Keebler Company facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Keebler Company

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Food processing
Founded	July 19, 1853; 172 years ago (1853-07-19) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Founder	Godfrey Keebler
Headquarters	Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.
Area served	Nationwide
Products	Cookies Crackers Ice cream cones
Parent	United Biscuits (1974–1995) Flowers Industries (1995–1998) Kellogg's (2001–2019) Ferrero SpA (2019–present)

The Keebler Company is a well-known American company that makes delicious cookies. It was started way back in 1853. Keebler is famous for its many baked snacks and for its fun Keebler Elves characters.

Over the years, Keebler has sold many popular brands. These include Chips Deluxe cookies, Club Crackers, and E.L. Fudge Cookies. Some of their famous sayings were "Uncommonly Good" and "a little elfin magic goes a long way."

In 2019, the cookie and cracker parts of the company were separated. Kellogg's sold the cookie business and the Keebler name to Ferrero SpA. Now, the cracker brands are sold under the Kellogg's or Sunshine names.

The History of Keebler

Keebler Chips Deluxe Rainbow cookies

A Keebler Delivery Truck in Michigan

How Keebler Started

Godfrey Keebler, who was from Germany, opened his first bakery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1853. Over many years, his bakery connected with other local bakeries. In 1927, they all joined together to form the United Biscuit Company of America.

Becoming the Keebler Brand

The United Biscuit Company had bakeries in different parts of the country. These included Keebler and other companies like Hekman Biscuit Company. By 1963, United Biscuit started selling a national brand called Kitchen Rich. Then, in 1966, the company decided to use just one name for all its products. They chose "Keebler" as the national brand and the company's new name.

Keebler and Girl Scout Cookies

The Keebler-Weyl Bakery became the first company to officially bake Girl Scout Cookies in 1936. Before that, Girl Scouts and their mothers baked the cookies themselves. Today, a part of Keebler called Little Brownie Bakers still makes these popular cookies.

Changes in Ownership

In 1974, a British food company called United Biscuits bought Keebler. During the 1980s, Keebler started making salty snacks like Tato Skins and Pizzarias. In 1995, United Biscuits sold Keebler to a partnership that included Flowers Foods.

Later, in 1996, the Keebler Company bought Sunshine Biscuits. In 2000, Keebler also got a special agreement to make snacks based on the children's TV show Sesame Street.

In March 2001, the Kellogg Company bought the Keebler Company. At that time, Keebler's main office was in Elmhurst, Illinois.

Keebler Joins Ferrero

On April 1, 2019, Kellogg announced that it was selling Keebler cookies and some other brands to Ferrero SpA. Ferrero is a large Italian company known for chocolates and other sweets. This sale was part of Ferrero's plan to buy brands that might not have been a main focus for other food companies. The deal was completed on July 29, 2019. Kellogg kept the rights to other Keebler products, like crackers, which are now sold under the Kellogg's or Sunshine names.

The Keebler Elves

The animated Keebler Elves are some of the most famous characters from commercials. They are led by "Ernest J. 'Ernie' Keebler." Ernie is the main elf and is known for being very friendly.

Elves in Commercials

The elves have appeared in many television advertisements over the years. In these commercials, they are shown baking their unique products inside a tree. The Keebler tree logo often becomes the tree where the elves live and work.

The Leo Burnett Worldwide advertising agency created the elves in 1968. They called the elves' bakery "The Hollow Tree Factory."

Ernie Keebler and Other Elves

J.J. Keebler was the first "king elf" in 1969. Ernie Keebler became the "head elf" in 1970. Ernie has white hair and wears a green jacket, a white shirt, a yellow tie, a red vest, and floppy shoes.

Many different actors have provided the voice for Ernie Keebler. Parley Baer voiced him from 1969 until 1997. After that, Walker Edmiston and Frank Welker also voiced the character. Since 2016, Richard Henzel has been the voice of Ernie.

Other elves in the Keebler family include Fryer Tuck, Ernie's nephews Zoot and J.J., and Ernie's mother Ma Keebler. There were also elves like Buckets, who put fudge on cookies, and Fast Eddie, who wrapped the products. Many of the Keebler commercials were narrated by the announcer Danny Dark. The first Keebler elves were drawn by the artist Roger Bradfield.

Popular Keebler Products

Here are some examples of products that Keebler has made: