Vienna Fingers
Vienna Fingers is a brand of cookie made by the Keebler Company, a division of Kellogg's. They consist of a sandwich of vanilla flavored outer crust filled with vanilla cream flavored filling. Akin to an Oreo, the surface is textured and embossed with the product name, but Vienna Fingers have a round-ended 'finger' shape. They come in a red rectangular package with the words "Vienna Fingers" in white lettering. Nabisco's Cameo is similar.
History
Vienna Fingers were one of the products originally sold by Sunshine Biscuits.[1] The cookies first were marketed by Sunshine Biscuits in 1915 and trademarked as "Vienna Fingers Sandwich" in November 1947.[2] The popularity of the Vienna Fingers cookies were memorialized by American playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon in his 1965 play The Odd Couple, which was adapted into a 1968 comedy film.[3] In the play, Oscar Madison attempts to distract a depressed Felix Ungar with snack food: "How about vanilla wafers? Or Vienna fingers? I got everything."[4]
In January 1985, the product was renamed "Vienna Fingers".[5] At the Food Marketing Institute's 1994 Supermarket convention, both low-fat Hydrox cookies and reduced-fat Vienna Fingers were introduced by Sunshine Biscuits.[6][7]
In late August 1994, Sunshine Biscuits donated over 21,000 Vienna Fingers and Hydrox cookies to a contingent of American troops from Fort Eustis Army Base.[8] The company's action was a follow up to a similar Sunshine shipment sent to troops during the 1990–1991 Gulf War and a soldier's scrawled response note on an Oreo box, "Please deploy cookies." In the company's words, "the donation of these cookie favorites will give the troops a taste of home and make their time away from their families a little more pleasant."[8] The Vienna Fingers and Hydrox cookies were brought with the troops to the refugee-filled border area between Rwanda and Zaire.[8]
When Keebler purchased Sunshine Biscuits in 1996, it retained the product as part of its line.[9] At the time of Keebler’s acquisition, Vienna Fingers brought in $50 million in sales annually. [10] Following the acquisition of the product line by Keebler, a lemon filling version of the cookie was introduced.[10]
References
- ^ "Della Femina Adds Sunshine". New York Times. July 29, 1982. pp. D13. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
Sunshine is a subsidiary of American Brands Inc., and its best known munchies include Hydrox, Chip-A-Roos, Vienna Fingers, Cheez-It, Hi-Ho and Wheat Wafers.
{{cite news}}:|section=ignored (help) - ^ See the U.S. Trademark for Vienna Fingers Sandwich
- ^ Simon, Neil (1966). The Odd Couple: A Comedy in Three Acts. Samuel French Inc. p. 30. ISBN 0573613311. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
- ^ The Odd Couple: A Comedy in Three Acts, By Neil Simon. Published by Random House, 1966, Original from the University of Michigan. Digitized 3 Mar 2008, 116 pages.
- ^ See the U.S. Trademark for Vienna Fingers.
- ^ Gubbins, Teresa (May 18, 1994). "Food and games at the supermarket show". The Dallas Morning News. pp. 2F. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
{{cite news}}:|section=ignored (help) - ^ “Low-fat and no-fat cookies get once-over from panelists,” Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, September 5, 1995 (library card access required)
- ^ a b c Piore, Adam (September 16, 1994). "Please Deploy Cookies - Sunshine Sends Them To Soldiers". The Record (Bergen County). pp. D1. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
{{cite news}}:|section=ignored (help) - ^ “Sunshine Purchase Complete,” Kansas City Star, June 15, 1996 (fee access required)
- ^ a b “Hail the hollow tree,” Prepared Foods Magazine, March 1999
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