In 1954, General Mills introduced the red spoon logo with her signature, placing it on Gold Medal flour, Bisquick, and cake-mix packages.
Realizing that especially housewives would want advice from a fellow woman, the company’s Advertising Department convinced its board of directors to create a personality that the women answering the letters could all use in their replies.
[3] Described as an American cultural icon, the image of Betty Crocker has endured several generations, adapting to changing social, political, and economic currents.
[6] Crocker was based on a sous-chef from Franklin College — where Barton attended school — who made the delicious, if somewhat dry, baked goods for the cafeteria.
[8] By 1932, this scheme had become so popular that General Mills began to offer an entire set of flatware;[8] the pattern was called "Friendship" (later renamed "Medality").
[9] From 1930, General Mills issued softbound recipe books, including, in 1933, Betty Crocker's 101 Delicious Bisquick Creations, as Made and Served by Well-Known Gracious Hostesses, Famous Chefs, Distinguished Epicures and Smart Luminaries of Movieland.
[12] In 2005, the 10th edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook was published,[13] as well as a Spanish/English bilingual book that collects some of the more common recipes for Spanish-speaking readers looking to cook American-style food.
[15] Betty Crocker was portrayed by several actresses, including Marjorie Husted on radio for twenty years, and Adelaide Hawley Cumming on television between 1949 and 1964.
[17] A portrait of Betty Crocker was first commissioned in 1936,[18] a "motherly image" that "blended the features of several Home Service Department members" that was painted by Neysa McMein.
[18] The 1996 portrait of Betty Crocker, according to General Mills, was partially inspired by a "computerized composite" of "75 women of diverse backgrounds and ages.
[22] There are several Betty Crocker–branded products, including plastic food containers and measuring cups, and a line of small appliances such as popcorn poppers and sandwich makers.