Mrs. Butterworth's

Mrs. Butterworth's is an American brand of syrups and pancake mixes that is owned by Conagra Brands. The syrups come in distinctive bottles shaped in the form of a matronly woman, Mrs. Butterworth. The syrup was introduced in 1961.[1] In 1999, the original glass bottles began to be replaced with plastic bottles, to prevent accidental breakage.[2]

Mrs. Butterworth's
Product typeSyrup and baking mixes
OwnerConagra Brands
CountryUnited States
Introduced1961 (1961)
MarketsWorldwide
Previous ownersMrs. Butterworth's
Websitewww.mrsbutterworths.com

Advertising

One of the main voice actresses for Butterworth was the late Mary Kay Bergman.[3]

In 2007, Mrs. Butterworth was used in a series of ads for GEICO, in which she helped an actual customer with her testimonial.[4]

In 2019, she appeared along with an actor playing Colonel Sanders in a KFC commercial spoofing a scene from Dirty Dancing, promoting chicken and waffles using Mrs. Butterworth's syrup.

Controversy

In 2020, following protests over systemic racism, Conagra Brands announced that it would review the shape of their bottles, as critics viewed them as an example of the "mammy" stereotype.[5] Some reports, without evidence, have claimed that the character was originally modeled on Thelma "Butterfly" McQueen, who appeared as the maid in Gone with the Wind (1939).[6][7]

Prior to the introduction of the syrup, Amelia Butterworth was an amateur detective character in a series of novels by Anna Katharine Green (1836–1945). In 2009, then-parent company Pinnacle Foods held a "first name contest" for the product's mascot; the winning name was "Joy", making the full name Joy Butterworth.[8][9] The character appears in the 2012 American film Foodfight!.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Our History". Pinnacle Foods. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  2. "Plastic pleases Mrs. Butterworth's". Packaging World. 1999-08-31. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  3. CNN obituary for Mary Kay Bergman
  4. Geico Mrs. Butterworth, retrieved 2019-12-16
  5. Durbin, Dee-Ann (18 June 2020). "Cream of Wheat, Mrs. Butterworth confront race in packaging". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  6. Silvey, Janese (May 4, 2012). "Mrs. Butterworth award raises ire at MU". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. Morona, Joey (June 17, 2020). "Mrs. Butterworth's syrup is considering changing up its branding and famous bottles". cleveland.com. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  8. "Mrs. Butterworth Has a First Name, It's . . ". Food Channel. 2009-10-03. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  9. "Mrs. Butterworth's first name is . . ". Los Angeles Times. 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  10. Hawkes, Rebecca (2017-08-02). "Forget The Emoji Movie: discover Foodfight!, the worst children's animation of all time". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2020-06-17.


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