Aunt Jemima’s new name, Pearl Milling Company, is getting mistreated online for sounding like an unattractive “gravel mining company” or “a James Bond villain”.
Unpleasant criticism is coming from Twitter, with some breakfast fans threatening to switch to Pearl Milling competitors, Mrs. Butterworth’s or Log Cabin, due to the redesign.
TIA JEMIMA BRAND MADE UNDER QUAKER OATS BY ‘RACIAL STEREOTYPE’ HISTORY
“I think it looks like a gravel mining company,” lawyer Michelle Rozovics I wrote.
Other said Pearl Milling Company sounded like “something belonging to a James Bond villain”.
About that, one critic noticed, “Pearl Milling Company? It looks like a generic Dollar General brand.”
Some even vowed to boycott the brand entirely.
MRS. BUTTERWORTH’S, TIA JEMIMA, UNCLE BEN’S PHASE THE RACIAL BRAND IMAGES
“Unfortunately, I would never recognize him and will probably go to Log Cabin,” a person said.
“Did they really change Aunt Jemima syrup’s name to Pearl Milling Company ?!” another user I wrote. “As if they can’t really think of a better name than that ?! I’m going to stick with Mrs. Butterworth from now on, she’s rich and thick, she doesn’t have an idiotic name either.”
On Tuesday, the Tia Jemima brand announced that it was changing its name to Pearl Milling Company after facing a violent reaction for basing its iconic syrup mascot on a “racial stereotype”.
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The logo was originally inspired by the 19th century minstrel character “mama”, a black woman who was content to serve her white masters.
The Pearl Milling Company is a tribute to the small factory in Missouri that produced the automatic growing pancake mix, later known as Aunt Jemima in 1889.