Mrs.
Butterworth - The grandma-shaped bottle with its
label doubling as an apron that holds the golden goodness of
Mrs. Butterworth's pancake syrup. The TV commercials portray
Mrs. Butterworth as a lovely elderly woman who is as sweet as
the syrup inside her bottle. Of course, it takes a little
getting used to an inanimate syrup bottle suddenly coming to
life and talking to people at the breakfast table. But, in
general, Mrs. Butterworth's conversations or winks of the eye
were met with appreciation, as with the now classic TV spot when
a cute 12-year old black girl (Kim Fields a.k.a. "Tootie" from
THE FACTS OF LIFE) exclaims "Mrs. Butterworth, I Loooovvve
you."
The voice of
Mrs. Butterworth in the TV commercials was provided by Mary Kay
Bergman, an actress and Los Angeles native who sadly, took her
own life at age 39 on Thursday November 11th, 1999.
The stop-motion animation sequences (for example, the
scenes of Mrs. Butterworth winking her eye) were supplied by
David Allen who later died from cancer on Monday August 16th,
1999 at age 54. His professional work included animation for
television series and commercials such as GUMBY, DAVEY AND
GOLIATH, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and The Planter's Peanuts
mascot.
Overtime, the Mrs. Butterworth character [now owned by
Pinnacle Foods] has become a pop culture icon. Her character
was turned into a large hot air balloon and even spoofed in
numerous comedy skits telling tales of Mr. Peanut bedding Mrs.
Butterworth or featuring fist fights between Poppin' Fresh
Doughboy or Aunt Jemima.
In February 2001, there was an
exhibit at The Chicago Athenaeum entitled "Art Scene Chicago
2000" that offered up a painting by artist Dick Detzner called
"The Last Pancake Breakfast" with the image of Christ replaced
by the figure of Mrs. Butterworth. Gathered at the table were
such TV mascot disciples as [left] Snap, Crackle and Pop, Cap’n
Crunch (as Judas), Tony the Tiger, and Aunt Jemima; [right]
Toucan Sam, the white-haired Quaker Oats man, Quisp, the
propeller topped alien, the Sugar Crisp Bear, the Lucky Charms
Leprechaun; and the Trix Rabbit.
Detzner intended his parody of
Leonardo di Vinci's "The Last Supper" to be a protest of our
idolatry of commercials and the products they promote, but the
painting offended many Christians.
Other painting in the series
called “Corporate Sacrilege” showed the Pillsbury Doughboy
nailed to a cross, Ken and Barbie in the Garden of Eden, Jesus
on a Wheaties brand cereal box and the overalls-clad child
mascot of Big Boy restaurants receiving “Ten Big Commandments.”
Another media manipulation of the Mrs. Butterworth character
occurred in 2002, in the motion picture 40 Days and 40 Nights
with Josh Hartnett. In the movie, Harnett portrayed a dot-commer
named Matt Sullivan whose self-imposed sexual abstinence leads
him down the road to temptation. Towards the end of the film,
Matt lewdly fondles a Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottle.
TRIVIA
NOTE: The original Mrs. Butterworth's brown glass bottles with
the distinctive yellow twist cap were later replaced by a brown
plastic bottle so as to prevent broken glass accidents. Mrs.
Butterworth bottles are manufactured by Pechiney Plastic
Packaging's Global Bottles Group. They designed the world's
first squeezable ketchup bottle for Heinz in 1990.
In addition,
the spy fantasy THE PRISONER/CBS/1968-69 featured a Mrs.
Butterworth character (played by Georgina Cookson) on episode
"Many Happy Returns." She appears as a kindly, wealthy widow
(alias Number 2) who at first befriends Number Six (Patrick
McGoohan) but, in the end, betrays him.
Mrs.
Butterworth Ad Script
|
Young
Girl |
Mrs.
Butterworth. |
|
Mrs.
Butterworth |
Yes? |
|
Young
Girl |
How come
this tastes so good? |
|
Mrs.
Butterworth |
Well, my
syrup is very thick and rich |
|
Young
Girl |
Thick and
rich? |
|
Mrs.
Butterworth |
Just
watch. See how the leading syrup just runs over this stack
while Mrs. Butterworth takes her own sweet time. Now my
syrup has got to be thick to pour this slow. Truth is Mrs.
Butterworth is twice as thick as the other syrup. Thick
and Rich and... |
|
Young
Girl |
Mmmm...Mrs.
Butterworth, I Loooovvve
you |
|
Mrs.
Butterworth |
Oh! |
| |
--1979 Mrs. Butterworth's
TV Commercial |
