Jell-O Company
Jell-O Through Time
1895: Peter Cooper, original inventor of "Portable Gelatin," sold his invention to Pearl Wait
1897: Pearl Wait and his wife May came up with the idea for “Jell-O”
- The couple were owners of a relatively unsuccessful cough syrup business in Leroy, NY, and came up with the idea of Jell-O by adding cough syrup fruit flavors into gelatin
- Adding -O was a catchy trend at the time, inspiring May to come up with the brand name
1899: Wait sold the idea of Jell-O to his neighbor Frank Woodword, owner of the Genesee Food Company, for $450 (about $17,000 now)
1900: Woodward offered to sell the company to his superintendent for $35, but he was unsuccessful
1902: The first Jell-O booklets were published, helping housewives understand what the product could be used for and beginning the increase in sales
1904: Elizabeth King, the “Jello Girl” appeared in advertising
- Elizabeth King appeared in Jell-O advertising for 28 years, the first few of which were in photographs, then illustrations done by Rose O’Niell, the creator of Kewpies (See more in "Advertising")
1904ish: Cherry Jell-O introduced
1905-1915: Jell-O was served to immigrants coming to America in an attempt to spread the word of the company to as many people as possible
- Some of the Jell-O pamphlets were printed in alternative languages such as Spanish and French to accommodate the millions of immigrants coming into the country in the early 1900s
Circa 1904: Chocolate Jell-O was introduced then discontinued in 1928
1905: Jell-O Ice Cream Powder was introduced
- The original flavors advertised were strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, lemon, and unflavored
1908: The Genesee Pure Food Company introduced coffee flavored Jell-O but it was quickly discontinued
Circa 1908: Orange Jell-O was introduced and eventually discontinued
Circa 1909: Peach Jell-O introduced then discontinued by 1920
1910: Hello? Jell-O pamphlet was released, claiming that "The Price of Jell-O never goes up," and that "eggs and other expensive materials are not necessary in making Jell-O desserts"
- These claims introduced some of Jell-O's main selling points: convenience and price
1918: The price of Jell-O packets increases from 10 cents per package to 25 cents for 2 packages due to the sugar rationing following the United States' involvement in World War I.
- The Genesee Pure Food Company began to cater to the worries caused by war rationing by further emphasizing that Jell-O could feed a group of people without the addition of eggs, butter, or sugar.
1920s: The Genesee Pure Food Company began employing Norman Rockwell to create advertisements for them.
1920s: Agnes MacDonald began illustrating Jell-O art for pamphlets and advertisements
1923: The Genesee Pure Food Company was renamed The Jell-O Company
1925: The Jell-O Company was sold to C. W. Post, head of Postum Cereal Company, for $84 million (about $1.5 billion today)
1928: Postum was renamed General Foods after acquiring a range of other food companies
1920s: The automatic refrigerator became more attainable, and those that had it could chill their Jell-O molds to set even more quickly
- 1929: "Jell-O Secrets for the Automatic Refrigerator" was published, giving customers new ways to utilize the faster-setting properties of Jell-O when refrigerated. The pamphlet emphasizes the superior texture and taste of the dessert when it is "Chilled to Frosty Coldness."
1930: Lime Jell-O was introduced
- Lemon and lime became primary flavors used in Jell-O molds during The Great Depression and the World Wars.
1930: L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, produced several promotional books featuring his characters. The books began and ended with instructions on how to make and buy Jell-O. They also included an image of The Tin Man and Scarecrow carrying Jell-O on the back cover, but the stories themselves did not contain anything about the company.
1934: Jack Benny’s/Mary Livingstone comedy show introduced the Jell-O jingle
- 1937: “Jack and Mary’s Jell-O recipe book” was published. The book incorporates cartoons of radio show hosts Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone making Jell-O related puns, as well as pages of recipes.
1942: World War II sugar rationing again limited Jell-O production, but the dessert still thrived
- 1942: The partnership with Jack and Mary ended as the decrease in Jell-O production during the war, and therefore quick sales of what Jell-O was produced, made them unecessary
1950s: Peak popularity of the Jell-O Salad
1963: The Joys of Jell-O was published with the most popular recipes compiled from previous publications
1986: To keep up with health trends, they began marketing their Sugar-Free Jell-O options- an option that eventually contributed to over 1/3 of their sales
1990: Kraft Foods merged with General Foods
1990: Jell-O Jigglers were introduced and Bill Cosby’s endorsement began, both attempts to prevent a decline in sales as Jell-O molds fell out of favor
2002: Salt Lake City, Utah, one of the highest Jell-O consuming cities in the United States, made their Olympic pin a bowl of Jell-O
2010s: despite the decline of the Jell-O mold popularity, Jell-O is still one of America's most recognizable desserts. Often served in school cafeterias and hospitals, the brand has continued to make its mark on American families and stay relevant after decades of popularity
Advertising
The Jell-O Company released hundreds of pamphlets over the years, and though some of the figures (ex. The Jell-O Girl) stayed consistent, the company frequently utilized new styles and ad campaigns to gain more traction and pique their buyers' interest. They employed many different artists to achieve these new styles, some of which were long-lasting, and some of which were only printed once or twice.
