McKee took a trip to a European trade show looking for “the next big thing.” The cake, a miniaturized version of a popular dessert called “roulade”, was being crafted by several bakeries he toured. Although the portrait has been modified slightly through the years, it endures to this day and is seen by millions of shoppers and snackers daily!īy 1962 several different varieties of Little Debbie snacks were available with full color cartons that showed off delicious pictures of the snacks! Pearl Mann's illustrations were very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but none of her best-known works are as recognizable and enduring as the Little Debbie portrait. It was introduced on packaging later in the year. The first full-color Little Debbie portrait was created in 1960, the same year as the original line art version. thought his granddaughter, Debbie, would be the perfect face for his delicious treats, and on August 23, 1960, the brand was born. The price of the new 12-count family pack carton was 49¢.Įver wonder where the name Little Debbie came from? From O.D. Individually sold, 12 cakes would sell for a total of 60¢. In 1960, McKee Baking Company pioneered the “family pack,” a family sized carton of 12 or more cellophane wrapped cakes. The first Nutty Bars ® wafer bars were first sold in 1959, starting a crunchy, peanut-buttery craze that lives on today! In order to keep up with production demand, an all-new line of snack cakes and pies was developed, which would help to usher in the beginning of the Little Debbie brand. In 1954, the McKee family purchased King’s Bakery, later renaming the business to McKee Baking Company in 1962.Ī modern plant was built in Collegedale, Tennessee. He sold these new “creme pies” for a nickel a piece. He made formula changes to make the cookie soft, and sandwiched two cookies together with a fluffy creme filling. McKee began experimenting with the hard oatmeal cookies his little shop was baking at the time. It was the middle of the Great Depression when O.D. McKee begins selling 5¢ cakes for Becker’s Bakery, using his 1928 Whippet as his delivery truck.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |