Keebler Cookies (History, Flavors & Commercials)

Who doesn’t love a tasty cookie? Especially when that cookie is made by the cookie elves? If you know anything about the Keebler brand, you know exactly the little elves we’re talking about. And if you don’t, you’ve come to the right place to learn all about them! 

Whether you just want to reminisce, or you want to know more, check out this simple guide that is all about Keebler Cookies. 

History

The Keebler brand is said to be a magical world. The cookies, and all of their other products, fall under the umbrella of Keebler Company. This company was founded in 1853, almost 170 years ago. The starting place was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

While they are most known for their Keebler cookies, they also have cracker and ice cream cones in their product lineup. This American cookie company was actually a cracker manufacturer in the beginning. Through the years, they have made a wide variety of snacks, all of which are baked to perfection. 

The Keebler elves are a big part of the Keebler story. You see the elves in a lot of their marketing, portrayed on their packaging, and in several other places. TV commercials have shown the elves cooking and working hard for many years. 

We will talk more about flavors later, but you may recognize some of the top choices like Fudge shoppe cookies, Zesta crackers, Famous Amos, and E.L. Fudge. All of these are part of the Keebler name. 

And Keebler cookies did fall under the premise of the Kellogg brand. At one time, the cookies and crackers were all a part of the Keebler conglomerate, but in more recent years, Kellogg decided to separate some of the brands from each other. Keebler, and other cookies in their line, were sold to Ferrero. However, Kellogg kept the cracker brands and market them under Kellogg and Sunshine names. 

But we digress. Back to Keebler! 

Some of the most popular tag lines from Keebler were phrases like “a little elfin magic goes a long way” and “uncommonly good”. They have had some other slogans through the years, but these are the most memorable ones. 

Going back to the beginnings of Keebler, we take a trip to 1853. Godfrey Keebler was a German man who had a baker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Keebler worked with other local bakeries too after he got his roots. In 1927, those bakeries working together all merged into the United Biscuit Company of America. 

There were several bakeries under the name, including Keebler. The United Biscuit Company went through some changes over the years, but Keebler remained in operation as they were. While Keebler was always there, they fell under the umbrella of the United Biscuit Company. 

But that changed in 1966. That year, the company decided to no longer have this wide spattering of different bakery and brand names, and adjusted to one single brand name. That name was Keebler. That became the national brand. Everything fell under Keebler then, aside from Zesta crackers, which retained their national brand for saltines. 

If you love Girl Scout cookies, this next piece of information should be exciting. Did you know that in 1936, Girl Scout Cookies were officially baked by Keebler-Weyl Bakery? They were the first commercial company to bake these cookies. Prior to 1936, the cookies were always baked by the Girl Scouts and their mothers. Keebler is no longer the only company producing the companies, but they remain a part of the process. 

In 1974, United Biscuits acquired the Keebler brand. United Biscuits was headquartered in Middlesex, England. The Keebler brand wasn’t going anywhere though. In fact, they expanded further, getting into salty snacks that included various salty chips. 

Things turned just a little bit in 1995 when United Biscuits decided to sell everything. The company sold to Flowers Industries and Artal Luxembourg, which were a partnership at the time to purchase United Biscuits. But Artal Luxembourg didn’t keep their holdings and sold them privately in 1998 through an IPO. This is when the official Keebler Company was created. 

Keebler Company continued to grow and expand, picking up Sunshine Biscuits in 1996. In 2000, they obtained license to create snacks that represented Sesame Street. 

In 2001, Kellogg acquired the Keebler Company. They didn’t change most of the operations or offerings from the brand, but continued to let them operate as they were for the most part. It was just a holding for Kellogg. 

Kellogg did not hold Keebler for long, though. In 2019, they sold Keebler Cookies only to Ferrero, who paid the cookies far more attention, with an intent to not neglect them as some of the larger food companies had. 

And that brings us to the thriving Keebler Cookies that we know and love today! 

Logo

The Keebler Elves

If you know any of the history or background of Keebler, their elves are a prominent detail. It was one of those things about Keebler that you knew to be consistent, and it was popular as well. 

If you were able to see the TV commercials, you will recognize Ernie the Elf as the leader. He was a friendly elf, but he kept them on task and getting things done. Those things were making fudge for all of the amazing cookies the brand had. 

The Keebler elves held titles as some of the highest ranking animated characters for commercials. The elves have been around since about 1968, and they bake goods in their Hollow Tree Factory. 

Of course, through the years, the commercials have changed, as have the leading elves. But they are always fun and interactive, creating a story behind the cookies. 

Who Owns Keebler Cookies? 

The Keebler name has undergone a lot of changes in their 170 years. What started out as a small baker eventually joined into a big group. Ownership and titling have changed 4-5 times through the years, but Keebler remains at the forefront despite every change. 

Now, they are owned by Ferrero, although they have been owned by companies like Kellogg’s, Flower Industries, and United Biscuits in the past. 

The Keebler Company falls under the Ferrero umbrella, and the cookies are the primary focus of the brand. 

Flavors

Keebler certainly knows how to make sweet treats. What you find under the Keebler cookies name are all sweet, and baked to perfection. Most of them also have some sort of fudge intermixed into the cookies. These are some of the defining factors of the brand. 

Check out some of these options from Keebler. 

• Fudge stripe cookies
• E.L. Fudge cookies
• Fudge sticks
• Grasshoppers
• Deluxe Grahams cookies
• Coconut Dreams
• Whoopsy!
• Caramel Nut Dreams
• Chips Deluxe
• Sandies
• Vienna Fingers
• Vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry sugar wafers
• Vanilla wafers
• Oatmeal & Raisin

In addition to all of these cookies, the company has ice cream cones and pie crusts too. They bring you a wide variety of options, and they are all quite delightful. 

Ingredients

• Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Vitamin B1 [thiamin mononitrate] Vitamin B2 [Riboflavin], Folic Acid)
• Sugar
• Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Palm, and Palm Kernel Oil),
• M&M Milk Chocolate Baking Bits (Milk Chocolate [Sugar, Chocolate, Skim Milk, Cocoa Butter, Lactose, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Artificial Flavors], Sugar, Color Added, Dextrin, Corn Syrup Cornstarch, Blue 1 Lake, Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Blue 2)
• Semisweet Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Dextrose, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Vanilla Extract)
• Contains 2% or less of Salt, Baking Soda, Molasses, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Eggs, and Whey.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1 pouch (45g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	230
Total Fat	11g	17%
Saturated Fat	4.5g	23%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	140mg	6%
Total Carbohydrates	30g	10%
Dietary Fiber	1g	4%
Sugars	15g
Includes Added Sugars	15g	30%
Protein	2g
Vitamin D	0mcg	0%
Calcium	0.8mg	0%
Iron	0mg	0%
Potassium	70mg	1%

• The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Pictures

Commercials

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pm2o9nlyq8

Conclusion

Keebler Cookies simply can’t be beat by any other brand out there. Their E.L. Fudge and fudge stripe cookies are some of their most popular offerings, but they have plenty of others to choose from too. The history and story of this brand is certainly unique, and despite all of the ownership changes, they are still working their magic in the baked goods industry.