Famous Amos facts for kids
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| Product type | Cookie |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ferrero SpA |
| Introduced | 1975 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Previous owners | Kellogg Company |
Famous Amos is a popular brand of delicious cookies. It was first created in Los Angeles in 1975 by a man named Wally Amos. These cookies are especially known for their tasty chocolate chip flavor and crunchy texture.
Contents
The Sweet Story of Famous Amos Cookies
Wally Amos: The Cookie Creator
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The person who started Famous Amos cookies was Wallace "Wally" Amos. He was born in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, on July 1, 1936. When he was 12 years old, in 1948, Wally moved to New York City. There, he lived with his aunt, and they often baked yummy cookies together. This is where his love for baking began!
As an adult, Wally Amos served in the United States Air Force. Later, he worked as a talent agent for a company called the William Morris Agency. He had a clever way to get famous people to meet with him. He would send them his homemade chocolate chip cookies! This sweet treat often helped him get their attention and maybe even sign a deal.
From Home Kitchen to Hollywood Store
On March 10, 1975, Wally Amos decided to follow his friends' advice. He turned his cookie-baking hobby into a real business. With $25,000 from singers Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy, he opened his very first cookie store. It was located at 7181 Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. He proudly named his new store "Famous Amos."
The store was an instant hit! In its first year, Famous Amos sold an amazing $300,000 worth of cookies. The next year, sales jumped to over $1,000,000! By 1982, the company's total earnings reached $12 million. The cookies were so popular that the Famous Amos brand soon started selling its treats in supermarkets. This idea was later copied by other special stores, like Baskin-Robbins and Starbucks.
Famous Amos Through the Years: Changes and Growth
Even with its early success, the Famous Amos company faced some challenges. By 1984, cookie sales began to slow down. To help the business, Wally Amos started selling parts of it. In March 1985, he sold a 51% share to another company. Over the next few years, the Famous Amos brand changed owners several times. Different groups tried to help the company grow and succeed.
Between 1988 and 2001, the Famous Amos company had more than five different owners. In 1992, the President Baking Company bought the brand. Then, in 1998, Keebler bought the President Baking Company. Finally, the Kellogg Company purchased Keebler in 2001, which included the Famous Amos brand.
In July 2019, the Kellogg Company sold its cookie brands, including Famous Amos, to Ferrero SpA. Today, the Keebler brand, which makes Famous Amos cookies, is part of Ferrero's US company, Ferrara. As of 2025, Ferrero, known for Nutella, fully owned the Famous Amos brand.
The Legacy of Wally Amos
Wally Amos, the creative founder of Famous Amos, passed away on August 13, 2024. He was 88 years old and died at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii.
You can find a special sign in Los Angeles that remembers the very first Famous Amos store. It is located at West Sunset Boulevard and North Formosa Avenue in Hollywood.
Wally Amos also created another cookie brand called "Chip and Cookie." He named it after two characters he made in the 1980s. This brand had a slightly different recipe from the Famous Amos cookies sold by Kellogg's.
Famous Amos Packaging Evolution
Early Designs: Tins and Wally's Image
The Famous Amos cookie brand has had several different package designs over the years. The very first packages were round, metal tin boxes. These white tins featured a picture of what looked like a large chocolate chip cookie spinning on Wally Amos's finger. Wally Amos himself was also pictured on these early packages, wearing his signature straw hat and cotton shirt.
In the 1980s, the packages changed to small plastic bags. These bags looked similar to the larger ones used in supermarkets back then. They had the brand's name in small letters. Once again, a photo of Wally Amos appeared, seemingly spinning a large chocolate chip cookie on his finger. This was a fun trick, much like the basketball-spinning moves made famous by the Harlem Globetrotters.
Modern Looks: Bags and Brand Focus
The packages from the 1990s were much larger than the earlier ones. The name "Famous Amos" was shown very clearly on the front. These packages no longer featured Wally Amos's picture. Instead, they showed several small cookies and a blue ribbon that said "chocolate chip."
The Famous Amos packages from the 2000s are quite similar to the 1990s designs. One difference is the color of the ribbon, which changed from blue to almond. Interestingly, a short story about Wally Amos's life is printed on the back of these newer packages. However, this biography is not included on "Not for Resale" packages or the large boxes found in stores like Sam's Club and Costco.
Sometimes, international stores that sell Famous Amos cookies design their own unique cookie bags. These often feature cool 3D ribbons.
