History
Vlasic Pickles originally grew out of a Detroit creamery and fresh pickle business begun by Croatian immigrant Franjo Vlašić, and then continued by his son Joe in the 1920s. Initially the pickles were sold in large barrels, but according to the official Vlasic Pickles website, Joe and his son Bob invented the concept of packaging pickles in small glass jars in 1942 when the Vlasic Pickle brand was officially born. The business rapidly expanded in the post-war years, corresponding with growth in per capita pickle consumption.
A child-bearing stork was introduced as a mascot in the late 1960s, merging the stork baby mythology with the notion that pregnant women have an above average appetite for pickles. Vlasic marketed themselves as "the pickle pregnant women crave . . . after all, who's a better pickle expert?" This made the product unique and memorable. Later, during the 70's, when women were entering the workforce en masse, the Vlasic stork's commercials had the theme: "With the birth rate down, I deliver Vlasic pickles instead."
The modern Vlasic Pickle Stork speaks in a style reminiscent of Groucho Marx and holds a pickle like a cigar. He is voiced by Doug Preis of Galaxy Rangers fame.
Vlasic Pickles was later sold to Campbell Soup Company. The product was spun off to Vlasic Foods International on March 30, 1998.
On April 13, 1999, the company introduced the Vlasic Hamburger Stackers, made from naturally-grown but specially-cultivated cucumbers 40 cm (16") long and over 8 cm (3") in diameter, which enabled a single pickle chip to cover an entire hamburger.
Today, Vlasic is owned by Pinnacle Foods since its name change in 2001. The Vlasic stork was shown in "Icons," a MasterCard commercial from 2005 where many famous advertising icons from food and cleaning equipment are shown having dinner together.
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