CHICAGO – Chuckles is a simple pectin-based jelly candy with sugar coating, sold in candy bar form. Echoing old Turkish jelly candies, it was an innovation for its ability not to get sticky. The candies are sold in groups of five; the classic flavors are (from left) cherry, lemon, licorice,MORE HERE
LONDON – The recent Diamond Jubilee has given the venerable recording brand Decca a figurative Royal Warrant through the Andrew Lloyd Webber single “Sing” by Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth Band featuring Military Wives. In the last two decades, record brands have been largely ignored by recording companies. Oh, theyMORE HERE
OAK BROOK, IL – Ask a group of kids who the Hamburglar is, and they don’t know. Could it be that the Hamburglar was the victim of multiple mandatory sentences? Perhaps he was locked in a private prison, and forgotten? Or is he living the good life in Brazil? NotMORE HERE
CHICAGO – There are some companies that not only own brands that are classics, but are also classic companies in themselves. Companies like Chelsea Milling (maker of Jiffy mixes), C.F. Sauer (maker of Duke’s mayo and Sauer spices) and Gold Pure (horseradish) sell basic, straightforward things, execute them without deception orMORE HERE
RICHMOND – The much beloved Richfood store brand is disappearing. Richfood was, for most of the 20th century, the dominant grocery name in Virginia; its dairy complex along I-95 in Richmond promoted ubiquitous Richfood milk to anyone driving up and down the East Coast. A friend in Richmond tells meMORE HERE
The Vera brand is continuing its revival, with a new licensing deal. MORE HERE
NEW YORK – The recent release of 870,000 images to the public at the New York City Department of Records has caused excitement for history and photography buffs around the world. The digitization project includes routine street-scape photos taken by the city for tax purposes, as well as other pictures.MORE HERE
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for orphan brand names is the companies that drop them, and then seek to keep them away from new owners by way of lawsuits and intimidation. American business history is rife with hundreds of thousands of brand names that have been dropped, discontinued orMORE HERE
One of the most venerable names in American inventing and entrepreneurship is Powel Crosley (1886-1961), an innovator who is credited with the first economy car, the first fax machine and the first lighted baseball field. Pictured here is the Crosley car, seen at an auto show on St. Armand’s CircleMORE HERE
Last week, I was in a Wells Fargo branch, looking at a beautifully produced booket and story of the company. It included an explanation of how it ran stagecoaches and ran money to the West, and detailed many of the innovations of the hundreds of banks that made up whatMORE HERE