Vlasic
Encyclopedia
Pickled cucumber
A pickled cucumber is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.-Gherkin:A gherkin is not only...
currently owned by Pinnacle Foods
Pinnacle Foods
Pinnacle Foods Group LLC is a leading packaged foods company headquartered in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, owned by The Blackstone Group. Pinnacle Foods is a key player in the shelf stable and frozen food categories and their products can be found in more than 85% of American households.The company...
. Since its introduction in 1942, it has become one of the most popular pickle brands in the United States.
History
Vlasic Pickles originally grew out of a Detroit creameryCreamery
In a dairy, the creamery is the location of cream processing. Cream is separated from whole milk; pasteurization is done to the skimmed milk and cream separately. Whole milk for sale has had some cream returned to the skimmed milk....
and fresh pickle business begun by Croatian immigrant Franjo Vlašić, and then continued by his son Joe in the 1920s. Initially the pickles were sold in large barrels, but according to the official Vlasic Pickles website, Joe and his son Bob invented the concept of packaging pickles in small glass jars in 1942 when the Vlasic Pickle brand was officially born. The business rapidly expanded in the post-war years, corresponding with growth in per capita pickle consumption.
A child-bearing stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
was introduced as a mascot in the late 1960s, merging the stork baby mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
with the notion that pregnant women have an above average appetite for pickles. Vlasic marketed themselves as "the pickle pregnant women crave . . . after all, who's a better pickle expert?" This made the product unique and memorable. Later, during the 70's, when women were entering the workforce en masse, the Vlasic stork's commercials had the theme: "With the birth rate down, I deliver Vlasic pickles instead."
The modern Vlasic Pickle Stork speaks in a style reminiscent of Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
and holds a pickle like a cigar. He is voiced by Doug Preis
Doug Preis
Doug Preis is an American voice actor. He is best known for his roles in Doug, ThunderCats, and Silverhawks. He also voiced commercials including the Lucky Charms leprechaun and the Vlasic Pickles stork.-Filmography:...
of Galaxy Rangers
The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers
The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers was an American animated Space Western television series created by Robert Mandell and Gaylord Entertainment Company....
fame.
Vlasic Pickles was later sold to Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company , also known as Campbell's, is an American producer of canned soups and related products. Campbell's products are sold in 120 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey...
. The product was spun off to Vlasic Foods International on March 30, 1998.
On April 13, 1999, the company introduced the Vlasic Hamburger Stackers, made from naturally-grown but specially-cultivated cucumbers 40 cm (16") long and over 8 cm (3") in diameter, which enabled a single pickle chip to cover an entire hamburger.
Today, Vlasic is owned by Pinnacle Foods
Pinnacle Foods
Pinnacle Foods Group LLC is a leading packaged foods company headquartered in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, owned by The Blackstone Group. Pinnacle Foods is a key player in the shelf stable and frozen food categories and their products can be found in more than 85% of American households.The company...
since its name change in 2001. The Vlasic stork was shown in "Icons," a MasterCard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
commercial from 2005 where many famous advertising icons from food and cleaning equipment are shown having dinner together.