After 131 years, PepsiCo is retiring the controversial brand name and mascot, Aunt Jemima, acknowledging that the brand is based on a racial stereotype.
Pepsico said it will drop the image of Aunt Jemima and rebrand the line of pancake mix and syrup that has borne the name since 1889. WELL.......
For years now, many people inadvertently have mixed up Angie Mamma’s with Aunt Jemima and I for one could never figure that out. Angie is not Aunt, we all have one though, and Jemima is not Mamma which I might add is the Italian way of saying Mommy.
With all that said- Aunt Jemima has been a staple for many families breakfast for what seems a hundred years all over the world, but the world has changed, so to effect that change we must pick up our forks (Don’t leave the syrup or butter) and forge on.
Aunt Jemima is among three remaining brand mascots rooted in nostalgia for slavery. Aunt Jemi
ma is synonymous with the mammy stereotype popularized in minstrel shows after the Civil War. According to PepsiCo, the rebrand is intended to help the brand “[evolve] over time with the goal of representing loving moms from diverse backgrounds who want the best for their families.”
MAYBE Pepsico WOULD CONSIDER ANGIE MAMMA’S AS THEIR NEXT MASCOT.
Aunt Jemima’s character was first portrayed in 1890 by Nancy Green, “a storyteller, cook and missionary worker.”
The timeline also notes the character was given “a contemporary look [with] pearl earrings and a lace collar” in 1989.
A lot of us will miss her.
I for one will miss seeing her on the shelves however, I always made my own pancakes from scratch but she was the original Mamma of the commercial Pancake so you'd better believe she knows pancakes... and Syrup.
Well, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN: A bit of lemon-lime soda in the mix is the key to her light and fluffy cakes. You already know what to put on them although I have an affinity for pure Maple syrup with melted butter in it.
Ingredients
2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup non-dairy creamer powder
To Use The Mix:
1 egg
8 ounces 7-Up
1 3/4 cup prepared pancake mix
Instructions:
In an 8-cup container, stir together flour, Bisquick, sugar and creamer. Cover tightly.
Refrigerate mix to use within 3 months.
TO USE: Into a blender, put egg, 7-up, and prepared pancake mix. Blend at high speed until smooth, 1 minute.
Allow 1/3 cup batter for each 6" pancakes.
1 recipe makes 8 pancakes
Goodbye Aunt Jemima, we will miss your face being around but we must grow as a nation.