Betty Crocker

Betty Crocker is not a real person. She is a brand character similar to Ronald McDonald.

According to wikipedia, this name was first developed in 1921 by the Washburn Crosby Company which later merged with several milling companies to form General Mills. The name Betty was chosen for the cheery, all-American name while Crocker came from the Washburn Crosby company director William Crocker.

Marjorie Husted was a home economist and businesswoman who helped develop this character. At the onset, Betty Crocker provided personalized responses to consumer product questions. The daytime radio broadcast Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air debuted in 1924. Ms. Husted provided the voice and scripts for that show for two decades. A portrait of Betty Crocker first appeared in 1936. In 1949, actress Adelaide Hawley Cumming became Betty Crocker, appearing on TV until 1964.

Over the years, the image of Betty Crocker has changed. The current image of Betty Crocker, according to the corporation, is actually a combination of 75 real-life women of diverse backgrounds and ages thought by the company to represent the true Betty Crocker. These portraits were always painted, with no real person ever having posed as a model, and they never showed the character from the shoulders down.