In recent years, there have been a number of retro product re-issues by the original company. But a brand doesn’t have to be from the original company to grab the latent brand equity from a classic product that has been discontinued.

One way to grab the brand equity from another brand (and company) is to introduce a previously popular product under a NEW brand name. This works particularly well with food brands, because even if a consumer would like to have the OLD brand, under the old logo, what they really want is the taste sensation, not the brand name. Ideally, you would have both, but you don’t have to.

You harken back to what was good, and the consumer responds.

This is evidenced by these Lemon Cookies, which are obviously copies of the tasty Lemon Coolers which were a product of the Sunshine Bakery. Sunshine merged with Keebler and left Lemon Coolers in the old cookie graveyard. For some reason or another, Sunshine discontinued them, even though they had a large fan base.

In the case of this tasty knock-off (here seen at Dollar General in Lively, Virginia), they have given it a generic name, yet made the tagline “Cooler than Ever.” This is smart, as it does not confuse the customer by tricking them into thinking the old product has returned. But the “cooler” on the front indicates they understand the nature of the product. The consumer instantly understands that the product is inspired by the original, and will likely taste authentic.

Keebler could always come back and reintroduce Lemon Coolers, but until then, fans can be happy with this version.

“Bringing the Mother’s cookies brand to Kansas City is one of our first brand expansions outside of the western region of the country,” says Jane Ghosh, marketing director for Mother’s cookies, in a press release. “We chose Kansas City because it is an important central gateway from the Western states where the brand traditionally has had a very strong presence.

Mother’s Cookies, a Brief History

Iconic cookies? Yes. Mother’s cookies have amassed a devoted following throughout the years. Since 1914, Mother’s cookies have been delighting generations with favorites like the pink and white sprinkled Circus Animal cookies and the rich, creme-filled Taffy sandwich cookies, among others. When the brand ceased production in late 2008, cookie lovers bid farewell to a favorite. In December 2008, Kellogg Company acquired the trademarks and original recipes, and in May 2009, the cookies were back on shelves and cookie lovers were overjoyed.

The Mother’s cookies coming to Kansas City include:

• Chocolate Chip
• Circus Animal
• Coconut Cocadas
• English Tea
• Iced Lemonade
• Iced Oatmeal
• Oatmeal
• Taffy

See www.Motherscookies.com.

Frankly, there was alot of good inside Kellogg’s Pop-Tart Pastries, but I swear I can’t imagine what happened to Milton the Toaster. I mean, all the other Kellogg’s mascots seem to be around, but where’s Milton?

By the way, do read our history of toaster pastries.

Wikipedia says that Post, part of General Foods, was the innovator in the early 1960s of the toaster pastry.

1. At Dollar Tree today, we found Toast’em Pop Ups, which claim to date back to 1964 and are the descendants of those first toaster pastries. Their website says that Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company produced the first toaster pastry – Toast’em – for General Foods. In 1971, Schulze and Burch of Chicago bought the Toast’em brand, and still makes it. At $1 for six, it’s a deal.
2. Nabisco used to make Toastettes, but we recall that they were never iced and were a bit more boring, though competent. If you go to the site of Toastettes, it refers back to Nabisco’s site. We won’t miss Toastettes that much.
3. Then there are Kellogg’s Pop Tarts, the favorite. Pop Tarts, according to their site, began in the early 1960s, and were actually first to market. Frosted Pop Tarts appeared in 1967.

Did you know that after natural disasters, Wal-Mart knows that Americans crave Pop-Tarts, and they are restocked quickly because of demand.

Kellogg’s hired artist Burton Morris to design five, special-edition Pop-Tarts boxes that are on shelves now. It’s part of a full Pop Art program, which includes tips from Morris on how families can be creative at home together.

At www.poptarts.com/popart readers can make their own T-shirt design and enter it into a Pop-Tarts Pop Art contest. Families can vote on their favorite T-shirt designs and the individuals whose designs receive the most votes each week will receive a Burton Morris print. One grand prize winner, chosen by Morris, will win a day with the artist himself.

It’s a smart promotion. Not only is it inexpensive, but it conveys the brand image of a fun, colorful product. Best yet, the shirts advertise the product.

The project is bigger than just Pop Tarts; you can also order a Kellogg’s alarm clock with all the Kellogg’s characters on it. Very great item.

By the way, Pop Tarts are the tastiest food on the planet, eh?

With the same taste , Mother’s cookies made their highly anticipated return to store shelves in the Western region of the United States starting on May 4 – just in time for the 95th anniversary of Mother’s Day as well as the Mother’s brand.

Since 1914, Mother’s cookies have been delighting generations with favorites like the pink and white sprinkled Circus Animal cookies and the rich, creme-filled Taffysandwich cookies. When the iconic brand ceased production in late 2008, cookie lovers lost not only a delicious snack, but a closely held family tradition. In December 2008, Kellogg Company acquired the trademarks and original recipes, ensuring that the cookies will continue.

“We’re thrilled to bring back a classic, beloved brand that calls to mind such strong feelings of nostalgia and happy childhood memories that parents want to pass down to their children,” said Doug VanDeVelde, senior vice president, marketing and innovation, U.S. snacks, Kellogg Company, in a press release to BrandlandUSA.

The Mother’s cookies returning to the Western region of the United States include:

• Chocolate Chip
• Circus Animal
• Cocadas
• Double Fudge
• English Tea
• Iced Lemonade
• Iced Oatmeal
• Macaroons
• Oatmeal
• Taffy
• Vanilla Creme

Mother’s Milestones

Here are some memorable Mother’s cookies milestones from the last 95 years:

1914 - N.M. (Noah) Wheatley runs a newspaper stand on the corner of San Francisco’s Market and Kearney Streets and decides to purchase the rights to a recipe of some home-baked cookies from one of his customers.

Circa 1915 - Wheatley trades in his corner stand and relocates to a small, one-person operation on 12th Avenue in Oakland, Calif. where he bakes about 2,000 cookies each day and night. His cookies sold for $1 a box, and his vanilla cookies were an overnight hit.

Circa 1920 – With help from a young woman named Leopoldine, the bakery grows and a romance begins. Noah and Leopoldine marry and together run the company until their son, Floyd Wheatley, is old enough to take over.

1922 - The bakery needs more space and moves to 18th Street, forcing the Wheatleys to sell their home and even their piano to pay for the move.

1949 – Success is sweet, and the bakery moves to 810 81st Avenue in Oakland, Calif. and grows to employ more than 750 people across several Western states.

1952 - Mother’s cookies launches a unique promotion involving baseball player cards inserted in packages of cookies and continues to give them away as promotions at games until 1998.

1983 - Mother’s cookies moves to the big screen in the movie Scarface.

2002 – Mother’s cookies bakes more than 17 million cookies a day to keep up with demand.

2006 - Tough times force the company to close its operation in Oakland, Calif. and shift production to plants in Canada and Ohio.

2008 – Mother’s cookies closes its doors

2009 – Mother’s cookies return and fans everywhere rejoice.

For more information and to help spread the word about Mother’s cookies return, visit www.Motherscookies.com.

Hydrox, and its sister cookie Lemon Coolers, are Number 87 on the BrandlandUSA list of 100 Dead Brands to Bring Back. However, in the previous post, BrandlandUSA feels that the Sunshine brand is an important part of the naming of the cookie (see old ad at right).

That a competitive cookie to Oreo, once made by Sunshine, has returned to the market after enormous consumer pressure is great news. The Journal reported that the product return came after 1,300 phone calls and 1,000 signatures.

These loyalists can be proud to know they’ve been heard,” Brad Davidson, head of Kellogg’s snack division, told the Journal.

This unprecedented reintroduction on the part of Kellogg Company, in response to impassioned consumer demand, comes in honor of the cookie’s 100th anniversary this year.

Originated by the Sunshine Biscuit Company in 1908, Hydrox cookies were reformulated and re-branded in 1999. The consumer campaign to “Bring Back Hydrox” has succeeded in persuading the Kellogg Company, which acquired the brand in 2001, to return Hydrox cookies to stores as a limited 100th anniversary edition.

“For the generations of fans who grew up on Hydrox cookies, it is more than just a delicious, creamy-filled chocolate sandwich cookie,” said Davidson in a press release. “We’ve been touched by how many consumers describe their preference for Hydrox cookies as interwoven with their identity and family history. These Hydrox cookie loyalists can be proud to know they’ve been heard, and have inspired this latest chapter in the story of the ‘little cookie that could’.”

Limited Edition 100th Anniversary Hydrox® cookies will follow the original, beloved Hydrox recipe, though they will contain 0 grams trans fat. The cookies will be available nationally beginning in late August at the suggested retail price of $2.50 for a 14 oz. package while supplies last.

Davidson should know that Lemon Coolers are also missed. He better start huntin’ up old Sunshine recipes!

The Hydrox cookie had a funny history; many believed that they disappeared because the cookie name had become a pejorative in the old South, and used disparagingly. Frankly, the Hydrox never had as much of a distribution network as Nabisco’s Oreo, and it never got the shelf space.

It will return as a niche, specialty brand.

This is a good policy for old brands. Sometimes, the demand is low. When the products are re-released on a periodic basis, they become a specialty product. The owner of the recipe and intellectual property can keep it alive, but it does not have the expensive overhead of a major national brand. If the product return is a hit, then it can expand the distribution of the product again.