Oreo

For other uses, see Oreo (disambiguation).

"DSRL (Double Stuf Racing League)" redirects here. For Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera (DSLR), see Digital single-lens reflex camera.

Oreo

Oreo Logo
Company type	Brand
Industry	Food
Founded	1912
Headquarters	East Hanover , New Jersey
Parent	Nabisco
Website	http://www.nabiscoworld.com/oreo/

Oreo, promoted as Milk's Favorite Cookie, is a type of cookie sold by Kraft Foods, founded in East Hanover, New Jersey.

History

Close up of the Oreo cookie

File:Oreo fri.jpg

The Oreo logo used from 1994 to April 2003.

Embossed face of an Oreo cookie.

The Oreo cookie was developed and produced by Nabisco in February 1912 at its Chelsea factory in New York City. It was created mainly to target the British market, whose biscuits (English cookies) were seen by Nabisco to be too 'ordinary'. Originally, Oreo was mound-shaped and available in two flavors; lemon meringue and cream. In America, they were sold for 25 cents a pound in novelty tin cans with glass tops, which allowed customers to see the cookies.

A newer design for the cookie was introduced in 1916, and as the cream filling was by far the more popular of the two available flavors, Nabisco discontinued production of the lemon meringue filling during the 1920s. The modern-day Oreo was developed in 1952 by William A Turnier, to include the Nabisco logo.

Oreo is very similar to the Hydrox cookie manufactured by Sunshine, which was introduced in 1908, leading to speculation that Oreo obtained the idea from Sunshine. Having lost market share to Oreo for years, Hydrox cookies were withdrawn in 1999, but was re-introduced by Kellogg's in August 2008.

The product is distributed under the Kraft parent label and has no mention of the US sub-division Nabisco that is used in all countries where it is available for retail. In Canada, it is marketed under the Christie brand name.

Etymology

The Oreo was originally called the Oreo Biscuit, but was later changed to the Oreo Sandwich in 1921. In 1948, the name was changed to the Oreo Creme Sandwich but was changed to the Oreo Chocolate Sandwich in 1974. There are many theories pointing to the origin of the name 'Oreo', including derivations from the French word 'Or', meaning gold (as early packaging was gold), or the Greek word 'Oros', meaning mountain or hill (as the original Oreo was mound shaped) or even the Greek word 'Oreo', meaning beautiful or nice. Other theories are that the 're' from cream was 'sandwiched' between the two Os from cookie, or the word 'just seemed like a nice, melodic combination of sounds'. A TV spot for the Got Milk? campaign showed a false etymology where, when at a board meeting to decide the name of the cookie, one of the members is asked for his opinion; the member, who just ate a cookie and does not have any milk to wash it down responds "I don't know," which is heard by the board member as "Oreo."

Advertising campaign

Nabisco began a marketing program in 2008, advertising the use of Oreos in a game called DSRL, which stands for "Double Stuf Racing League." The DSRL was introduced one week prior to Super Bowl XLII. This sport had also been endorsed by football brothers Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. Sisters Venus and Serena Williams have also joined, and challenged the Mannings to a race, which started on January 18th, 2009. The race ended when a blimp fell on the competitors.

The Oreo Double Stuf Racing League (DSRL), which turned the classic Oreo and milk ritual into a brand-new sport announced today that AstroTurf(R), the world's first synthetic turf system, is now the first official sponsor of this unique licking league. The DSRL, whose members include quarterback brothers Peyton and Eli Manning and tennis star sisters Venus and Serena Williams, is now able to place itself with other popular sports, such as football, baseball and soccer that also play competitively, or in this case, "lick," on AstroTurf.

AstroTurf was designated as the official turf of the DSRL after deep consideration by "league officials."

In fact, the first Oreo DSRL competition to take place on a custom-made DSRL/AstroTurf field will be a special lick racing event in West Palm Beach, Fla. on April 24, where two teams of finalists will compete for the title of fastest Oreo "twister, licker and dunker" and a $10,000 grand prize. The Manning brothers and Williams sisters will be on hand to help "train" the finalists for the competition.

The AstroTurf sponsorship will include co-branded print advertising, inclusion at trade shows, and a co-branded presence on both the astroturfusa.com and dsrl.com Web sites.

China

In 2006 Oreo became the biggest selling cookie in China, after altering its recipe to have a lower sugar content to suit local tastes. Kraft began a grassroots marketing campaign in China to educate Chinese consumers about the American tradition of pairing milk with cookies. The company created an Oreo apprentice program at 30 Chinese universities that drew 6,000 student applications. Three hundred of the applicants were trained to become Oreo brand ambassadors, and some students rode around Beijing on bicycles with wheel covers resembling Oreos and handed out cookies to more than 300,000 consumers. Others organized Oreo-themed basketball games to reinforce the idea of dunking cookies in milk. Television commercials depicted children twisting apart Oreo cookies, licking the cream center and dipping the chocolate cookie halves into glasses of milk.

