'Aunt Jemima' family files $2B lawsuit


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You might be surprised to learn that Aunt Jemima--one of the most recognized faces in syrup and pancake mixes-- was a real person.

Anna Short Harrington?the woman whose likeness became ?Aunt Jemima? --was an actual employee of Quaker Oat who died in 1955.

Now her heirs want a piece of a fortune they believe is rightfully theirs.

D.W. Hunter, the great grandson of Harrington, filed a class action lawsuit against PepsiCo and its related subsidiaries on behalf of all of Harrington?s great grandchildren.

The suit alleges that PepsiCo Inc., Quaker Oats, Pinnacle Foods and Hillshire Brands Co. deliberately withheld information that identified Harrington as a former employee of Quaker Oats while simultaneously exploiting her image and recipes?without paying a fair share of royalties to her or related family members for over 60 years.

Hunter is seeking $2 billion, plus punitive damages, reports the Chicago Tribune.

In the lawsuit, Hunter claims that the companies lied about not having employment records for Harrington but had her image in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. While Aunt Jemima originally debuted in the late 1880?s, the character was not trademarked until 1937.

Anna Short Harrington assumed the role of the recognize breakfast matron in 1935. Reportedly, she was selected for her original pancake recipe which was then mass produced for the grocery store shelves?but Harrington was allegedly dissuaded from hiring a lawyer and therefor never collected royalties from the usage of her recipes.

The family was only made aware last year that Quaker Oats had actually trademarked Harrington's likeness and picture in 1937, and thus started the process to seek out royalties owed.

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Sigh, yet another frivolous lawsuit.

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Without reading into any further, I believe the family is owed compensation. Not the ridiculous 2 Billion dollars, since Pepsico (or whoever at the time) did all the work marketing it, and of course selling it. But it does sound like the family should have something. Maybe a few Million, since they'd probably all be living quite well if the right thing was done to begin with.

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^ Nothing was made up.

 

Anna Short Harrington was a real person, and created the original recipes and Quaker Oats used her likeness.

 

Her heirs deserve something, although 2 billion is excessive.

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Little known fact: Uncle Ben is Aunt Jemima's illegitimate child made up.

Uncle Ben?s products carry the image of an elderly African-American man dressed in a bow tie, said to have been the visage of a Chicago ma?tre d?h?tel named Frank Brown.  According to Mars, Uncle Ben was an African-American rice grower known for the quality of his rice. Gordon L. Harwell, an entrepreneur who had supplied rice to the armed forces in World War II, chose the name Uncle Ben?s as a means to expand his marketing efforts to the general public. "Uncle" was a common appellation used in the Southern United States to refer to older male Black slaves or servants.

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I think this be Aunt Jemima's Sister :laugh:

 

^ I've never understood why females are associated with good cooking.

 

I know many women who are just plain lousy.

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In those days many minorities from various nations were "robbed" of possible fortunes... It was usually those who had little to no education, that were ripped off.  

 

$2billion is excessive as stated above.  But at the end of the day, they made money on her recipes and likeness.  

 

Yes they promoted the product, packaged the product, and distributed the product.  They are responsible for the product being in the hands of millions of people.

 

But pay the family, for their ancestors work.


^ I've never understood why females are associated with good cooking.

 

I know many women who are just plain lousy.

 

 

You got to remember, in those days, it was "A woman belongs in the kitchen" mindset

 

This mentality still lingers on today in some people's culture/society.

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This lawsuit is going to fall flat, like a pancake.

 

 

If your pancakes are falling flat, try some new recipes and even from scratch, as they tend to remain more fluffy than with box mixes. The secret is also flipping them at the right time and not overcooking, and even a slight dash of sugar if you can spar it in your diet.

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even a slight dash of sugar if you can spar it in your diet.

 

If you're eating pancakes, I don't think you'll be worrying about a bit of extra sugar... ;)

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