Past Events
Who Was Betty Crocker?

Fun Facts

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• A contest in the Saturday Evening Post asked readers to put a puzzle together and win a pin cushion in the shape of a General Mills flour sack. Over 30,000 people replied and many of them also had questions about baking that the company was not prepared to answer.

 

• Betty Crocker was a fictional character whose name was a combination of director of the company and what simply sounded friendly.

 

• The first cooking radio show ever presented was the “Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air.” It remained on the air for 24 years and listeners could “graduate” from it.

 

• Betty Crocker produced vinyl records to allow listeners who were visually impaired to be able to follow along with recipe pamphlets that were sent out.

 

 

• Bisquik was introduced in 1931 and became a product that Betty Crocker heavily promoted.

 

• Betty Crocker test kitchens were introduced in 1946 and became a popular tourist destination with over 26,000 visitors during the first five years.

 

• In 1950 the “Betty Crocker Picture Book” was released and quickly became an instant success selling over 2.5 million copies during its first year.

 

• The first Betty Crocker product was a soup mix that was released in 1942.

 

Recommended Reading List

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1. “Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America’s First Lady of Food” – Susan Marks

2. “Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America” – Laura Shapiro

 

Rian Lancto, rianlancto@gmail.com