Debbie McKee handing out snack cakes in a store.
The Great Depression was an unlikely time to start a business, but that didn’t stop Oather “O.D.” McKee and his wife, Ruth. The couple made oatmeal cookies at their small shop in Chattanooga and, in the mid-1930s, were looking for a way to keep the cookies moist. That’s when O.D. had the idea to put cream between two cookies to keep them soft, according to the company’s history at LittleDebbie.com. The Oatmeal Creme Pie was born but it would be many years before they were sold under the iconic brand Little Debbie.
O.D. sold the pies for 5 cents each, making them an affordable and filling snack for those with very little money. They were a hit.
Vintage packaging Oatmeal Creme PiesMcKee Foods Corp.
Ruth McKee had an active role in running the company, which was unusual for women at the time, according to McKee Foods spokesman Mike Gloekler.
“Ruth McKee was very active in the day-to-day operations. Of course, it was quite unusual for women to be so involved in business operations at that time,” Gloekler said. “While O.D. spent his days on the road building sales, it was Ruth who was purchaser, accountant, human resources, dispatcher… she had her hand in everything under the sun, all while raising children, too.”
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Wedding photo of O.D. and Ruth McKee, founders of the Little Debbie brand.McKee Foods Corp.
In 1957, the company built a plant in Collegedale, Tenn., to manufacture a variety of individual snack cakes and, in 1960, the company developed the very first “family pack,” a box of “12 or more cellophane-wrapped cakes,” the McKee Foods website says.
“The price of the new 12-count family pack carton was 49¢,” the site said.
That was also the first year the treats were marketed with the name Little Debbie. The idea was an immediate success.
According to an episode of the show “The Foods That Built America,” a marketing expert named Bob Mosher suggested the McKees develop a brand name for the snack cake line and to create a colorful logo. The couple began listing the names of their grandchildren. Mosher dismissed the first names as not right. Then the McKees mentioned their granddaughter, “Little Debbie.”
Little Debbie McKeeMcKee Foods Corp.
The portrait of Little Debbie that was used to create the logo was painted by artist Pearl Mann. “Pearl Mann's illustrations were very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but none of her best-known works are as recognizable and enduring as the Little Debbie portrait,” the website says. “Although the portrait has been modified slightly through the years, it endures to this day and is seen by millions of shoppers and snackers daily.”
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According to Gloekler, Debbie’s mother, Sharon, purchased photo sessions from Olan Mills, a well-known Chattanooga company. “She told Debbie that if she was a good girl for the photo sessions, she could pick her own outfit for the final sitting,” he said. “Debbie chose her ‘cowgirl outfit.’ This is the photo that launched the brand. You’ll notice the crease in her cowgirl hat. That is duplicated in the packaging art. The story goes that there was an errant sitting on the hat, and that is the source of the crease. The framed original cowgirl outfit still hangs in our corporate offices in Debbie’s father’s, Ellsworth McKee, former office.”
Ruth McKee’s active role in the company “would very much shape Debbie’s own career as she had a very close and special bond with her grandmother,” Gloekler said.
Today, Debbie McKee Fowler is one of four third-generation owners actively involved in McKee Foods, including her brother Rusty and her cousins, Mike and Chris.
Nutty Buddy Bars: These crunchy wafers dipped in chocolate were originally called Nutty Bars.
Swiss Cake Rolls: O.D. McKee got the idea for these popular treats when he traveled to a trade show in Europe. It is a miniature version of a “roulade.”
Strawberry Shortcake Rolls: This treat was originally called Jelly Rolls and the tops were sprinkled with sugar. The name didn’t change until 1994.
Fudge Brownies: These snacks have English walnuts baked in.
Star Crunch Snacks: These were originally called Moon Crunch Snacks. They were introduced to celebrate the 1969 moon landing. The nae was changed in 1972.
Devil Squares: These chocolate treats have always been popular but ut wasn’t until 2015 that the fudge stripes were added.
Fudge Rounds: According to the Little Debbie online history: “Cliff Dildy, a McKee Foods employee and product innovator in his own right, came up with the idea for this timeless treat.”
Peanut Butter Crunch: Originally called Penut Butter Bars, these treats are still available in stores.
Donut Sticks: Originally called Dunk’em Sticks, these snacks are like rectangle donuts without the hole.
