things domestic, including the kitchen, 472 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,160 Speaker 1: she in theory she was a real person would know 473 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:02,120 Speaker 1: what she was talking about. These are the speculations when 474 00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 1: I was really trying to get to the bottom of 475 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: why why why why just why? Mrs Butterworth's history is 476 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:13,880 Speaker 1: a bit murky. First off, when you search for Mrs Butterworth. 477 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:17,200 Speaker 1: One of the first suggested search terms is is Mrs 478 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 1: Butterworth Black. Rumor has it she was originally modeled after 479 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:25,159 Speaker 1: actress Thelma Butterfly McQueen, who posed for the iconic bottle 480 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,560 Speaker 1: soon after she wrapped up filming as the mammy character 481 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 1: Prissy and got into the wind. However, that doesn't really 482 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,600 Speaker 1: square with her first on air appearance, where actress Cliff 483 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:37,480 Speaker 1: are Cut as Charlie We represented her as an older 484 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: white woman. Actress Mary kay Bergman went on to later 485 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 1: provide the voice of Mrs Butterworth, similarly in the style 486 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: of an older white woman. A lot of questions around 487 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,080 Speaker 1: racism and Mrs Butterworth seems system from her proximity to 488 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 1: and perhaps mimicry of Anjemima. In two thousand nine, Pinnacle 489 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: Foods revealed Mrs Butterworth's first name is Joy. Prior to 490 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,640 Speaker 1: the reveal, the company launched a contest encouraging people to 491 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: guess the name. Two people won five dollars, are correctly 492 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 1: guessing and a case of the syrup. Of course, this 493 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 1: is interesting because, according to a brand manager, no one 494 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:12,280 Speaker 1: bothered to ask what the first name was until an 495 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 1: employee's son asked, this could be because she's fictional, or 496 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,400 Speaker 1: it could be because, at least partly because the most 497 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 1: important part of her identity is that she's married. Obviously, right, 498 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,200 Speaker 1: what else do you need to know? She's worth is marriage? 499 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 1: Does her worth is butter marriage? An Onion headline from 500 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 1: seventeen read Mike Pence asked waiter to remove Mrs Butterworth 501 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,800 Speaker 1: from table until a wife arrives, s poking fun at 502 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:41,360 Speaker 1: his reluctance flash refusal to be alone with a woman 503 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 1: other than his wife. Here is the article that's really brief, 504 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: expressing concerns about the propriety of being left alone with 505 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:51,440 Speaker 1: a certain container of the opposite sex. Vice President Mike 506 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 1: Pence reportedly asked the waiter Thursday to remove Mrs Butterworth 507 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 1: from the table until his wife rapped to join him 508 00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 1: at a local diner. Excuse me, sir, would you please 509 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: take this out of my line of sight and full 510 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: my wife gets here? Said Pence, who reportedly attempted to 511 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: put the table sugar dispenser and salt and pepper shakers 512 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 1: between him and the feminine syrup bottle, before deciding that 513 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: even having Mrs Butterworth within arms reach could lead him 514 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: to have impure thoughts. It just would not be right 515 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:16,760 Speaker 1: for me to sit here alone with a woman's shape container, 516 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 1: particularly one as shapely as this. In fact, I would 517 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:21,440 Speaker 1: advise you to do the same for the man sitting 518 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: over there I see is seating very close to Mrs Butterworth, 519 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 1: even though he appears are we wearing a wedding ring? 520 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: At press time, Pence had to ask the wayer to 521 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:31,680 Speaker 1: pour syrup on his pancakes for him, as it would 522 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: be unseemingly to handle the curves of the plastic woman 523 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: in such a public place. Wait, didn't she like a 524 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: bell shape? She is? But one of the second most 525 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,240 Speaker 1: return search items for me was what happened to Mrs 526 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: Butterworth's boobs? And there's a whole Breddit threat about didn't 527 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: she used to have big boobs? What happened to the boobs? 