Fluff: The Sticky Sweet Story of an American Icon

by Mimi Graney

Overview

At the turn of the twentieth century, Boston was a booming candy town. Of all the tantalizing treats, nothing has stuck around like Marshmallow Fluff. Since that time, the small, family-run company Durkee-Mower has churned out a century of Fluff with the secretive air of Willy Wonka. Little has been made of this extraordinary legacy—until now.To author Mimi Graney, Fluff is more than a retro ingredient. It is a story about the merits and pitfalls of adaptation and innovation. Graney deftly brings the factory floor alive, weaving a fascinating narrative about New England's forgotten candy industry, changing social roles for women, the advent of commercial radio and modern advertising, and the supermarket revolution. Fluff has survived two world wars, corporate attacks, nutrition battles, and the rise and fall of manufacturing towns. The world has changed around it, yet this icon remains the same.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934598191
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2017
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	886,731
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

1 The Cradle of American Confections 21

2 A Secret Recipe 39

3 Getting to Know Marshmallow Cream 57

4 A Fluffy Start 83

5 Ladies Love Fluff 89

6 Pioneers of the Airwaves 105

7 Wartime and the Business of Fluff 121

8 Thoroughly Modern Fluff 141

9 The Evolution of the Supermarket 151

10 Saved by a Sandwich 171

11 A New Era for Fluff 185

12 Surviving the Nutrition Wars 195

13 The Catalytic Power of Fluff (or the importance of sticking to things) 205

Acknowledgments 217

Notes on Sources 218

Index 220

About the Author 224