Although sales improved, Kraft still felt the Oreo could do better and decided to reinvent the traditional, round biscuit to a wafer. The new cookie consists of four layers of crispy wafer filled with vanilla and chocolate cream, and on the exterior is coated with chocolate. The wafer is also processed to ensure that the chocolate product could be shipped across the country---withstanding the cold climate in the north and the hot, humid weather in the south. The new Oreos are also outselling traditional round Oreos in China, and Kraft has begun selling the wafers elsewhere in Asia, as well as in Australia and Canada. Kraft has also introduced wafer rolls, a tube-shaped wafer lined with cream, in China. The hollow cookie can be used as a straw through which to drink milk.

Over the past two years, Kraft has doubled its Oreo revenue in China, and with the help of those sales, that revenue topped $1 billion world-wide for the first time last year.

UK

In May 2008, following stocking of Oreos in the supermarket chain Sainsbury's, Kraft decided to fully launch the Oreo across the UK, to the American recipe but repackaged in the more familiar British tube design, accompanied with a £4.5m television advertising campaign around the 'twist, lick, dunk' catchphrase. Reception was initially skeptical, with noted British biscuit reviewer Stuart Payne of the Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down website mirroring general apprehension about the health effects and taste aspects of the high sugar content of Oreos, which would possibly not be to British tastes compared to the similar long established Bourbon biscuit. Comments also surrounded the dark color not relating to an expected taste of chocolate as with similar common British biscuit brands, the lack of crunchiness of the biscuit, and the practice of dunking in milk rather than tea also being outside of British cultural norms. Comparisons were drawn with the similarly less than successful launch of the Hershey bar in the UK. Kraft recently partnered with McDonald's to bring the Oreo McFlurry (already on sale in many countries) to UK McDonald's locations.

Production

According to a statement from Kim McMiller, an Associate Director of Consumer Relations, a two-stage process is used to make Oreo cookies. The base cake dough is formed into the familiar round cookies by a rotary mold at the entrance of a 300-foot-long oven. Much of current Oreo production is done at the Kraft/Nabisco factory in Richmond, Virginia. Oreos for the Asian market are manufactured in Indonesia. Australian Oreos are made in China.

Varieties

A 'Double Stuf' Oreo Cookie

In addition to their traditional design of two chocolate wafers separated by a cream filling, Oreos have been produced in many different varieties since they were first introduced, and this list is only a guide to some of the more notable and recent types; not all are available in every country. Notable flavors in the US are:

• Oreo Fudge Rings are chocolate ring cookies with the traditional white cream filling drizzled over them. This is the newest Oreo cookie varation, introduced in 2008.

• Oreo WaferStix are long wafer sticks that have a creamy filling and are covered by chocolate.

• Golden Oreo have vanilla wafers and the traditional white cream filling.

• Golden Chocolate Creme Oreo are 'reverse' (inverse) Oreos in that they comprise vanilla wafers and a chocolate cream filling. Originally, the title was named Uh-Oh Oreo until 2007.

• Mini Oreo are bite-sized versions of ordinary Oreos.

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A 'mini Oreo' cookie compared with a United States one cent piece

• Double Stuf Oreo (introduced in 1975) have twice the normal amount of white cream filling.

• Big Stuf Oreo (introduced in 1985) were several times the size of a normal Oreo. Sold individually, each Big Stuf contained 316 calories and 13 grams of fat. They were discontinued in 1991.

• Double Delight Oreo (introduced in 1987) have chocolate cookies with two fillings, notably peanut butter and chocolate; mint and cream; and coffee and cream flavors.

• White Fudge Oreo and Milk Chocolate Oreo are covered in either a layer of white fudge or chocolate respectively.

• 100 Calorie Pack Oreo (Oreo Thinsations in Canada) are miniature, thin, hexagonal versions of Oreo that do not contain cream-filling and come individually-portioned into 100 calorie pouches.

• Triple Stuf Oreo (introduced in 2006) were limited to certain cities for a one month promotional trial before being permanently discontinued, they had three times the normal amount of white cream filling.

• Sugar Free Oreo (introduced in 2006) compared to regular Oreos, had only trace amounts of sugar, cost over twice as much, had 10 less calories per serving, contained 0.5 grams more fat, and consisted of 450% more fiber.

• Reduced Fat Oreo (introduced in 2006) compared to regular Oreos, had as much sugar, cost the same, had 10 less calories per serving, contained approximately 35% less fat, and consisted of the same amount of fiber.

• Oreo Cakesters are 2 or 3 chocolate soft snack cakes with vanilla creme in the middle, which were introduced in 2007. These are also available with chocolate creme, or in the "golden" variety (marketed as Nilla Cakesters in the U.S.).

