"Aunt Jemima pancake mix had been popular since the World's Colombian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, when Nancy Green - a formerly enslaved person hired to provide cooking demonstrations - reportedly sold 50,000 boxes of the newly branded product, named after a minstrel show character. For this role, Green sang and told stories about her childhood in the antebellum South."
"The Aunt Jemima brand grew in popularity into the 1950s. Capitalizing on that success, when Disneyland opened in 1955, an early attraction was the first Aunt Jemima's Kitchen, sited in Frontierland and sponsored by Quaker Oats. Styled after Southern plantation houses - complete with tall columns and a sweeping veranda - the restaurant served whimsically named pancakes, and diners were greeted by an actress portraying Aunt Jemima."
"For over 130 years, Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup provided enjoyable breakfasts for generations. But by 2021, the image of this product was widely considered as an offensive racial stereotype, leading the brand's owner, PepsiCo, to acknowledge the logo's insensitivity before rebranding the products under the Pearl Milling Company name. This move may have concluded the Aunt Jemima brand's problematic story,"
Aunt Jemima began as a branded pancake mix promoted at the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition by Nancy Green, a formerly enslaved woman who demonstrated cooking and performed as the character. The brand adopted slavery-related tropes and grew in popularity through the 1950s. Disneyland opened an Aunt Jemima's Kitchen in 1955 styled like a Southern plantation house, featuring themed pancakes and an actress portraying Aunt Jemima, and the restaurant concept expanded to multiple locations. By 1963 there were 21 locations. By 2021 the brand image was widely considered an offensive racial stereotype and the products were rebranded under the Pearl Milling Company name.
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