Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Food Museums
67
Jell-O Gallery
Wiggly and Wobbly in New York
LeRoy, New York
When Bill Cosby visited the Jell-O Gallery in
2004, he was met with a hero's welcome
by staff members marking his 30th year as
a Jell-O pitchman. It's fitting that they
should fete their spokesman, since canny
marketing has been such a big part of Jell-
O history. Cosby follows in the footsteps
of a century's worth of show-biz luminar-
ies who have advanced the cause of Jell-O
over the years, from Kate Smith, Jack
Benny, and Lucille Ball on the radio, to
Andy Griffith on TV.
The story began in 1897, when local
LeRoy carpenter Pearle Wait made the
first batch of flavored gelatin while he was
preparing a home-remedy cough syrup.
(His wife, May, came up with the catchy
name.) He didn't have the business acu-
men to market his discovery, however; so
after 2 years, the business changed hands
and was eventually bought by the Gene-
see Pure Food Company. Genesee
shrewdly employed noted artists such as
Maxfield Parish and Norman Rockwell to
produce striking images for their print ads.
By 1902, sales had rocketed to a whop-
ping $250,000. Two years later came the
Jell-O Girl, a 4-year-old spokesperson who
held a teakettle in one hand and a packet
of powdered gelatin in the other. By 1923,
the booming Jell-O Company had the
assets to outright purchase its own parent
company, Genesee Pure Food (eventually
the product came to be manufactured by
Kraft/General Foods). Throughout the
many changes in ownership, the public
remained steadfast in its affection for the
product once advertised as “Delicate,
delightful and dainty.”
This surprisingly entertaining museum,
just an hour's drive east of Niagara Falls
and Buffalo, and run by the LeRoy Histori-
cal Society, celebrates the history of both
the product and the advertising that has
made this wiggly treat a household word.
After the tour, you'll be able to identify
which fruits float and which ones don't,
and astonish your friends with trivia like
the fact that a wobbling bowl of Jell-O has
the same frequency as adult human brain
waves.
The gift shop is a testament to Jell-O's
tradition of clever marketing. There, you'll
find Jell-O branded thimbles, clocks, post-
cards, doormats—and that's just a start.
Suffice to say that there is something to
please every Jell-O enthusiast.
23 East Main St. (
&
585/768-7433;
www.jellogallery.org).
L
$$
Edson House Bed and Break-
fast,
Route 19, LeRoy (
&
585/768-8579;
www.edsonhousebb.com). $$
The Fox &
the Grapes Bed & Breakfast,
9496 State
Rte. 414, Lodi (
&
607/582-7528;
www.
thefoxandthegrapes.com).
