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History of Pop Corn

Where do we begin? The history of popcorn goes way, way back - all the way to 80,000 BCE! Here are few ‘key dates’ in history, but know there is lots more in the cyber world on popcorn. As a matter of fact, our friends over at the Popcorn Board have all kinds’ of historical information you should check out!

  • 80,000 BCE - Cave men and women in prehistoric America received quite a surprise when they placed maize (early corn) kernels too close to the fire — voila — the world’s first popcorn!

  • 1492 - As Columbus set foot on American soil, popcorn was there, too! Native Americans who greeted Columbus enjoyed snacking on the fluffy white stuff and made quite a fashion statement with their popcorn necklaces.

  • 1620 - Popcorn played a starring role at the first Thanksgiving. Native Americans in Massachusetts brought bowlfuls of popcorn to the potluck feast!

  • 1700 - Colonial women made the first tasty breakfast cereal by pouring milk and sugar over popcorn.

  • 1885 - The first popcorn “machine” was invented. Until then, poppers were made to sit in front of stores to attract attention. But vendors wanted to be close to the crowds — especially the crowds near movie theaters. So poppers were made that could be pushed on foot, pulled by horse or mounted on trucks.

  • 1914 - Cloid Smith – the founding father of JOLLY TIME® Pop Corn – and his son, Howard Smith, set up shop in their Sioux City, Iowa, home. From their basement they shell, clean and package the first branded popcorn in the U.S.

  • 1924 - JOLLY TIME® obtains the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on all of its products, and still carries it today – longer than any other food product!

  • 1925 - JOLLY TIME® begins packaging popcorn in a metal can developed by the American Can Company (makers of the beer can). This packaging innovation made for a better popping popcorn by sealing in the product's freshness.

  • 1984 - JOLLY TIME® introduces its first microwave popcorn – Butter Flavor.

  • 1997 – JOLLY TIME® debuts its top-selling product – “Blast O Butter” Microwave Pop Corn. As America became more weight-conscious in the 1990s, so did we! As a result, 94% fat free Healthy Pop Butter Flavor popcorn was introduced in 1997 and became widely popular as an alternative to fat-laden snack foods. Following in its savory footsteps, Healthy Pop Kettle Corn was introduced in 2002, followed by Healthy Pop Caramel Apple in 2004.

  • 2003 - JOLLY TIME® hits a milestone, producing its one billionth bag of microwave popcorn in Sioux City, Iowa.

  • 2007 - This year, JOLLY TIME® Pop Corn shook up the snack world when it introduced eye-catching new product packaging. The innovative, luminous orange pallette was introduced to consumers in April 2007. In addition to the new livery, the back of each JOLLY TIME® box features family activity suggestions through the company’s partnership with Family Fun magazine.