Christmas Tree Cakes: The online history says: “Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes are one of the most iconic snacks around. Do you remember their original triangular shape and chocolate trunk? Even though the classic scalloped tree shape wasn’t introduced until 2012, nothing says ‘Christmastime’ quite like these festive treats!”
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Summer is (basically) here y'all, and that pretty much guarantees two things are happening somewhere in the South at any given moment.
1. Someone is putting a sprinkle of salt on a juicy, cold slice of watermelon, and 2. Someone else is giving them all kinds of grief for it.
For decades, Southerners have been salting their watermelon and facing criticism for it by those who clearly don't have fully developed tastebuds because adding salt to watermelon isn't just the tastier way to eat -- it's the better way to eat it, and we've got the science to back that.
That's why we felt the need to come to the Southern tradition's defense, and we weren't the only ones. We asked members of The Potluck, the It's a Southern Thing membership program, to vote on what "In Defense Of" article they wanted to see next, and adding salt to watermelon was the overwhelming victor. (If you want to have a say in future topics we cover, you can join The Potluck here.)
So first things first, let's address why Southerners started putting salt on watermelon to begin with -- it tastes better that way. Simple as that. While it might feel counterintuitive, adding salt to something sweet will actually make it taste that much sweeter because it removes any bitter flavors.
The jist of it is, according to food developer and author Barb Stuckey, watermelon has three taste elements, which are sweet, sour and bitter, reports The Huffington Post. By adding salt, you suppress the bitter flavor so that the sweet can reign supreme. Not to mention, the salt activates your salivatory glands, making the watermelon seem that much juicer.
And while the science behind the practice might be new, the act of adding salt to watermelon ain't new at all. In fact, the tradition of adding salt to watermelon in the South can be traced all the way back to the 1930s, when an article in a South Carolina newspaper shared instructions for how to "best prepare watermelon," according to the Post and Courier.
The article instructed readers to "cut the ripe, pink flesh from a good-sized watermelon, put it into a freezing can and pack with salt and ice." See, y'all? Folks have known for more than a century that watermelon is best when salted, and yet we're still here having to defend its practice.
That's why we think those who are still denying that watermelon should be salted (purely out of pride at this point) should just cut their losses and admit defeat. Then sprinkle some salt on a slice of cold watermelon, and enjoy! We promise not to say "I told you so" -- because we'll be too busy enjoying a salted slice ourselves.
Read more "In Defense Of" articles:
In defense of Southern remedies, because Granny knows what she is doing
In defense of fall weddings, because no one should have to sweat their way down the aisle
In defense of Southern superstitions, because sometimes you got to make your own luck
In defense of possums, the cute critter you should want around
"It's not the heat. It's the humidity" is an expression you'll hear no matter what part of the South you're in, and you know why? Because it's true.
While the Southern states are known for getting all kinds of hot during the summer -- and if we're being honest, spring and fall too -- it's not necessarily the rise in temperature that makes walking outside for more than three minutes so unbearable ... it's, well, the humidity.
With that in mind, we took a look back on some of our So True, Y'all videos spotlighting how humidity ruins pretty much everything because if you're going to be stuck in what feels like a humidifier test facility ... but in hell, you might as well have a good laugh about it.
Unless you actually like having bad hair days, sweating the second you step outside and everything around you having a general feeling of sogginess, humidity really, truly is the worst.
Y'all known how we all get excited every year when summer arrives? Why is that again?
It's best to prepare anyone considering a move to the South for life in what feels like a wet inferno -- well, except for that really nice week between hurricanes in October.
There's always that one really great spring day...before the pollen hits, tornado season cranks up and humidity levels go so high it feels like you need gills to breathe outside.
This video proves that no matter how many scarves you buy, PSLs you drink or tiny, adorable pumpkins you decorate with, the South's humidity will still hang around to ruin it.
There are some things you just expect to see when you're at the beach, like people collecting seashells, kids trying their best to boogie board and a whole lot of painful-looking sunburns.
A guy in nothing but American flag swim trunks and cowboy boots isn't likely to make that list, but it probably should if you're headed to a Southern beach.
Everyone knows Southerners like to do things a little differently, and that includes our beach vacations. With that in mind, we decided to ask our followers on the It's a Southern Thing Facebook page what the most Southern thing they've seen at the beach is.We got more than a thousand replies, and let's just say some of 'em make the guy in cowboy boots on the beach sound tame.
