TASTES OF NOSTALGIA.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Americans have a love affair with nostalgic, old-time food products and icons, many as contemporary today as when they were introduced 40, 50, even 125 or 225 years ago.

Consumers continue to embrace Twinkies, Slurpees, Jell-O Instant Puddings, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Pillsbury Doughboy and more. Many are celebrating landmark anniversaries this year.

Products stay around for different reasons, says Carolyn Wyman, author of ``Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods That Changed the Way We Eat.'' Wyman, a processed-food enthusiast, adds that those products that last ``taste good in a universally pleasing way.''

``I think there are many products that bring back warm memories of eating and enjoying those items - from childhood or other happy times in your life,'' points out Marlene Johnson, senior public relations manager of Minneapolis-based General Mills. ``When you take those popular items and make them available in different forms or flavors (line extensions), you're giving consumers more ways to enjoy some of their favorite foods.''

Products also stay around because ``consumers are happy with the quality and consistency, and they continue to meet consumer needs,'' says Becky Tousey, archives manager at Kraft Foods. ``A lot of products that adults continue to use today are ones that they grew up with. They work as well today as they did for their parents - and are still useful in cooking, eating and a person's lifestyle.''

``If you talk about how old brands are still surviving, you talk about the power of these brands,'' continues Wyman, adding that some have been kept alive by recasting them for modern times.

In fact some are so powerful that a few natural and organic food companies are copying or re-creating popular products but with a natural or organic spin - like natural organic Pop Tarts, Late July natural Ritz-style crackers or peanut butter-filled crackers - something Wyman finds ``amusing, kind of heartening and a tribute.''

Advertising icons, like the 40-year old Pillsbury Doughboy, can also keep products vital, popular, interesting, appealing and more acceptable, adds Wyman. Created in 1965 to bring life to Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls, the Doughboy has continued to be one of the most popular and recognizable icons and advertising characters, notes Johnson, because ``there is a warm, good humor and playfulness about the Doughboy that consumers enjoy.''

Natalie Haughton, [phone]

natalie.haughton(at)dailynews.com

BAKER'S CHOCOLATE - 225

Although Baker's Chocolate was introduced 225 years ago (in 1780), it took root 15 years earlier when Dr. James Baker, a Harvard-educated doctor, set up shop with John Hannon, an Irish immigrant, in a small, wood-framed chocolate mill along the Neponset River near Boston.

In 1780, Baker became sole owner of the company (after his partner was lost at sea during a trip to the West Indies to purchase cacao beans), consolidated operations and established Baker's Chocolate Company. The first chocolate item produced and sold with the Baker's name was chocolate used to make a sweetened chocolate drink.

In the 1850s, Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate bar was introduced, but it wasn't until a Texas woman's cake recipe using the chocolate was printed in a Dallas paper in 1957 that sales spiked - and the German Chocolate Cake was born.

With marketing and advertising, Baker's became a household name. Baker's Chocolate became part of the Kraft Foods portfolio of brands when it merged with General Foods in 1989.

Today the company continues to prosper, offering semisweet chocolate squares, bittersweet chocolate baking squares, premium white chocolate baking squares and German's Sweet Chocolate, along with unsweetened baking chocolate squares and Baker's Dipping Chocolate.

For 122 years, La Belle Chocolatiere (``the beautiful chocolate girl''), the trademark image, has adorned packages.

PILLSBURY DOUGHBOY - 40

The Pillsbury Doughboy made his first appearance in 1965 in a commercial. Rudy Perz, a Chicago copywriter, created the icon when he envisioned an image of a doughboy when he popped open a can of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls.

In his commercial debut, the Doughboy sprang to life from a can and greeted a bemused homemaker with the words, ``Hi, I'm Poppin' Fresh'' - and then ``danced'' across the counter in partnership with the consumer's fingers. He also served as a kitchen helper, preparing the crescent dinner roll dough, which had been introduced in 1961.

Within three years of his debut, the Doughboy had an 87 percent recognition factor among consumers.

