Jiffy Pop facts for kids
Jiffy Pop is a fun brand of popcorn that you cook right in its own special pan! It's made by a company called ConAgra Foods. The product comes with popcorn kernels, oil, and yummy flavors all inside a foil-covered aluminum pan.
To cook it, you take off the paper cover. Then, you hold the pan by its handle over a stove burner or a campfire. You gently shake it, and as the kernels pop, they push the foil lid outwards, making it puff up like a big balloon! Once it's done, you tear open the foil and enjoy your fresh popcorn. Jiffy Pop is one of the few brands that still sells popcorn in these ready-to-cook pans.
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The Story of Jiffy Pop
Who Invented Jiffy Pop?
A clever chemist and inventor named Frederick C. Mennen from LaPorte, Indiana, created Jiffy Pop. He developed the idea in 1958. Mr. Mennen started selling Jiffy Pop to people in 1959.
Changes in Ownership
Later in 1959, a company called American Home Products bought Jiffy Pop from Mr. Mennen. A scientist named Alvin Golub helped make the product even better. Within just one year, Jiffy Pop was being sold all across the United States!
In 1976, a famous stage magician named Harry Blackstone Jr. even helped advertise Jiffy Pop. He would say that it was "the magic treat — as much fun to make as it is to eat."
Similar Products and Legal Talks
Jiffy Pop was actually based on a similar product called E-Z Pop. This product was designed five years earlier by Benjamin Coleman. It was sold by the Taylor-Reed Corporation.
In the early 1960s, Taylor-Reed Corporation had a legal disagreement with Mennen Food Products. They felt Jiffy Pop was too similar to their E-Z Pop. A court first agreed with Taylor-Reed, but a higher court later changed that decision.
New Owners and Flavors
In 1996, American Home Products changed its food business into a new company called International Home Foods. Then, in 2000, ConAgra Foods bought International Home Foods. This made ConAgra the new owner of Jiffy Pop.
The original Jiffy Pop pans were shiny silver. Later, they started making the pans with a black coating on the outside. This helped the pan get hotter faster. For a while, there was a "Natural" flavor and even a Jiffy Pop Microwave Popcorn. But today, Jiffy Pop is mostly sold in one stovetop version: Butter Flavor Popcorn.
Jiffy Pop on TV
Jiffy Pop has been advertised on television for a long time, starting at least in 1967. In one commercial, a magical genie appeared and gave two children Jiffy Pop to eat. The slogan for Jiffy Pop was repeated many times to show that it's "as much fun to make as it is to eat."
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