Even in this day and age, when society seems to be at war with all things fattening—see: Tom Brady’s kids’ diet—Marshmallow Fluff has managed to stick it out on supermarket shelves. (The stuff turns 100 this year, by the way.) Any mere mention of the ooey, gooey additive evokes an image of a fluffernutter, the famed childhood treat consisting of fluff and peanut butter. Who can we thank for first bringing it to market? Find out in the historical list RealClearLife has put together based on this Eater feature.
The Birth of Fluff: According to Eater, the recipe for Fluff dates back to 1896 in a Fannie Farmer cookbook and was a product of Boston, Massachusetts. After the turn of the century, a number of fluff-makers had mushroomed up in the area.
Market ‘Mallow: Fluff was first brought to market in the U.S. as Snowflake Marshmallow Creme by a brother-sister duo, who just happened to be the great grandchildren of Paul Revere.
Door-to-Door Deliciousness: The Marshmallow Fluff that we’ve come to know and love today was invented by Archibald Query, who first started selling it door-to-door in 1917 in Somerville, Massachusetts. Query would sell the recipe to Boston-based Durkee-Mower for just $500.
G.I. Jewel: In the ’50s and ’60s, Durkee-Mower hired the graphic designer behind the Quaker Oats man and an artist who worked on G.I. Joe packaging art to create that memorable label on the Marshmallow Fluff jar.
Fluffernutter Origin Story: We can thank the folks behind Snowflake Marshmallow Creme for the idea behind the sandwich that, without milk or some other liquid to wash it down, is basically the consistency of a concrete mixer. Interestingly, the recipe was first published during World War I and called the “Liberty Sandwich.” The actual term “Fluffernutter” dates back to Marshmallow Fluff’s ’60s ad campaign.
WTFluff: The town of Somerville now celebrates Fluff annually through its “What the Fluff? festival.” This year’s Fluff fest is Sept. 23. Find out more on it here.
Fluff in Space: In 2012, Marshmallow Fluff found its way onto the International Space Station. So there’s that.
Fruity Fluff: These days, you can buy Fluff in most supermarkets—and even online (in bulk, might we add). And Durkee-Mower now offers up Strawberry Fluff for all the fruit-flavoring lovers out there.
For the full company history, click here.
—RealClearLife Staff
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