• Banana Split Creme Oreo are a variety whose filling is a light yellow with a banana flavor.

Banana Split Creme Oreos

• During springtime, around Halloween, and Christmas, special edition Double Stuf Oreos are produced with colored frosting depicting the current holiday (blue or yellow, orange, and red or green, respectively).

• Oreo Handi-Snacks are plastic holders with rectangular Oreo cookies and a little box of icing.

• Chocolate and dulce de leche Oreo are sold in Argentina, which instead of the usual creme, it has chocolate or Dulce de Leche

Many of these varieties are combined, producing, for example, "Chocolate Fudge Mint Covered", "Double Stuff Chocolate Creme", and so forth.

Variations and adaptations

File:Oreo Strawberry.JPG

Oreo cookie with strawberry cream.

• Jell-O Oreo Pudding - Jell-O brand chocolate pudding at the bottom and on top, with vanilla in the middle.
• Jell-O Oreo Instant Pudding — also named cookies n' cream. The box contains instant vanilla pudding with real cookie pieces.

Main article: Oreo O's

• There was a Post cereal called Oreo O's. The cereal was discontinued in 2007.
• In Italy, a similar cookie to Oreo called "Ringo" is manufactured by Pavesi, though recently Oreo became available as well, first in Blockbuster, then in supermarkets, and in 2008 the first Italian ad was launched.
• In Brazil, a very similar cookie to Oreo called "Negresco" is manufactured by Nestlé (picture, description).
• Oreo Ice Cream. This is licensed by Breyers, Good Humor, and Klondike in the US, and Nestlé in Canada. Flavors are:
  • Oreo Ice Cream (Blended Oreo cookies in Vanilla Ice Cream)
  • Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich (Extra Large Oreo wafers with the above mentioned ice cream in the middle)
  • Oreo Ice Cream Bar (Chocolate Ice Cream bar with the above mentioned Ice Cream)
  • Mint Oreo Ice Cream (Blended Oreo Cookies with Mint Ice Cream)
  • Many notable fast-food restaurants serve Oreo flavored ice cream desserts and milkshakes
• Easy-Bake Oreo Mix — two easy-bake chocolate cakes with a marshmallow filling topped off with an Oreo cookie topping
• Oreo Cakesters- cream-filled chocolate cakes resembling Oreos
• Oreo Chocolate Candy Bar- A chocolate candy bar consisting of a rectangular Oreo cookie and Oreo cream filling covered in milk chocolate.
• Deep-Fried Oreo- Regular or Double Stuf Oreos, dipped in a batter, and deep fried for about 30 seconds. They are sometimes sold at carnivals and fairs.
• Oreo Pie Crust- A pie crust made using crushed Oreos sold around the U.S.
• Oreo Madness at T.G.I. Fridays
• Oreo cereal is a Canadian delicacy where the cookies are crumbled into tiny pieces mixed with milk and served like a cereal.
• Organic Oreo (introduced in 2006) - plain Oreo cookies made with organic flavor and organic sugar.
• Banana Split Oreo — introduced in Canada, an Oreo cookie with banana flavoring.
• Strawberry Milkshake Oreo — introduced in Canada, and sold for a limited time in the United States, an Oreo cookie with strawberry flavoring. Oreo has 12 varieties of flavors including mint.
• Oreo Milkshake is a recipe by Kraft Foods which consists of Oreo Cookies, milk, vanilla ice-cream and chocolate syrup.
• Oreo Peanut Butter Creme

As an ingredient

The Oreo cookie is commonly used as an ingredient or adornment for other foods. Oreo cookies are used in Domino Pizza's "Oreo Pizza". In addition, the development of premium ice creams has produced "cookies and cream" flavors, or vanilla ice cream with chunks of chocolate sandwich cookies included. Cookies 'n' Cream may or may not contain actual Nabisco Oreo cookies. For example, Carvel uses Hydrox cookies as a selling point since they have always been kosher. However, Oreos are an ingredient in the McDonald's "Oreo McFlurry". It is also the main ingredient in Denny's "Oreo Blender Blasts" ( Oreo Blender Blast Off's in the kid's menu) Oreos are also used as an adornment on top of Donut King's 'Cookies and Cream' sensations donut

Style

Like many trademark holders, Nabisco often uses all uppercase (OREO) when mentioning the "OREO" mark in corporate and promotional literature.

Original OREO Cookie Jingle

"Oh, oh, oh, ice cold milk and an Oreo Cookie. They forever go together, what a classic combination. When a dark, delicious cookie meets an icy cold sensation. Like the one and only creamy, crunchy, chocolate, O-R-E-O!"

See also

• Food industry

External links

• Official website
• Official UK website
• Additional history notes on Oreo cookies
• Interview with the winners of the Oreo and Milk Jingle Contest Sing-off with FOX News Radio
• What are the words to the Oreo Jingle?