How Much of Unfrosted Is ACTUALLY  a True Story?

The big picture

• No frosting
  pokes fun at clichés in biopics with a comedic take on the creation of the Pop-Tart.
• Jerry Seinfeld's film features a fictional rivalry between Kellogg's and Post based on true history.
• Historical figures such as the voice actor of Tony the Tiger add a comical touch to the satirical film.

In recent years, all kinds of products have had their own dramatic “origin stories” on screen. While the creation of a popular shoe brand or handheld electronic device may not seem inherently cinematic, great movies like air i BlackBerry explored the unique circumstances surrounding its creation as well as its lasting cultural impact. That's not to say that this style of film can't go without being haunted, like Jerry Seinfeld offered a comedic interpretation of the creation of the Pop-Tarts breakfast pastry. No frosting explore a fictional gun battlebetween rival food manufacturing companies, Kellogg's and Post, to create the perfect breakfast product.

By depicting the birth of America's favorite toaster pastry as a seismic historical event, Seinfeld explodes many of the clichés common in biopics. The film certainly has no shortage of ludicrous elements – any film that appears Christian Slater like a bad milkman and a shocking cameo duo of iconic TV characters can't ask audiences to take it that seriously. Although the intention may have been purely to entertain, No frosting it alludes to some real historical events and real corporate conflicts.

The battle between Kellogg's and the publication in 'Unfrosted' is real

No frosting represents the valiant efforts made by food inventor Bob Cabana (Seinfeld), NASA scientist Donna Stankowski (Melissa McCarthy), and Kellogg boss Edsel Kellogg III (Jim Gaffigan) to assemble a team of experts to create a breakfast pastry product. Bob's investigation begins after he discovers the remains of a fruit-flavored scone in a dumpster near the Post premises. This suggests that his rival company and its eccentric boss Marjorie Post (Amy Schumer) have developed a portable breakfast product that could be easily stored and toasted. Although many of the characters are fictitious, Marjorie Post was a real person and Bob is based on real-life Kellogg's employee William Post. Marjorie was the daughter of American breakfast innovator CW Post, and served as head of the General Foods Corporation for most of her life.

While the foul play represented in No frosting is largely sensationalist, Kellogg's and Post had a real rivalry which included stealing ideas. Both companies were founded in Battle Creek, Michigan and developed innovative cereal recipes in the early 20th century. Post infamously stole Kellogg's recipe for Corn Flakes to make the knockoff brand known as “Post Toasties”. Historian Howard Markel compared their rivalry to that of Ford and General Motors. In the 1960s, both companies were developing breakfast pastry recipes simultaneously, with Post advertising tinfoil-wrapped “Country Squares” in 1963. However, Kellogg's beat them to market when Pop-Tarts developed by Bill Post were introduced in 1964.

while No frosting features Bob and Donna trying to find a name for their article through a series of young test groups. Kellogg's tested the taste of the Pop-Tart with children. Bill Post first brought prototype products home to his children when he worked as a manager at the Hekman Biscuit Company, which would later become the Keebler Food Company. Internally, the products were first known as “fruit scones” before the name “Pop-Tart” was developed in reference to the “pop art” movement that dominated the 1960s thanks to the influence of Andy Warhol. While a fictional version of Warhol played by Dan Levy makes a cameo No frostinghis involvement with Pop Tarts is pure speculation.

'Unfrosted' incorporates real historical figures

One of the most ridiculous stories of No frosting involves actor Thurl Ravenscroft (Hugh Grant) leading a cereal mascot revolution against Kellogg's as they fear being “replaced” due to the popularity of Pop-Tarts. Although he was not a malevolent Shakespearean actor as Grant portrays him as, Ravenscroft was the real voice of Tony the Tiger in the Frosted Flakes commercials. In addition to voicing the character for more than five decades, Ravenscroft also came up with the famous “They're Grrrreat!” catchphrase, as shown in No frosting. He was also known for voicing characters in various Disney attractions, and was the vocalist for the song “You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch” in the classic holiday special. How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Although they weren't actually involved in the creation of Pop-Tarts, the team in which Bob and Donna meet No frosting is made up of real historical figures. Jack LaLanne (James Marsden) was a self-confessed “fast food junkie” who became a world-renowned nutrition enthusiast and developed programs aimed at improving the nation's health. LaLanne later earned the nickname “The Godfather of Fitness.” Bobby Moynihan stars the real-life “Chef Boyardee” who leads the canned pasta brand of the same name. The recipe is actually named after Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi, who founded the company in 1928. The film also features a cameo by AdrianMartinez like Tom Carvel, a Greek-born entrepreneur who created the popular Carvel ice cream brand.

'Unfrosted' alludes to historical events of the 60s

Seinfeld's attempts at satire are clearly aimed at revealing the shallowness of dramatizing products that were only developed for profit. No frosting presents an alternative version of history where the importance of the development of breakfast foods is more consequential than the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The film suggests that President John F. Kennedy (Bill Burr) played an active role in encouraging Kellogg's to develop the Pop-Tart before the recipe could be acquired by the Russians. This tension rises when Marjorie Post meets with Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev (Dean Norris) to discuss a possible deal.

Although the reviews so far have been scathing, No frosting it reflects the real boom in commercialization in the 1960s. The booming economy in the United States led to an increase in the level of advertising and the development of easily identifiable brands and product advertisements. By getting consumers to respond emotionally to the products they invested in, American companies ensured that names like “Pop-Tarts” would be associated with more than breakfast.

No frosting is available on Netflix in the US

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