Vienna Fingers
Encyclopedia
Vienna Fingers is a brand of cookie
made by the Keebler Company, a division of Kellogg's. They consist of a sandwich of vanilla
flavored outer crust
filled with vanilla cream
flavored filling. Akin to an Oreo
, the surface is textured and embossed with the product name, but Vienna Fingers have a round-ended 'finger' shape. They come in a red rectangular package with the words "Vienna Fingers" in white lettering. Nabisco's
Cameo is similar.
. The cookies first were marketed by Sunshine Biscuits in 1915 and trademarked
as "" in November 1947. The popularity of the Vienna Fingers cookies was memorialized by American
playwright
and screenwriter
Neil Simon
in his 1965 play The Odd Couple
, which was adapted into a 1968 comedy film
. In the play, Oscar Madison
attempts to distract a depressed Felix Ungar with snack food: "How about vanilla wafers? Or Vienna fingers? I got everything."
In January 1985, the product was renamed "". At the Food Marketing Institute
's 1994 Supermarket convention, both low-fat Hydrox
cookies and reduced-fat Vienna Fingers were introduced by Sunshine Biscuits.
In late August 1994, Sunshine Biscuits donated over 21,000 Vienna Fingers and Hydrox cookies to a contingent of American troops from Fort Eustis Army Base. The company's action was a follow up to a similar Sunshine shipment sent to troops during the 1990–1991 Gulf War
and a soldier's scrawled response note on an Oreo box, "Please deploy cookies." In the company's words, "the donation of these cookie favorites will give the troops a taste of home and make their time away from their families a little more pleasant." The Vienna Fingers and Hydrox
cookies were brought with the troops to the refugee-filled border area between Rwanda
and Zaire
.
When Keebler purchased Sunshine Biscuits in 1996, it retained the product as part of its line. At the time of Keebler’s acquisition, Vienna Fingers brought in $50 million in sales annually. Following the acquisition of the product line by Keebler, a lemon filling version of the cookie was introduced.
Cookie
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
made by the Keebler Company, a division of Kellogg's. They consist of a sandwich of vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
flavored outer crust
Crust
Crust may refer to:* Crust * The Crust, television seriesPhysical sciences:* Crust , at least continent-wide structure* Soil crust, local biology-sensitive structureFood:* Crust, dense surface layer of bread...
filled with vanilla cream
Cream
Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...
flavored filling. Akin to an Oreo
Oreo
Oreo is a trademark for a popular sandwich cookie by the Nabisco Division of Kraft Foods. The current design consists of a sweet, white filling commonly referred to as 'cream' or 'creme', sandwiched between two circular chocolate or golden cookie pieces....
, the surface is textured and embossed with the product name, but Vienna Fingers have a round-ended 'finger' shape. They come in a red rectangular package with the words "Vienna Fingers" in white lettering. Nabisco's
Nabisco
Nabisco is an American brand of cookies and snacks. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Kraft Foods. Nabisco's plant in Chicago, a production facility at 7300 S...
Cameo is similar.
History
Vienna Fingers were one of the products originally sold by Sunshine BiscuitsSunshine Biscuits
Sunshine Biscuits was an independent American baker of cookies, crackers, and cereals. The company, whose brand still appears today on a few products , was purchased by Keebler Company in 1996 which was subsequently purchased by Kellogg Company in 2000...
. The cookies first were marketed by Sunshine Biscuits in 1915 and trademarked
United States trademark law
Trademarks were traditionally protected in the United States only under State common law, growing out of the tort of unfair competition. As early as 1791, Thomas Jefferson proposed that the marks of sailcloth makers could be protected under the Commerce Clause, but it was not until 1870 that...
as "" in November 1947. The popularity of the Vienna Fingers cookies was memorialized by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Neil Simon
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
in his 1965 play The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and...
, which was adapted into a 1968 comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
. In the play, Oscar Madison
Oscar Madison
Oscar Madison is a character in The Odd Couple, which began as a Broadway play, then was a film and then a television series.In The Odd Couple, Oscar Madison is the everyman, and is a sportswriter for the New York Herald...
attempts to distract a depressed Felix Ungar with snack food: "How about vanilla wafers? Or Vienna fingers? I got everything."
In January 1985, the product was renamed "". At the Food Marketing Institute
Food Marketing Institute
The Food Marketing Institute is an organization that conducts food safety, public affairs, education, research, and industry relations programs for food retailers and wholesalers. FMI's membership consists of approximately 1,500 companies in 50 countries, ranging from large multi-chain stores to...
's 1994 Supermarket convention, both low-fat Hydrox
Hydrox
Hydrox is the brand name for a creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookie that debuted in 1908 and was manufactured by Sunshine . Its name was formed from the atomic elements which make up pure water: hydrogen and oxygen...
cookies and reduced-fat Vienna Fingers were introduced by Sunshine Biscuits.
In late August 1994, Sunshine Biscuits donated over 21,000 Vienna Fingers and Hydrox cookies to a contingent of American troops from Fort Eustis Army Base. The company's action was a follow up to a similar Sunshine shipment sent to troops during the 1990–1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and a soldier's scrawled response note on an Oreo box, "Please deploy cookies." In the company's words, "the donation of these cookie favorites will give the troops a taste of home and make their time away from their families a little more pleasant." The Vienna Fingers and Hydrox
Hydrox
Hydrox is the brand name for a creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookie that debuted in 1908 and was manufactured by Sunshine . Its name was formed from the atomic elements which make up pure water: hydrogen and oxygen...
cookies were brought with the troops to the refugee-filled border area between Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
.
When Keebler purchased Sunshine Biscuits in 1996, it retained the product as part of its line. At the time of Keebler’s acquisition, Vienna Fingers brought in $50 million in sales annually. Following the acquisition of the product line by Keebler, a lemon filling version of the cookie was introduced.