Pancake Breakfast

Sunday mornings mean pancakes to me. Whole wheat pancakes with sugar-free syrup. But back in the '80s pancakes were light and fluffy, fiber-free treats smothered in thick and rich Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup. And if you were very lucky, Mrs. Butterworth herself even made them for you, as she did for these boys in 1984:


Courtesy of milwaukeetvmadman on YouTube

Although I don't remember my mother making pancakes a lot, we must have eaten enough Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup for my mother to send away for this colorforms-type set in 1986. It features a board with a breakfast scene of a larger-than-life Mrs. Butterworth:

And a sheet of food and kitchen accessories to complete the picture:

Ostensibly, my mother got this for my 5-year-old sister as I was much too old for this in 1986. But when my sister tired of it, I somehow persuaded her to give it to me and have kept it ever since (you can have it back Maria, if you want). The pieces have long since lost their stick or I would have created a special scene.

Mrs. Butterworth made her TV debut in 1961, almost 50 years ago. The years have taken their toll as she's now plastic and has indistinct features. But she's trying to keep up with the times. She has her own website, of course. Check out the "For Fun" section to create and print your own Mrs. Butterworth art. She even recently appeared in a Geico commercial:

Courtesy of tungstenfluff7 on You Tube

I know Mrs. Butterworth isn't strictly speaking "food with eyes," but more of a anthropomorphic bottle. Still, as a spokescharacter who has stood the test of time, I think she deserves our attention and admiration. Thank you for being so thick and rich for all these years, Mrs. Butterworth.