McKee began tinkering with his hard oatmeal cookie recipe to produce a softer cookie. The boxes were called "family packs" and the first products to be sold in such a manner were the classic Oatmeal Creme Pies. Little Debbie has quite a love of space, with snack names including Star Crunch and Cosmic Brownies. Once back in Tennessee, he started … The first full-color Little Debbie portrait was created in 1960 and was introduced on packaging later that year. Once back in Tennessee, he started production on two lines and the Swiss Rolls were added to the Little Debbie brand a year later, in 1963. They decided to buy back the bakery, which was renamed McKee Baking Company from King's Bakery in 1962, and run it themselves. Peanut butter, wafers, chocolate, they were so good. 1982 World's Fair. McKee, Debbie's grandfather and the company's founder, quickly decided to use the name of his 4-year-old granddaughter. By 1962 several different varieties of Little Debbie snacks were available with full color cartons that showed off delicious pictures of the snacks! Unlike some other food celebrities, Debbie is a real person. 4.6 out of 5 stars 259. But how did she end up on the box in the first place? O.D. The chocolate tastes like chocolate and the filling is sweet and creamy. and Ruth McKee. Their recipe for success includes valuing their consumers, treating people well, and not asking any employee to do something they wouldn't do themselves. Check out this fun carton from 1988! In 1934, Ruth's father joined the company as a partner. SWISS CAKE ROLLS O.D. 4.1 out of 5 stars 16. She was credited for a great portion of the company's early success. decided to sell his business and start over. In 1934, they took things a step further when they purchased a failing bakery. Over the past several years, there have been at least two known incidents of people stealing huge amounts of Little Debbie products. The Official Snack Cake of the Ruth was the grounded, sensible one to O.D. She was responsible for purchasing, too, making sure they used only the best ingredients. He joked that he was the new face of Little Debbie, and went on to say that he only disciplines his kids dressed as the snack cake icon. The McKees moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, into a new bakery designed by O.D. Growing up in the Northeast, we were generally a Tastykake family, but oh, would my eyes light up when the cheery box of Little Debbie snack cakes would make their way into the grocery cart every now and then. Just goes to show you really can do whatever you put your mind to. Classic chocolate treat? 21 Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from 2006 to 2008. Those first muffins were baked in a one-oven bakery, and Little Debbie's creative team says that's what they wanted to capture on their 21st century packaging. Fun to share? and Ruth McKee, got their start by selling pre-made cakes out of their car. O.D. The bakery did well for a few years, but O.D. This was also the first time the brand's treats were marketed with their brand new name, Little Debbie. Hers was a full-time job, and it took up so much of Ruth's time that the family hired help to care for their three children while she worked. By a large margin though, the winner is Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls! They all leave an aftertaste that I don't remember as a kid. McKee Baking Company moved to Collegedale in 1957. Debbie McKee-Fowler is all grown up still very much a part of the family business, currently serving as the executive vice president of McKee Foods. They come in dozens of varieties, including the top-selling Swiss Cake Rolls, Nutty Bars, Fudge Rounds, Cosmic Brownies, Zebra Cakes, and Oatmeal Creme Pies. It's time to take a deeper dive into the sweet, sweet world of Little Debbie. Check. Thank packaging supplier Bob Mosher, who suggested the boss should use the name of a family member for a new product launch. and Ruth McKee's company has its roots in an idea that started taking shape in 1933, but it wasn't actually called Little Debbie until the 1950s. and Ruth went their own way. Their mascot is a smiling duck holding a spoon and wearing a chef's hat and neckerchief. Those would be great expectations for any man, and even more so for a man like O.D. The story is a complicated — and obscure — bit of family history. "If I come around the corner dressed like this... oh, they know they did something wrong.". We appreciate his enthusiasm in playing the part." It's easy to watch that clip and think that you're going to find some angry comments from Little Debbie distancing themselves from the appearance, but quite the opposite happened. In fact all the products from these companies taste different than I remember. It's inevitable that the beliefs of a company's owners find their way into how the company is run, and for Little Debbie, you can find traces of their Seventh Day Adventist beliefs — but only if you look hard enough. Another fan favorite, Fancy Cakes have been among the most popular and recognizable treats in the Little Debbie cake lineup. Well, sort of. The original image of Debbie used on packaging and advertising, which began on August 23, 1960, was based on a black-and-white photo. Look at that creme! After some time, they sold the Charlotte plant. Cosmic Brownies are here to stay! Little Debbie Salted Caramel Cookies Bars. Once back in Tennessee, he started production on two lines and the Swiss Rolls were added to the Little Debbie brand a year later, in 1963. But, as I started to do research for this article I found out that the Nutty Bar had vanished. In 1935, O.D. Anyone who's ever worked with family might recognize this as a bad idea, and it wasn't long before they had a falling out. 