Okay, before you even think it...yes, I know, this stuff didn't taste anything like a real pizza. I know that. This was standby food. My mother kept things like this and boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese in the cupboards at the cabin in case we got snowed in. The walk from the cabin to the car during the winter was around 1/2 mile. Then you had to put the chains on to drive over the summit to a store which was around 10 miles away. So processed foods were fine and dandy when it was storming outside.
When my father sold the cabin we had to go through everything, over 30 years worth of stuff, and either toss it or put it in the U-Haul and bring it home. You can see where my priorities were. I brought home some great stuff.
Click on either image to see it larger.
What I find most fascinating about this is what's missing, besides a bar code. If this product were made today there's an ingredient that would be here. This proves it's not needed. See if you can guess what it is.
Now, why did I save this? 99% of the population would call it trash. I look at it differently and not just because I like ephemera. My degree is in graphic design. I've always been attracted to all sorts of design, and old package design has always fascinated me. I had the opportunity to go into advertising after college, but wisely said no. I'm far too cynical about advertising and I wouldn't have lasted long. My big mouth would have eventually gotten me into trouble with some client, or the rolling of my eyes. Publishing was a much better fit for me. And freelance design is even better because I can roll my eyes without any client seeing me. So that's my reason and I stand behind it. I look at this box and think "there but for the grace of God go I." I could have been stuck somewhere pasting-up mechanicals for Chef Boy-ar-dee boxes.
Unlike Betty Crocker, Chef Boyardee, actually Ettore Boiardi, was a real person so the image you see on the box is real. He died in 1985. Betty Crocker went through a variety of images over the years, constantly being "updated" to fit the current "image" of women. I especially loved the uptight one with the business suit and puffy tie. Boiardi stayed true to his image and I believe his image is still used on the products bearing his name, which most likely now contain the dreaded ingredient not in this package.
To see some print advertisements for Boy-ar-dee products, including the pizza, click here.
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