Betty Crocker may not be a real person, but the name is one of the most recognizable in the United States. The Betty Crocker brand is owned by General Mills, and the name has been in use since 1921. Betty Crocker was started with a Gold Medal Flour promotion, when the company offered a complimentary pin cushion to those who could solve a puzzle. The company began receiving numerous letters from consumers, and they decided to sign their responses "Betty Crocker" to add a personal touch. Since then, the Betty Crocker name has become synonymous with baking to many Americans.
Betty Crocker Coupons
You can find coupons and special offers by signing up for Betty Crocker’s mail newsletter. This will give you exclusive access to member benefits and receive a free booklet packed with $10 coupon savings. For double or triple coupons offered and other details, you can refer to the store from which you are making your purchases to find out. Most coupons are subject to expiration, so it is a good idea to read the fine print. Sometimes item limit restrictions apply, and coupons are only good at participating retailers. Often, coupons may be doubled or tripled (usually with dollar amount caps) by grocery stores running such promotional offers.
Quick Facts On Betty Crocker
Marjorie Child Husted was the creator of Betty Crocker. She was a home economist and businesswoman under whose supervision the image of Betty Crocker became an icon for General Mills. In 1921, 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 Limited 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, Granger Crocker sent a post card to J. W. Schucak about Betty being crowned "best cook" in her town.
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.[neutrality is disputed] These portraits were always painted, with no real person ever having posed as a model, and they never showed the character from the shoulders down.
