Until I saw this hundred-year-old advertisement, I had never heard of Skinner’s Macaroni – though it may be a regional food that still exists. When I googled “Skinner’s Macaroni,” I came across an Albertson’s webpage for Skinner Macaroni Twirls. I also came across an “Our Story” page for J. Skinner Baking in Omaha, Nebraska which said that “The Skinner family has been in the food business since the late 1800s, so there’s a good chance your grandparents grew up on Skinner Macaroni and other Skinner family products.” It looked like the company now makes pastries.
Skinner’s pasta is very common in the south, still sold locally in Mississippi and Texas. I bought a big bag this week, being hungry for mac and cheese. My cheese choice is Vermont extra sharp, not Velveeta which is what most households back in Texas used.
This is definitely a regional brand. It’s fascinating that it’s apparently very well-established in the South, yet unfamiliar in some parts of the North. I’m with you on Vermont extra sharp making a better mac and cheese than Velveeta.
I’m guessing the choice of Velveeta was more about cost, and the ease of melting. As kids, we liked it, but I have not even seen it let alone eaten it in years.
I haven’t bought Velveeta in years, though I did purchase Cheese Whiz a few years ago to make a mid-century noodle dish that my family ate when I was a child.
This was so interesting, Sheryl. Such an elaborate graphic with the girl and her doll, the quotes about happiness and their logo. I had never heard of Skinner’s anything so found the above comment interesting, too.
A lot of effort was put into this ad. I liked how the graphic contained a silhouette image of a girl’s head. It was a nice detail, and probably very typical of what might be hanging on a wall in 1923.
It’s such an interesting, detailed illustration, right down to the bird cage and house next door!
The artist who did this was very skilled.
Skinner’s seemed familiar to me and I see by another comment it is sold here. I need to check the next time I go to the store.
You probably won’t have found it back in PA. 🙂
I’m heading there soon and maybe I’ll remember to check.
Just checked our grocery shelves here and there is a whole section of Skinners.
It sure sounds like Skinner’s is a popular brand in the area where you live.
Cheryl it amazes me that the point of this ad is that feeding the body will nourish the mind – a strategy that is missing now days!
That’s a really good point. Good nutrition is so important for nourishing the mind, but in recent years that concept is somehow too often overlooked.
I love the art deco designs in the illustration!
So do I. It’s nice to hear that you liked this illustration.
A quick check of newspapers from 1921-1925 revealed Skinner macaroni was sold in every state except Rhode Island based on the newspaper advertisements. Rhode Island as late as 1940 still had no advertisements for the product. Currently, it is marketed mostly in the Southeast. One of my long-time Texas friends had a father who worked for Skinner in distribution and he covered a huge territory across west Texas.
Fascinating – It’s interesting that Skinner macaroni was basically a national brand (except for Rhode Island) a hundred years ago, while today it is more of a regional brand. It’s the opposite from what I would have anticipated.
I agree with you, but I guess things change as tastes change.