You can see 29 of the responses below, and you can see all of them on the It's a Southern Thing Facebook page.
"A person wearing a gingham monogrammed swimsuit and monogrammed beach hat with a monogrammed towel and monogrammed tumbler in a monogrammed Bogg bag." -- Holly Harper Dearmon
"Some good ole' country folks in blue jean cut-off bathing suits and Bud Lights in hand, under their tent singing 'Family Tradition' at the top of their lungs. I may or may not have joined in." -- Rebecca Davis Gahring
"Down here in Sarasota, Florida, no beach trip is complete with your very own Tervis Tumbler. Bonus points if it has a University logo on it." -- Jill Renee
"Guy towed his own port-a-john to the beach on his truck! Dropped it right there near the surf!" -- Melinda Williams Lewis
"Floating the cooler full of beer while wading out to a boat for the Cajun Navy rescue during Hurricane Harvey." -- Lisa Slattery
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"Definitely the guy I saw wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat with no shirt in American flag swim trunks." -- Brandi Rakita
"Kids 'rafting' on an upside-down picnic table, trying to paddle it with their hands and feet. It wasn't floating as well as they had hoped, so the kids were sitting on the bottom side of the benches, and were submerged part way up their calves. It looked like they were having a blast." -- Lyle Goodson
"Someone using the inner tube, from a tractor tire, as a float. They had their entire family on it." -- Christy Delaine Long
"My mama shelling peas in a bikini!" -- Angela Reese-Law McCain
"My grandmother’s picnic lunch for a day trip to the beach -- fried chicken, potato salad, pimento cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches, chewies and a cooler full of Cokes." -- Kym Westbury Bresnahan
"An Auburn and an Alabama family, fully dressed in school spirit wear including matching tattoos, going fist-to-cuff in Gulf Shores on the beach because of the previous year’s Iron Bowl results." -- James Paul Mills Jr.
"A gentleman bringing a full-sized barbecue grill with about 10 coolers using a luggage trolly from the hotel. This happened on South Padre Island, Texas shore." -- Pamela Alphin
"A TV on the beach with an Alabama football game broadcasting." -- Linda Goodwin Coley
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"Went to Myrtle Beach during senior week and saw a bunch of guys who had made a pool in the back of their truck with a tarp." -- Sailor Hugbell
"The Flora-Bama Lounge and their annual mullet toss." -- Chris Whitfield Jones
"A family wearing matching seersucker swimsuits." -- Marissa Hooverman Dove
"A couple of guys split their last beer. One drank out of the bottle while the other drank out of their snorkel face mask." -- Coley Waight
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"An older gentleman floating out in the ocean took his false teeth out and washed them off in the ocean water!" -- Anita Ring
"Back in the late '40s, and early '50s, my daddy and his buddies went to Myrtle Beach for an overnight trip. They couldn’t find a place to stay so they slept on the beach and had to burn their underwear to keep the mosquitoes away." -- Anne Jarrett
"Someone brought their pet pig to the beach in a clothes hamper." -- Jennifer Whiddon Sumardi
"My dad tying a cooler to the dock so nobody has to get out of the water to get a beer." -- Cecilia Barnard
"A deep fryer set up on the beach at Anna Maria. A guy in full dad gear at the helm, with Hank Jr. cranking way up loud." -- Steve Zanone
"I've used an air mattress to float!" -- Mandy Figueira Cruze
"Nothing says a Southern beach trip like getting up at 5 a.m., setting up a tent, putting on your best PFG, cranking up some Jimmy Buffett and drinking from a seafoam green Yeti." -- Troy Mulkey
"Woman in the pool yelling at the top of her lungs, 'THROW THE BALL TO GRANNY, Y’ALL!' Granny had on a bikini and appeared to be about 40." -- Kemie Styles Brown-Vansant
"Winning the watermelon seed spitting contest as a child hosted by the hotel we stayed at." -- Kinsey Emery
"An alligator swimming in the surf Boynton Beach, Florida." -- Sharon Wenderoth
"A woman in a bikini using canned Crisco as a suntan lotion." -- Gary F. Taylor
"Someone carving a watermelon with a buck knife then taking their slice into the ocean to salt it." -- April Small