How Betty Crocker Became An American Kitchen Icon

The name Betty Crocker has become synonymous with baking, from the cookbooks and frosting tubs with the red trim, to the cake mixes that almost taste homemade. The name has remained the same, but her appearance has evolved in the 100-plus years since she became an elusive public figure. Betty Crocker was born, or rather invented, in 1921. The familiar, friendly face of domesticity (and her myriad iterations) is fictional. Betty Crocker is a character, first created by Washburn Crosby Company, the flour company that would later become General Mills.

Betty was originally conceptualized as a sort of personified home cook hotline, created by marketers in response to mail-in consumer inquiries requesting cooking tips. Betty was born as the relatable face and voice of the brand, doling out domestic wisdom via written correspondence. While you might not be able to recall her face (or its most recent features) there's a familiarity to her name, and that's kind of the point.

The name Betty was selected for its friendly woman-next-door (or more-experienced-cook-next-door) quality. The last name, Crocker, is attributed to William G. Crocker, a former company executive. The bubbly Betty signature evolved from the handwriting of secretary Florence Lindeberg after female employees were invited to scrawl the name that would eventually punctuate customer service letters. An edited version of the winning writing still appears on modern packaging. Over the years, the role of "Betty" has been played by actresses for radio and television appearances. 

One of Betty Crocker's most enduring legacies is her series of cookbooks, though she didn't publish her first ("Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book") until 1950, nearly 30 years after her creation. The bold red tome, familiarly called "Big Red," delivered approachable recipes and advice to the regular home cook.Since its debut, it's sold nearly 75 million copies. Today, culinary guides published under Betty Crocker's name rank among the upper echelon of classic American cookbooks.