 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 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.As of 2004, the Duncan Hines product line
is
owned by Pinnacle Foods Corporation (formerly Aurora Foods).
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
Spot |
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.
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