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Aunt Jemima, as a brand name

Lasted

about 132 years

c. 1889  →  June 2021

Cause of death
Killed by scandal
Made by
The Quaker Oats Company

Quaker Oats dropped the name after acknowledging the brand's character was based on a racial stereotype, and the packaging changed over in June 2021.

The self-rising pancake mix originated at the Pearl Milling Company in 1889 and picked up the Aunt Jemima name and its minstrel-derived character not long after. Quaker Oats bought the brand in 1925 and spent decades softening the image without ever retiring it. The company announced the name was going in June 2020, revealed the replacement in February 2021, and changed the boxes that June. The recipe and the red packaging survived; the name did not.

Replaced by Pearl Milling Company.

Standing in the archive

Rank 4 of 127 by lifespan. Aunt Jemima, as a brand name outlasted 98% of everything else on file.

Cite this entry

"Aunt Jemima, as a brand name." How Long It Lasted, https://www.howlongitlasted.com/thing/aunt-jemima-brand.

Died nearby

Sources

Last checked by a human on 24 July 2026