Jell-O Girl
The Jell-O Girl, first appearing in 1904, contributed to the success of the company by appealing to the younger audience and encouraging involvement of young girls in the kitchen alongside their mothers. The girl within these advertisements was modeled after the daughter of illustrator Franklin King, creator of much of the earliest Jell-O art. The Jell-O girl appeared on the covers of Jell-O pamphlets for decades, often shown in a colorful dress with rosy cheeks and perfect, blonde hair. In some of her own pamphlets such as "The Jell-O Girl Entertains," the girl speaks directly to the younger audience, emphasizing that Jell-O is even easy enough for little girls to make. Jell-O was advertised as "America's Favorite Dessert," and part of its advertising focus was the appeal to children. The flawless, blonde-haired and blue-eyed Jell-O girl contributed to the ideal family image that the Jell-O company wanted their company associated with.
Maxfield Parrish
Maxfield Parrish, born in 1870, was best known for his stunningly saturated paintings, often depicting angelic, fairy-tale, and mythical figures amongst landscapes or bright, fluffy clouds. His paintings also often contained a signature stunning blue, deemed, "Parrish Blue" because of the frequency of use. During his career, Parrish created two advertisements for the Jell-O Company, both of which conformed to his mythical style. Shown above, the advertisements depict a king and queen being served a Jell-O mold. The vibrancy of colors and the puffy clouds in the background of the illustration convey Parrish's style even in a childish advertisement
Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell, one of the most popular illustrators of the 20th century, was best known for his paintings depicting common American life. Rockwell aimed to capture the nuance of the United States and highlight the country's flaws. In some of his most famous paintings, he illustrated Franklin D. Roosevelt's four freedoms: Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom From Fear. Within this series, the subjects of the paintings were polished American families eating dinner, sitting together, enjoying each other's company, and overall taking advantage of the Four Freedoms they were promised. Rockwell also tackled controversial topics such as Truman's election, desegregation of schools, and civil rights.
In the height of his career, Rockwell illustrated two Jell-O advertisements in his signature style. Rockwell's illustrations captured the desired association that The Jell-O Company was striving for: ideal American life. In one of his ads, a young girl in a clean, fancy, dress is unmolding Jell-O on a table in front of her baby doll. Like the Jell-O Girl, the girl in Rockwell's painting holds childish innocence and wonder. These ads assisted with Jell-O "family company" connotation.
Agnus MacDonald
Agnus MacDonald, though not as independently popular as Parrish or Rockwell, contributed heavily to Jell-O advertising. His art often utilized dull or pastel colors and blocky shading. Much of his art for The Jell-O Company appeared to be a normal landscape or depiction of a family with a Jell-O mold hidden within the foreground. One of the most popular Jell-O advertisements was created by Agnus MacDonald. This illustration, as seen to the right, depicts a young boy running desperately across a train track to retrieve a package of Jell-O before the steaming train approaches.
Kewpies
The illustrations of the Jell-O Girl were done by Rose O'Niell, an illustrator who became popular because of her small, angel-like doll figures called Kewpies. O'Niell is mentioned in several pamphlets, one of which quotes her on her experience using Jell-O: "...I must appreciate the advantages of the 'easy Jell-O way'." Someone as creative as Rose O'Niell utilizes the versatile Jell-O product in her meals. In the pamphlet, "Jell-O and the Kewpies," released circa 1915, O'Niell depicts her Kewpies helping make and serve Jell-O. Their innocent, excitable expressions are mirrored by the children and the Jell-O girl within the pamphlet. Her angelic figures contribute to the association of Jell-O with an ideal American family.
Depression Salads
With less food and income available, The Great Depression pushed families to be creative in the kitchen. The introduction of Lime Jell-O in 1930 helped catalyze the utilization of Jell-O to stretch leftovers. Jell-O molds, dishes of Jell-O often containing vegetables and/or meat, became a popular way to transform any food scraps into a colorful meal.
The mandatory sugar rationing during World War II put a damper on some of the Jell-O manufacturing. Its production continued on a smaller scale, and because they did not require rationing coupons to buy, many housewives put available Jell-O to good use. In many households, Jell-O was a simple alternative dessert when sugar was sparse. As women joined the workforce during the war, Jell-O also became a simple way to create a meal with minimal preparation.