The concept of mascots to help promote businesses and drive up profit margins is as old as businesses themselves. In the United States some of the first mascots to be used by businesses were: - The Quaker Oats Man (The Oldest Dating back to 1877) - Aunt Jemima - Uncle Rastus (Cream of Wheat) - Uncle Ben (Rice) - The Campbell Soup Kids - The Morton Salt Girl - The Sunmaid Raisin Girl - Sailor Jack and Bingo (Cracker Jacks) - Mr. Peanut (Planter’s) - Betty Crocker - Elsie the Cow (Borden)
Historical Business Mascots and Controversies
Many of these icons have become household names and are easily identified by Americans and many people from around the world. Historically, some of the mascots listed above became very controversial and had to undergo a transformation. Aunt Jemima became associated with slavery and a negative connotation of a subservient role of female African Americans. The company removed the headscarf and dressed Aunt Jemima in more fashionable clothing. Uncle Ben and Uncle Rastus (Cream of Wheat) underwent some revamping, but none as drastic as Aunt Jemima. Uncle Rastus was originally a woodcut likeness and evolved into that of an unnamed waiter from Chicago. Many people had issues with the term Aunt and Uncle being used for the African American mascots. This was used often to refer to mature African Americans by whites and held a negative connotation for several years...
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