Aunt Jemima has a rich history spanning over 115 years. Read on to learn more about important milestones in the fascinating history of the Aunt Jemima brand.
- 1889
- Chris Rutt and Charles Underwood of the Pearl Milling Company developed Aunt Jemima, the first ready mix.
- 1890
- R.T. Davis purchased the struggling Aunt Jemima Manufacturing Company. He then brought the Aunt Jemima character to life when he hired Nancy Green as his spokeswoman.
- 1914
- The image of Aunt Jemima was so popular that the company was renamed the Aunt Jemima Mills Company.
- 1926
- The Quaker Oats Company purchased the Aunt Jemima Mills Company.
- 1933
- For the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933, the advertising planners decided to bring the Aunt Jemima character back to life. They hired Anna Robinson, described as a large, gregarious woman with the face of an angel. She traveled the country promoting Aunt Jemima until her death in 1951.
- 1937
- Quaker’s first registration of the Aunt Jemima trademark occurred in April, 1937.
- 1955
- From the mid 1950’s until the late 1960’s Aylene Lewis was hired to portray Aunt Jemima at the Aunt Jemima restaurant in the newly opened Disneyland.
- 1957
- Quaker introduced Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix. Also at this time, Quaker began to advertise on television, showing kids and moms making not just pancakes but, “Aunt Jemimas”.
- 1966
- Quaker introduced syrup under the Aunt Jemima trademark and used the campaign, “Aunt Jemima, what took you so long?”.
- 1968
- Quaker introduced the Aunt Jemima frozen waffle and advertised it with a “toaster jingle”. In the same year Quaker also began the seven years running campaign using the song, “Aunt Jemima Syrup, Pancakes or Waffles without her…”.
- 1970
- Quaker introduced two new items geared towards convenience: Aunt Jemima Complete Pancake & Waffle Mix (“Just Add Water”) and Aunt Jemima Frozen French Toast.
- 1979
- Quaker introduced Aunt Jemima Lite Syrup and featured a “Lite Contest” message on television, which ran for the next three years.
- 1981
- Quaker began a campaign for frozen products, “Just Like Mommy Makes.” The campaign ran for four years.
- 1985
- Quaker introduced Aunt Jemima Butter Lite syrup.
- 1986
- Another campaign, “Nothing Could be Finer” promoted all of the Aunt Jemima products.
- 1989
- In 1989, the image of Aunt Jemima was updated by removing her headband and giving her pearl earrings and a lace collar.
- 1991
- Quaker introduced Aunt Jemima Butter Rich syrup.
- 1992
- During a frozen package redesign Quaker tilted Aunt Jemima’s head into a more upright position.
- 1996
- Aunt Jemima frozen products were licensed out to Pinnacle Foods Corporation.
- TODAY
- The Aunt Jemima products continue to stand for warmth, nourishment and trust – qualities you’ll find in loving moms from diverse backgrounds who care for and want the very best for their families.