Behind the 100-year history of Betty Crocker

MINNEAPOLIS— This holiday season, you might want to pull out a Betty Crocker cookbook to find a tried-and-true recipe.

It is one of the most recognizable brands in the country. But who is Betty Crocker?

According to General Mills archivist Natasha Bruns, Crocker is not a real person. The ‘first lady of food’ was born from a puzzle and a pincushion.

“In 1921, the predecessor to General Mills placed an ad on the back of the Saturday night mail. And it was a puzzle that consumers could cut out, put together and as a prize they would receive one of these miniature flour sack pincushions,” Bruns explained .

The promotion got 30,000 responses, so they launched a persona to respond. They chose the name “Betty” because it sounded friendly. “Crocker” was the name of a recently retired director.

A competition was held among employees to choose her iconic signature. Then, in 1924, Betty Crocker found her voice on a WCCO radio show.

“In the 1920s and 1930s, America was going through some pretty tough times. And Betty Crocker was really an ear to listen to people and help them through those tough times, like how to stretch rations or make ends meet on a tight budget.” said Bruns.

She also appeared on TV. At the height of her popularity, she received more than 5,000 letters a day. All letters were answered by women who worked in the home service.

The cookbooks and test kitchen tours also sold like hotcakes.

“I was fortunate enough to interview quite a few women who worked for the Betty Crocker kitchens,” says Susan Marks, who wrote “Finding Betty Crocker.” Many of the women attended the University of Minnesota-St. Paul, where they studied home economics.

“At first glance, it appears that Betty Crocker represents a very traditional female role,” Marks said. “But if you look a little further at her radio shows, she was really into promoting and empowering women and was always interviewing women who were doing things outside the home.”

The brand has evolved over time. Her 75th birthday portrait was made from a computerized composite of real women.

“They invited consumers to nominate women in their lives who represented Betty Crocker’s values,” Bruns said.

The original cookbook from 1950 is now in its 13th edition. Since its initial release, it has sold 75 million copies.