Jiffy Pop
Encyclopedia
Jiffy Pop is a popcorn
brand
of ConAgra Foods
. The product combines unpopped popcorn kernels and oil with an aluminum pan and folded aluminum foil lid. As the pan is heated, the popping corn causes the foil to unfold and puff up. Jiffy
in the name references the short cooking time.
, a chemist, inventor and industrialist, is credited with developing the product in 1958. Mennen began marketing Jiffy Pop in 1959. American Home Products
purchased Jiffy Pop from Mennen that same year, and within one year the product had reached the national U.S. market.
Jiffy Pop was based on a similar product designed five years before by Benjamin Coleman of Berkley, Michigan
, and marketed by the Taylor-Reed Corporation
as E-Z Pop. In the early 1960s, Taylor-Reed sued Mennen Food Products for patent infringement. The district court ruled for the plaintiff, finding Jiffy Pop and E-Z equivalent products, but the case was overturned on appeal.
In the early 1970s, magician Harry Blackstone, Jr.
, appeared on several TV commercials for Jiffy Pop, emphasizing the corn's "magical" appearance from its aluminum foil lid after popping.
American Home Products spun off its food division, and renamed it International Home Foods, in 1996. In 2000, ConAgra purchased International Home Foods.
, Drew Barrymore
's character Casey Becker can be seen making Jiffy Pop in one of the opening scenes.
Popcorn
Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
. The product combines unpopped popcorn kernels and oil with an aluminum pan and folded aluminum foil lid. As the pan is heated, the popping corn causes the foil to unfold and puff up. Jiffy
Jiffy (time)
Jiffy is an informal term for any unspecified short period of time, as in "I'll be back in a jiffy". From this it has acquired a number of more precise applications for short, very short, or extremely short periods of time...
in the name references the short cooking time.
History
Frederick C. Mennen of LaPorte, IndianaLaPorte, Indiana
La Porte is a city in La Porte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was 22,053 at the 2010 census. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the...
, a chemist, inventor and industrialist, is credited with developing the product in 1958. Mennen began marketing Jiffy Pop in 1959. American Home Products
Wyeth
Wyeth, formerly one of the companies owned by American Home Products Corporation , was a pharmaceutical company. The company was based in Madison, New Jersey, USA...
purchased Jiffy Pop from Mennen that same year, and within one year the product had reached the national U.S. market.
Jiffy Pop was based on a similar product designed five years before by Benjamin Coleman of Berkley, Michigan
Berkley, Michigan
Berkley is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is an inner suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the total population was 14,970.-Downtown, Dream Cruise, etc.:...
, and marketed by the Taylor-Reed Corporation
Taylor-reed corporation
The Taylor-Reed Corporation was an American food manufacturer and packager that operated from 1939 to approximately 1977. It was founded by two Yale classmates , Malcolm P. Taylor and Charles M. D. Reed...
as E-Z Pop. In the early 1960s, Taylor-Reed sued Mennen Food Products for patent infringement. The district court ruled for the plaintiff, finding Jiffy Pop and E-Z equivalent products, but the case was overturned on appeal.
In the early 1970s, magician Harry Blackstone, Jr.
Harry Blackstone, Jr.
Harry Blackstone, Jr. was an American stage magician, author, and television performer.-Career and life:Blackstone was born in Three Rivers, Michigan, the son of noted stage magician Harry Blackstone, Sr. .As an infant, he was used as a prop in his father's act...
, appeared on several TV commercials for Jiffy Pop, emphasizing the corn's "magical" appearance from its aluminum foil lid after popping.
American Home Products spun off its food division, and renamed it International Home Foods, in 1996. In 2000, ConAgra purchased International Home Foods.
In Popular Culture
In the 1996 horror movie ScreamScream (film)
Scream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...
, Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
's character Casey Becker can be seen making Jiffy Pop in one of the opening scenes.