's imaginative, out-of-the-box thinking, and it took both of them to make it work. In 2015, Will Ferrell appeared on The Tonight Show dressed in Little Debbie's iconic hat and dress. In North Carolina in 2015, brazen thieves cut through a fence where a distribution van was parked. [6], As of 2013, McKee ships more than 900 million cartons of Little Debbie products each year.[7]. Look at that cookie! and Ruth McKee committed themselves to offering fair wages and a place to work that was so good people would stay there for decades. At the same time they believed in taking risks and overcoming setbacks, O.D. For years, consumers have been greeted with the smiling face of little Debbie McKee on every box. But, O.D. In May 2017, two women were arrested in Jonesboro, Arkansas for stealing a trailer carrying $5,000 worth of snacks. And the original Nutty Bar is still listed as the third of the top three sellers, which also proves that regardless of what they are called, I'm not the only one who holds a special place for this classic combo. His father-in-law, however, did not share his ideas. 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s. The Great Depression was a time when the roles of women were clearly defined, and that makes Ruth McKee's position as a full and active partner in Little Debbie so surprising. In January 2017, a new mascot was unveiled — the Muffin Man. Somewhere along the way, as this imgur from November 2016 indicates, the Nutty Bar is now known as Nutty Buddy. headed out to make the sales. Marylee, a member of the McKee Foods family, poses with her sister in 1990 at the giant Oatmeal Creme Pie. You might have noticed that the Muffin Man's muffins taste a little different, too, and you're not imaging things. History The company was founded during the Great Depression by O.D. Sunbelt Bakery products include a variety of granola bars, fruit snacks, and cereals. Wanting to expand, he bought a small bakery, Jack's Cookie Company. The family's two bakeries were consolidated, and became the McKee Baking Company. Check out this original packaging for Fudge Brownies. Check! Now appearing on Mini Muffin and Mini Brownies, the Muffin Man was designed to help promote the oven-baked taste of their muffins, and to pay tribute to the hometown roots of the company. For the American recording artist, see, "McKee Foods Corporation - About our Company", "Little Debbie's Dad to sell Ooltewah mansion", "Stock Market & Financial Investment News", "McKee completes purchase of Drake's Cakes from bankrupt Hostess", "The Little Debbie Logo Gets a Makeover, Its First Since 1985", "Wood Brothers/JTG Racing press conference", "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - Sprint Cup Team News and Links - #47", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKee_Foods&oldid=984598174, Snack food manufacturers of the United States, Manufacturing companies based in Tennessee, Food and drink companies based in Tennessee, Privately held companies based in Tennessee, Seventh-day Adventist food and drink companies, Food and drink companies established in 1928, Articles containing potentially dated statements from September 2012, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Mike McKee, Rusty McKee, Angie McKee, Ellsworth McKee, Jack McKee, Cole Smith, This page was last edited on 21 October 2020, at 00:20. Little Debbie Birthday Cakes are the perfect way to celebrate every day! Once the cookie was perfected, he paired and filled them with a fluffy creme filling. [12] From sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, known as the Sabbath, the Little Debbie logos are covered or removed, and the crew wears non-Little Debbie attire as a condition of sponsorship because McKee Foods was founded and is run by owners who are Seventh-day Adventists.[10][13]. Little Debbie celebrated 40 Years at the start of the new millennium! It remains one of the top three best-selling items in the lineup. The cake, a miniaturized version of a popular dessert called roulade, was being crafted by several bakeries he toured. In 2014, Little Debbie, in partnership with the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, literally and figuratively launched their most recent galactic offering to date, Cosmic Cupcakes. Little Debbie snacks aren't just one of the tastiest brands, they're also one of the most profitable.