Aurora Foods Inc.: Aunt Jemima campaign

Aunt Jemima, the cheerful black cook on the pancake box, became one of the most recognizable icons in American advertising.

Aurora Foods Inc.: Aunt Jemima campaign

Robert Schnakenberg

Overview

Aunt Jemima, the cheerful black cook on the pancake box, became one of the most recognizable icons in American advertising. But hers was an image that generated intense controversy. Like the beaming black chef on the Cream of Wheat boxes or the serenely smiling Uncle Ben of instant rice fame, Aunt Jemima was designed to evoke the image of the happy servant in the pre-Civil War South. Over the years the brand's marketers answered charges of racial insensitivity by updating her appearance and contributing to a wide range of social and...

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