Tombstone (pizza) facts for kids
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| Owner | Nestlé |
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| Introduced | 1962 |
| Markets | United States |
Tombstone is a popular brand of frozen pizza. You can find it with many different toppings. Some common ones include pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, onions, bell peppers, and sausage. The pizza boxes often show pictures of a cactus along with the pizza.
Contents
History of Tombstone Pizza
How Tombstone Pizza Started
Tombstone pizza was created in 1962 in Medford, Wisconsin, U.S. It was started by two brothers, Pep and Ron Simek, along with two other people. The pizza got its unique name from a tavern (a type of pub) they owned called The Tombstone Tap. This tavern was located right across the street from a cemetery, which is why it had that name.
Changes in Ownership
In 1988, the Tombstone Pizza Company became part of Kraft Foods. This meant Kraft Foods owned Tombstone completely. However, Tombstone was allowed to operate almost like its own separate company. The people who worked for Tombstone at the time were able to keep their jobs. Pep and Ron Simek, the founders, decided to step back from their roles in the business.
Later, on January 5, 2010, Kraft Foods announced a big change. They decided to sell their frozen pizza business to Swiss-based company Nestlé Foods. Kraft made this sale to help them buy another company called Cadbury, which makes chocolate. Besides Tombstone, other pizza brands like DiGiorno, Jacks, and California Pizza Kitchen's frozen pizzas were also part of this sale. Today, the frozen pizza division that used to belong to Kraft is now part of Nestlé.
Fun Slogans and Commercials
"What do you want on your Tombstone?"
One of Tombstone's most famous slogans was "What do you want on your Tombstone?" An advertising agency in Chicago created this catchy phrase. It was often used in commercials that looked like old Western movies.
Imagine a TV commercial where someone is about to be "executed" in a Western town. The "executioner" would ask, "What do you want on your tombstone?" (meaning, what words do you want written on your gravestone?). But instead of a serious answer, the person would reply with something like, "Pepperoni and cheese!" Then, a delicious Tombstone pizza would magically appear. It was a funny way to link the pizza to the brand's name.
Other Memorable Slogans
In 1999 and the early 2000s, another slogan was used: "Shoulda had that Tombstone." One TV commercial for this slogan showed a boy hiding in his girlfriend's room. His stomach growled so loudly that her father heard it and caught him! The idea was that if he had eaten a Tombstone pizza, he wouldn't have been hungry and wouldn't have gotten caught.
See also
- List of frozen food brands
