Did you know, one of our most beloved kitchen personalities, Betty Crocker, was a woman who never existed? The name was first developed 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. There are also a number of Betty Crocker-branded products, such as hand mixers, which support General Mills product line of foodstuffs.

- In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Betty Crocker was used by General Mills to symbolize the ideal female American cook. In that time, she became one of the most well-known figures in American culture.
- The first “portrait” of Betty Crocker appeared in 1936. It has subtly changed over the years, but has always accommodated General Mills’ cultural perception of the American homemaker: knowledgeable and caring.
- In 1945, Fortune magazine named Betty Crocker the second most popular woman in America; first lady 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. Hawley continued to portray Betty Crocker until 1964.
She also appeared in the CBS network’s first color commercial, in which she baked a “mystery fruit cake”.
- In 1950, the Betty Crocker Cookbook was published. It was written by Agnes White Tizard, a nutritionist.
- By 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.
- In 2006, it was announced that the Betty Crocker Catalog went out of business, but her image remains on BettyCrocker.com.
- The current image of Betty Crocker, according to the corporation, is actually a combination of 75 real-life women of diverse backgrounds and ages. 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.

Tagged: american, baking crocker, betty crocker, chef, cook, cooking, facts, food, foodimentary, fun, general mills, historic, historical, history, life, news
Reblogged this on Meals on Wheels.
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Haha – Betty Crocker was something akin to Vinny Grette!
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Still have my mother’s orange tattered B. Crocker cookbook from the 60’s. My go to for chocolate chip cookies and Ceasar salad amongst other classics.
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Reblogged this on Collectables and commented:
Well, how about that? Nobody ever named Betty Crocker, unlike Aunt Jemima, who was a real person. A former slave, evidently.
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She wasn’t real??? Awww….this is just like when I found out that there wasn’t a Santa Claus! *grabs tissue
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Have used some of this “ladies” recipes … not very well known over here … but fiction or not she have a healthy approach to food and cooking.
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Awwww! My life is crushed. Betty Crocker was never a real person?! 🙂
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I still have my first Betty Crocker cookbook and still use it!
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Whoa. I never knew Betty Crocker wasn’t a real person. Now I know why a few years back when I tried looking for Betty Crocker on YouTube or the iTunes Store to see her in action and see how she created those awesome recipes, I couldn’t find anything.
Thanks for this post. I enjoyed it very much.
To this day, anything made by Betty Crocker (especially her packaged icing) is amazing and can make my mouth salivate, like it is now.
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