Old Time Radio at OTRCat!

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Go to this guy's eBay store to check out the cool old ad art.


Memory Lane is now HOV.only.

Toast'em Pop-Ups. Mmmmmmmmm....
Another in the long line of General Mills starters on a field of one that wound up as also-rans.

Here's a timeline.

1964 Schulze and Burch (a baking concern in Chicago) produced a new product that General Foods had invented, called a Toaster Pastry that was marketed under the Toast'em® Brand.


1971 Schulze and Burch acquired the Toast’em® brand from General Foods.


1997 Toast’em Pop-Ups Toaster Pastries were reformulated, creating a new proprietary flavor system resulting in a superior taste and a more moist filling.



So, the original wasn't good enough...they had to make them better. Problem is, they're not better. They are different, sweeter, with an indistinct flavor. "It's red and gooey. This must be STRAWBERRY!". Yummy.

Toast 'Ems started out as "Post Country Squares". Hear what Carolyn Wyman saith:

September 14,1964, Kellogg had a competitive toaster pastry called Pop-Tarts in stores....Kellogg won the Zeitgeist sweepstakes when the name Pop-Tarts, chosen for the way they popped out of the toaster, turned out to echo a pair of 1960s cultural movements, pop music and pop art. Post, by contrast, was stuck with Country Squares, a doubly corny name made all the worse since the Beatles had arrived in America less than two weeks before they hit the market. (Post later changed the name to Toast ’em Pop Ups.)

Amazing. Then, Nabisco came out with Toastettes, blah, blah. (They didn't even do the obvious and have a leggy Toastette dance around. You know, like the cigarette ads from the 50's.)

I want an Eggo....





3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"It's red and gooey. This must be STRAWBERRY!"

This is my problem with artificial flavoring. It never tastes like the fruit or whatever on the label. Most of the time it's little more than corn syrup and food coloring anyway.

I think the hubby gave me one of those pocket sandwich makers for Christmas just so I could make stuffed French toast instead. Messier, but just as quick and a whole lot tastier.

The Aardvark said...

Your hubby ROCKS!

Unknown said...

Oh, it was totally because he wanted to eat the fruits of the machine, but yes, he does rock.

Actually, he's used the thing more than I have. ^_^