Betty Crocker
Betty Crocker is a cultural icon and brand name known for representing home cooking and baking in classic style since 1921. She was the second best-known woman in America in the 1940s.
Business Figure
1921
99
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Betty Crocker, a cultural icon and brand name linked to General Mills, an American Fortune 500 corporation, was created by the Washburn Crosby Company in 1921 to personalize customer responses. As a symbol of American home cooking and baking, she became a household name, with her cookbooks and recipes being passed down through generations.
Betty Crocker’s influence extended beyond her cookbooks, as she was known to nine out of ten American homemakers by the early 1940s. She was even considered the second best-known woman in America, after First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Over the years, her image has been updated to reflect changing trends and fashions, and she has appeared in advertising campaigns, television shows, and radio broadcasts. In 1936, General Mills commissioned her first portrait, drawn by renowned artist Neysa McMein.
Today, Betty Crocker remains a cherished figure in American food culture, symbolizing classic home cooking and baking. The brand continues to introduce new products and publications, such as the “Betty 10” list of red hot holiday trends and updated editions of her cookbooks. Her impact on American baking and her cultural significance ensure her enduring status as a culinary icon.