The Doughboy is a short, pudgy figure with bright blue eyes, a smiling face, a baker's hat with a Pillsbury logo and a white neckerchief. Advertising Age magazine named the him one of the top 10 advertising icons of the 20th century.

The Doughboy's role has expanded over the years and today is associated with everything from Pillsbury's frozen items (rolls, biscuits, cookie doughs, waffles) to cake, frosting and brownie mixes, quick breads and muffins and flours.

More than 400 licensed products - including dolls, cookie jars, T-shirts, ties, clocks and jewelry - now display the Doughboy's image.

PHILADELPHIA CREAM CHEESE - 125

Philadelphia brand cream cheese dates back to 1880, when a New York dairyman began distributing cream cheese in tin-foil wrappers and named the product Philadelphia. Top-quality food products at the time often originated in or were associated with the Pennsylvania city.

In 1928, the Phenix Cheese Co. (that purchased the business and the Philadelphia trademark in 1903) merged with the Kraft Cheese Company.

The product line now includes whipped cream cheese, flavored whipped cream cheeses (blue cheese, smoked salmon, bacon and horseradish, onion, pimiento and chives), light cream cheese, fat-free cream cheese, Philadelphia Snack Bars and the new Philadelphia Swirls.

HOSTESS TWINKIES - 75

Twinkies, those golden sponge cakes with creamy filling that bring back childhood memories for many, celebrates its 75th anniversary.

James A. Dewar, Hostess plant manager in Chicago, invented the confection in 1930 as a way to utilize the shortcake pans that sat idle after the strawberry shortcake season and is said to have consumed more than 40,000 Twinkies in his lifetime. The product name was inspired by a St. Louis billboard advertising ``Twinkle Toe'' shoes. Dewar injected the baked cakes with a smooth creme filling (originally banana flavored but changed to vanilla during World War II due to a banana shortage).

The Twinkie has emerged as a social phenomenon, with a treasure trove of amazing tales associated with it - i.e. the Twinkie Defense, Twinkiegate and more. Today, Twinkie the Kid, the classic mascot that began appearing on packaging in the 1970s, is more prominently used in the package design.

In November 2004, Hostess partnered with Warner Bros. to produce green creme-filled Twinkies in conjunction with the DVD release of ``Shrek 2.''

JELL-O INSTANT PUDDING - 55

Although Jell-O cooked pudding was introduced in 1936 by General Foods, it wasn't until 1950 that Jell-O instant pudding was introduced to homemakers hungry for convenience foods. The flavors were chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch. Banana, chocolate fudge and white chocolate have been added over the years. In 1985, Jell-O ready-to-eat refrigerated Pudding Snacks in plastic cups in a variety of flavors added another convenient dimension to the line.

SHAKE 'N' BAKE - 40

Introduced in chicken and fish varieties in 1965 by General Foods, the coating mix was designed to help consumers turn out crispy golden chicken and fish without frying. There was no batter to mix, no oil to heat, no mess to clean up. The chicken and fish were simply baked - with no covering or turning required.

In 1969, a coating designed for pork was introduced, followed by a barbecue-style coating mix in 1974 and a hot and spicy Shake 'n' Bake in 1991. Today the package label includes shake-in options such as grated Parmesan cheese, ground ginger and instant minced onion along with sauce choices (spaghetti sauce, sweet and sour sauce or barbecue sauce) and topping possibilities like shredded mozzarella, Cheddar cheese and chopped green onions.

Other food anniversaries...

SLURPEE - 40

Slurpee, 7-Eleven's semi-frozen beverage - made of water, carbon dioxide and flavored syrup and served at 28 degrees F - is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The frozen carbonated beverage was invented in the late '50s by Omar Knedlik, a Kansas Dairy Queen owner, who came up with the idea of a soft-serve frozen drink (and the machine to make it) and named it Fizz. He changed the name to Icee and hooked up with a Dallas manufacturer to make the machines.

