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The Oreo Cookie’s New York Origins

January 28, 2021 by A. J. Schenkman 11 Comments

National Biscuit Co. Bldg., 15th St. & 10th Ave.-c.1913 LOCThe Oreo is over one hundred years old. The delectable cookie with the creme center –  a worldwide favorite – traces its origins to New York City.

According to Katherine Martinelli, writing for Smithsonian Magazine, NABISCO was formed in the city of New York in 1890, when some local bakeries merged to form the New York Biscuit Company and located in what is today Chelsea Market. Later, the company merged with rivals in Chicago and became the National Biscuit Company, NABISCO.

Vintage Oreo Cookie AdvertisementPrior to the Oreo, Nabisco debuted Barnum’s Animal Crackers, in 1902 (after P.T. Barnum’s Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome). Barnum was famous for his hoaxes and a well known museum in New York City in the 1860s. The circus-themed animal crackers debuted around Christmastime. The box was gold and yellow and came with a string handle so it could be hung on Christmas trees.

The popularity of the circus in the early 20th century contributed to the success of Barnum’s Animal Crackers and it quickly dominated the market. It didn’t hurt that NABISCO’s cracker tasted more like a cookie.

The first Oreos were shipped from the New York City bakery to Hoboken, New Jersey, on April 6, 1912. The following year, NABISCO filed for a trademark on the Oreo (granted in 1913). The first Ores included a wreath along the edge of thee cookie with the word “Oreo” embossed in the center. The first Oreos are believed to have been sold to by a grocer named S. C. Thuesen for 30 cents a pound.

Oreo Cookies Design HistoryInitially they were called Oreo Biscuits. In 1921, according to the website of Mondelez International, who purchased Nabisco from Kraft Foods in 2012, the named was changed to the Oreo Sandwich. By 1932, the NABISCO factory included 17 buildings on three blocks.  Chocolate was not the only flavor. You could also enjoy a lemon meringue Oreo (discontinued in the 1920s).

In 1948 the official name was changed to Oreo Crème Sandwich, and changed again in 1974 when it became the Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie. William A. Turnier is credited with a new design for the modern cookie in 1952. It earned him the name “Mr. Oreo.”

Vintage Oreo cookie AdvertConsiderable debate surrounds the origins of the name Oreo, which are probably lost. It may have come from the French word for gold. The bulk tin, which is the way they were originally sold, had gold as a prominent color. Others have suggested the Greek word for mountain, or the hill-like shape of the first Oreos.

NABISCO remained in New York until 1958. In order to modernize their facilities and expand production they moved to Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey, where I have experienced a delicious aroma in the air while sitting at a traffic light.

According to the makers of the Oreo, since its inception in 1912 over 450 billion Oreos have been sold. So many are made each year that they could circle the earth five times.

In 2002, the iconic cookie got its own street – Oreo Way – between on 9th Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets.

Illustrations, from above: The National Biscuit Company Building, 15th St. & 10th Ave., c.1913; an early Oreo cookie advertisement; Oreo cookie designs through the years; and another later advertisement.

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Filed Under: Food, History, New York City Tagged With: Culinary History, Food, Industrial History, New York City

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. J Meyer says

    January 29, 2021 at 10:05 AM

    Growing up in Fair Lawn was very special. One reason was the scents from Nabisco which you could smell if you lived anywhere near Route 208; the location of the factory. Oreos were definitely one of my favorite cookies!

    Reply
    • A. J. Schenkman says

      January 29, 2021 at 3:31 PM

      Hello,

      Thank you for that uplifting memory. You will be happy to know that it still smells wonderful as you drive by. Have a great day! AJ

      Reply
  2. Wally says

    January 29, 2021 at 2:38 PM

    Did anyone proofread this article?

    Reply
    • John Warren says

      January 29, 2021 at 2:54 PM

      Thanks Wally, I’ve made the corrections.

      John Warren

      Reply
  3. Tom Hughes says

    January 30, 2021 at 12:56 AM

    a pleasant topic

    Reply
    • AJ says

      January 30, 2021 at 8:29 AM

      Thank you Tom! Sincerely,
      AJ

      Reply
      • Tom Hughes says

        January 30, 2021 at 4:55 PM

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrox

        Oreos prevailed.

        Reply
  4. Edythe Ann Quinn says

    January 30, 2021 at 12:47 PM

    I especially enjoyed this story as my grandmother, Helen (Nellie) Kidney Klotzbach worked for the NABISCO in their sprawling lower Manhattan location. For example, the 1910 census lists her as a “packer” in the “biscuit factory.” During the early 1900s, “Nana” and my two great aunts and my mother, Winifred V. (Klotzbach) Quinn, lived at various addresses in Greenwich Village, including Jane Street and West 4th Street.
    Recently, my teenage grandson Joe and I were debating the many varieties of Oreo Sandwich Cookies, dedicated to our favorities and questioing the taste sense of some flavors. See https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/style/oreo-flavors.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20201217&instance_id=25125&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=49327155&segment_id=47173&user_id=0bf8f588878a4f7db3101529aae9eb2f
    Thanks again for this story. Edie Quinn

    Reply
    • A. J. Schenkman says

      January 30, 2021 at 3:30 PM

      Hello Edie:

      I so enjoyed reading this. Thank you for sharing. Have a great weekend. I will be sure to read that NYT link.

      Most Sincerely,
      AJ

      Reply
  5. Dj says

    February 5, 2021 at 3:00 PM

    I loved eating animal crackers growing up! Oddly enough I turned in to a vegetarian. Great article and hope today is awesome!
    Doria

    Reply
    • A. J. Schenkman says

      February 5, 2021 at 7:00 PM

      Hello Doria,

      I am not sure about animal crackers, but Oreos stopped using lard in the late 90s. I still love animal crackers.

      Sincerely,
      AJ

      Reply

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