Newtons (cookie)
The Fig Newton (in Europe, a Fig Roll) is a soft, cake-like pastry filled with fig jam. A trademarked product of Nabisco, Fig Newtons originated in the United States and have since spread across the world. Their unusual shape is a characterisitic that has recently been adopted by competitors, such as Wal-Mart's "Fig Bars", sold under its Great Value brand, and Newman's Own "Fig Newmans" (a vegan variety).
History
The Fig Newton was created in 1891 by Charles M. Roser of the Kennedy Biscuit Company, a Massachusetts-based bakery. The company named many of their products after surrounding communities. The Fig Newton was named after nearby Newton, Massachusetts. It was first simply called the Newton, but the name was changed to Fig Newton in 1898.
The Kennedy Biscuit Company merged with other regional bakeries in 1898 to form the National Biscuit Company, which later became Nabisco. The cookie is now produced by Nabisco.
The machine that makes the cookie consists of a funnel within a funnel. The inner funnel contains the filling, and the outer funnel contains the dough. The machine extrudes the filled cookie, which is then baked, cut into smaller pieces, and packaged.
Varieties
Nabisco makes several varieties of the Newton, including Strawberry, Cherries 'n' Cheesecake, Caramel Apple, Raspberry, and Apple Newtons, in addition to the original Fig. The cookie is the company's number-three seller at more than a billion a year.
In the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere, the fig variety are known as Fig Rolls. Jacobs Biscuits are its main manufacturers, advertising with the slogan "How do they get the figs into the fig rolls?".
Advertising and Popular Culture
In the 1970s, Nabisco ran a tremendously popular advertising campaign for the Fig Newton. The commercials featured a performer dressed like a fig singing the Fig Newton song:
- Oo-ee, gooey, rich and chewy inside.
- Golden, flaky, tender cakey outside.
- Wrap the inside in the outside -- Is it good? Darn Tootin'!
- Doin' the Big FIG NEWTON (here's the tricky part), the big FIG NEWTON (one more time!), the BIG FIG NEWTONNNNN!
At the conclusion of the song, he struck the "fig newton pose" (popularly known as the "Phoon"— an invented word/sound coined by John E. Darrow of Sunnyvale, CA), leaning forward and balancing on his left foot, with arms spread and right leg raised behind him.
In the 1980s, Nabisco again produced a popular advertising slogan that is remembered in at least four forms:
- A Newton's not a cookie, a Newton's fruit and cake.
- A Newton's not a cookie, a Newton's fruited cake.
- A Newton's not a cookie, a Newton's fruit in cake.
- A cookie is just a cookie, but a Newton is fruit and cake.
Trivia
In The Simpsons episode Mother Simpson, Homer Simpson's childhood bed time song was the Fig Newton jingle from the '70s. Upon his mother saying the line "Here's the tricky part", Homer immediately fell to sleep.
In Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Ricky puts a giant Fig Newtons sticker on the windshield of his race car.