In 1965, 7-Eleven invested in three Icee machines, and by 1967 they were in almost every 7-Eleven store. In 1967, the company changed the name to Slurpee, after the sound of the drink coming through the straw.

Since its introduction, more than 6 billion Slurpee drinks have been sold. Popular flavors include Black Cherry, Coca-Cola Classic, Mountain Dew Blue Shock, Blue Raspberry, Crystal Light Raspberry Ice and Mountain Dew LiveWire.

GOLD MEDAL FLOUR - 125

The flour dates back to 1866, when Cadwallader C. Washburn started his milling business on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. In 1880, the Washburn Crosby Co. captured three top prizes (gold, silver and bronze) for its flour at the first Millers' International Exhibition in Cincinnati - and immediately thereafter changed the name to Gold Medal Flour.

In the early 1900s, packaging changed from cloth, needed for the war, to paper bags. In 1920, Self-Rising and High Protein flours were introduced - and both are still available today, although the protein flour is now called Better for Bread flour.

Consumers began to request recipes and ask for help with baking problems - and Betty Crocker was created to act as a liaison with consumers.

In 1923, Gold Medal introduced cake flour, made with soft wheat, that was later (1931) renamed SoftaSilk Cake Flour. In 1928, the Washburn Crosby Co. became General Mills.

Over the years, the flour has been enriched with vitamins and minerals, the company has introduced streamlined methods for making cakes (using one bowl) and announced that sifting was unnecessary. In 1963, the revolutionary Gold Medal Wondra Instantized Flour was introduced for making lump-free sauces and gravies since it dispersed instantly in cold liquids.

In 1972, Unbleached and Whole Wheat flours came along and continue to be available today. In 1984, Gold Medal Whole Wheat Blend Flour, with approximately equal parts of all-purpose and whole wheat flours, was marketed. Today this product is sold under the name of Gold Medal Better for Bread Whole Wheat Blend.

ORIGINAL RECIPE KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN - 65

It was 65 years ago that Col. Harland Sanders perfected the combination of 11 herbs and spices for his famous ``finger lickin' good'' original recipe fried chicken at his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Ky. The handwritten recipe, which launched his KFC fast-food dynasty (currently with more than 13,000 restaurants worldwide), is still a secret and locked up in a safe at the company's Louisville headquarters. Even the chain's top executives aren't privy to the ingredients. For security, one supplier blends part of the recipe while a spice company does the rest. Neither has the complete recipe.

KRAFT GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE - 60

Introduced in 1945 by Kraft Cheese Co., the product debuted in 1.5- and 3-ounce canisters and a 1.5-ounce pouch. In 1958, ``Italian type,'' grated Parmesan became available in the now familiar 8-ounce containers, and by 1962, the canister had a yellow plastic shaker top for ease in dispensing.

Although it doesn't come close to freshly grated Parmesan available in the refrigerator section of stores today (or grating your own), the canister package label notes that the product contains no fillers - only real Parmesan cheese (and cellulose powder to prevent caking and potassium sorbate to protect flavor) - and it should be refrigerated after opening.

KRAFT MAYONNAISE - 75

Kraft Mayonnaise debuted in 1930, followed by Kraft Light reduced-calorie mayonnaise in 1985, and Kraft Free nonfat mayonnaise in 1991. Last year, Kraft began packaging the regular mayonnaise in a plastic wide-mouth jar for ease in spooning out and storing in the refrigerator door.

CAPTION(S):

14 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Still fresh

Doughboy and other iconic brands celebrate milestones

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2 -- 3 -- color) Baker's Chocolate

(4 -- color) Pillsbury Doughboy

(5 -- 6 -- color) Philadelphia Cream Cheese

(7) Hostess Twinkies

(8 -- color) Jell-o Instant Pudding

(9 -- color) Shake 'N Bake 

(10 -- color) Slurpee

(11 -- color) Gold Medal Flour

(12 -- color) Original Recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken

(13 -- color) Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

(14 -- color) Kraft Mayonnaise