So how did we get to a place where Betty Crocker is a popular Halloween costume, casually mentioned in the media and a single red spoon can telegraph an icon? Well, grab some popcorn, and before you even ask, yes, we, of course, have recipes for that, and let’s dive into just who was Betty Crocker and who are we today at age of (if you can even believe it) 100!

Bake Way! Betty Crocker History

We got our start in 1921 — and thank you, we do look good for our age. Who could have guessed that a simple contest by The Washburn-Crosby Company would give birth to an icon? The contest called on home cooks to solve a jigsaw puzzle for the chance to win a pincushion in the shape of a bag of Gold Medal Flour (cute). Washburn, a flour-milling company and predecessor of General Mills, Inc., was surprised to find themselves suddenly inundated with questions from home cooks who used the competition as an opportunity to ask for expert baking advice.

But who could offer the public the spoonfuls of wisdom American cooks were so hungry for? Enter, Betty Crocker. Now, Betty was not a single person. The name was created as a way to personalize responses to questions, and if you guessed that the name has meaning behind it, you’re right. “Crocker” was chosen in honor of a popular company director, and "Betty" was selected because... well, she sounded friendly. We love a little history moment.

But there was one final element needed to bring Betty to life. The Washburn-Crosby Company invited their female employees to try their hand at a Betty Crocker signature. A distinctive winner was chosen and is still used today. Talk about an icon in iconography!

Raise a Spoon, for the First Lady of Food

Betty has been an icon through every pinnacle moment of American history. At the U.S. Office of War Information's request, Betty Crocker hosted a radio program called "Our Nation’s Rations." The program helped homemakers make the most of their rationed food, and almost seven million copies of Betty Crocker's wartime booklet, "Your Share," were distributed. Betty’s wartime efforts didn’t stop there and were recognized by the American Red Cross for outstanding service in the national interest.

From humble beginnings, through war, the great depression and a rapidly changing America, Betty was a bright and unstoppable force. So much so that in 1945, Fortune magazine named Betty Crocker as "the second best-known woman in America" following First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. This went on to earn Betty the title of the "First Lady of Food" (which still rings true to this day).