6. Life Cereal
Let’s all say it together: “He won’t eat it, he hates everything. He likes it! Hey Mikey!” Those words may be among the most recognizable brand identifiers in American history. We can all remember the sweet little kid being teased by his older brothers who don’t want to eat their food, so they pawn it off on the little guy.
Watch the classic commercial here. Introduced in 1961 by The Quaker Oats Company, Life Cereal became the first non-oatmeal offering from the company and is still a staple in the company’s product line today with additional flavors. Wonder if Mikey would like pumpkin spice cereal?
7. Hawaiian Punch Found In Every Grandma’s Pantry
The fruity little brand of Hawaiian-flavored juices can be traced back to a California garage, wherein 1934, three men developed the first recipe. Little did they know their concoction, which was named because the original recipe consisted of fruits shipped from the Hawaiian Islands, would survive into the next century.
Branded in 1962 with its iconic little cartoon surfer dude “Punchy,” the fruit punch became known for Punchy’s famous line: “How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?” Oh, yeah!
8. Swanson TV Dinners
Developed in 1953 by C.A. Swanson & Sons, the first mass-produced “TV dinner” was the forerunner for all modern-day prepackaged frozen meals. The true original was an aluminum tray with sections for a meat, a vegetable, potatoes and often even a little dessert.
Although can you imagine in today’s microwaveable world, having to wait 25 minutes for your dinner to heat up? Although, I guess the wait would be offset by the fact that it only cost 98 cents. Too bad they didn’t make Sloopy Joes! They are my favorite.
9. Cracker Jack
Probably one of the oldest American forms of junk food, the Cracker Jack was invented and trademarked in 1896 when the brothers who formed F.W. Rueckheim & Bro., mixed molasses-flavored, caramel-coated popcorn, and peanuts together. But the real genius was the other thing that came in each box: a prize! I spent many a Saturday afternoon of my childhood sticking temporary tattoos to my arm that I had dug out of the bottom of the Cracker Jack box.
Was it just me or did anyone else eat the popcorn and pick out the nuts? Now owned by food giant Frito-Lay, Cracker Jacks come in bags instead of the old-school boxes, and the sailor mascot has undergone a bit of an image overhaul. To be honest these were NOT in my grandma’s pantry & i wish they were!
10. The Amana Radarange
It was originally the size of a small dishwasher, and the lights in the house dimmed when you turned it on, but the original microwave oven revolutionized cooking as we know it today. Invented accidentally by an American engineer in 1946 by harnessing radar technology developed during World War II, he noticed that microwaves from an active radar set he was working on started to melt a candy bar he had in his pocket.
The first food deliberately cooked with the first microwave was, ironically, popcorn. The new technology was introduced to the consumer in 1967 by the Amana Corporation.
Credits: styleblueprint.com
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