HAPPY BIRTHDAY WONDER BREAD

Who doesn’t love Wonder Bread?

With its soft white center and melt-in-your-mouth crust, used in making everything from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to grilled cheese, its been a staple on American tables. And lately it’s received celeb endorsement too, making an appearance in Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” video.

Advertised for the first time on May 21, 1921 — after Taggart Baking Co. in Indianapolis “spent 1920 perfecting the quintessential American white bread” — Wonder Bread is still going strong after 90 years on our plates, the Leesville Daily Leader reported.

The bread was named by Elmer Cline who was inspired by the International Balloon Races in Indianapolis. Ever since, the iconic red, yellow and blue balloons have featured prominently on the loaf’s packaging, the paper reported.

When Wonder Bread became one of the first sliced loaves on the market in 1930, sales took off and it became the American staple we know today.

Wonder Bread has evolved over the years. Vitamins and minerals were added to help combat diseases like pellagra and beriberi in the 1930s and promoted through the 1960s as a way to build strong bodies.

By the 1990s, Wonder Bread was bought by Hostess and is baked by three companies: Hostess Brands in the United States, George Weston Bakeries in Canada, and Grupo Bimbo in Mexico, the Leader reported.

The brand has several products designed to target different customer segments including: Wonder Kids Bread, a whole-wheat bread fortified with vitamins, Wonder Classic White, Wonder Smartwhite, a 100 percent whole wheat bread “disguised as soft white to please the kids,” and Wonder Texas Toast.

While traditionally marketed to children and sponsoring hot-air balloons at festivals to reinforce the brand image, the Wonder Bread now also promotes itself by sponsoring NASCAR racing teams, with clever product placement (that Lady Gaga video) and a “Sandwich Wonder-izer” iPhone app that “enables consumers to create unique sandwich combinations from 120 ingredients,” which they can then post on Facebook, the paper reported.