BETTY CROCKER GETS MULTIPLE FACE-LIFT FOR 75TH
By Adnews Staff
Betty Crocker's picture is coming back on packages bearing her name, but this time in computerized multicultural form. The face that has represented kitchen products since 1936 will be formed by "morphing" the photos of 75 women of different races and ages, chosen in a contest being run by General Mills to celebrate Betty's 75th birthday. While she has had a half dozen makeovers since her portrait first appeared on cake mix boxes, she has always been a very white housewife with blue eyes and creamy skin. Currently Betty's picture does not adorn boxes of cake and brownie mixes and other products bearing her name; she appears mainly in General Mills cookbooks. But when the new look is developed, she will be back on the boxes. The latest change marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of Betty Crocker. She was conceived as a fictitious character to answer baking questions from customers of General Mills' predecessor, Washburn Crosby Co. For the first 15 years she was just a signature. In 1936 her portrait was painted: a composite of of several women in the company's home service department. General Mills launched its search for models this week, asking women to send in their pictures along with a few words about what Betty Crocker means to them.