528 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: I don't remember boobs. Most it wasn't looking for them. 529 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,800 Speaker 1: Maybe I don't know. Most people seem to say they 530 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:04,239 Speaker 1: were at the shape. Well. Apparently a commercial that came 531 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: out in early two thousand nineteen depicted Colonel Sanders of 532 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:14,360 Speaker 1: KFC and Mrs Butterworth the life size bottle. What flirting. Yeah, yeah, 533 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,040 Speaker 1: so Mrs Butterworth makes the first move, so I guess 534 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:20,600 Speaker 1: that's progress. She's the one that's coming on to him, 535 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:23,480 Speaker 1: and they go in for a kiss and the commercial 536 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,360 Speaker 1: ends a cliffhanger none of us ever expected to have 537 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:30,880 Speaker 1: to contemplate. Ever, No, it cuts instead to a sup 538 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: covered waffles and add for their fried chicken and waffles 539 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:40,560 Speaker 1: and another example of the sexualization of food. Maybe yeah no, um. 540 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: This was a sequel to the previous ad for the 541 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,320 Speaker 1: same product that depicted the two mascots recreating the scene 542 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:51,240 Speaker 1: from the end of Dirty Dancing. Yes, and I happened 543 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:53,520 Speaker 1: to see that. I wasn't looking for this ad. It 544 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: happened to come up for me when I was watching 545 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,040 Speaker 1: a YouTube video today and it's ghost It's the scene 546 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:02,800 Speaker 1: from Ghosts Or They are doing the clay thing, and 547 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: I think the wait is a Dirty Dancing There is 548 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 1: the clay thing. I think there's more than one. So 549 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: they just really like Patrick Swayzy, that's what you're trying 550 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:14,560 Speaker 1: to tell me. True? Well, I learned that they have 551 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 1: a Nashville Hot version of this now for limited time, 552 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:21,280 Speaker 1: so of course I'm not gonna lie. That sounds delicious. Okay, 553 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 1: first and foremost, however, do I want it to be sexualized? No, 554 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 1: I don't want to think about Colonel Sanders being sexual 555 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 1: not that. Do I want to think Mrs Butterworth, you 556 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: do you I want to be I'm telling her to 557 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: do her thing, do your thing. I'm just gonna eat 558 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: the chicken with syrup. Oh my gosh. It is really creepy. 559 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:46,360 Speaker 1: It reminds me of the Burger King mascot because it's 560 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:50,479 Speaker 1: so they are. Yeah, that's not okay, it's you already 561 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:55,840 Speaker 1: know how about life size things coming to life, in 562 00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 1: animate objects coming to live. So this is not cool. 563 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:01,760 Speaker 1: This is butter coming off. Also, I can't even say 564 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:05,720 Speaker 1: the words starrup right, So this is a nightmare in itself. 565 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 1: There's a lot of layers of terror happening. Well, it 566 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: was a successful ad, I would say, because we're talking 567 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: about it, we remember it. But also I've been trying 568 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: to forget it. You'll never forget it. You'll never forget it. 569 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:25,080 Speaker 1: There actually wasn't that much out there on on Mrs Butterworth. 570 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,960 Speaker 1: So if any listeners happened to have the low down 571 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:30,520 Speaker 1: on any of the okay, you don't send me pictures 572 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 1: don't send me pictures of whatever you said earlier. I'll 573 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 1: take pictures of Mrs Butterworth. Okay, I don't want anything 574 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: about Dirty Santa. Everything else is open, I will take it. 575 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:47,680 Speaker 1: We do have a pretty strong spam filter. Uh. And 576 00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 1: obviously there are a lot of other other things we 577 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:54,360 Speaker 1: could have talked about when it comes to to food mascots, 578 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 1: female food mascots like um, the Land of Lakes, Wendy, 579 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:02,480 Speaker 1: Little Debbie Morton, Salt Girl, Jikuita Banana sun Maiden from 580 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 1: the Raisins, the Green Eminem and now the Brown Eminem. Yeah, 581 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:07,640 Speaker 1: well did you know that I tell you? Ever tell 582 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 1: you the story? Side note about the dude that I 583 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,080 Speaker 1: went on a couple of days with talking about knowing 584 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:16,239 Speaker 1: Little Debbie the woman and how awful she was. She's real, 585 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:20,759 Speaker 1: She's apparently real. Yeah, he couldn't lie, But I'm just 586 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 1: saying he told me the story. I was like, cool, cool. 587 00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:25,239 Speaker 1: The listener of ours actually have no idea how old 588 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:31,000 Speaker 1: Little Debbie is. Well, if any anybody has information on that, 589 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,400 Speaker 1: will you welcome that as well? And if food things 590 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:37,759 Speaker 1: are of interests of you, as always, you can hear 591 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 1: hear more of me nording out about food over on 592 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:45,760 Speaker 1: the Safer podcast. But if you would like to contact 593 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:49,319 Speaker 1: this podcast, what Yes, you can. You can email us 594 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:51,879 Speaker 1: at Stuff Media, mom Stuff at iHeart media dot com. 595 00:34:52,200 --> 00:34:54,280 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast 596 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:57,520 Speaker 1: or on Instagram at Stuff I've Never Told You. Thanks 597 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: It's always to our superproducer Andrew Howard. Have a souaky day. 598 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 1: Thanks to you for listening Stuff I've Never Told You 599 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 1: the production of I Heeart Radios how Stuff Works. For 600 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:10,759 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 601 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:13,640 Speaker 1: Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows