The Legendary Ad Campaign That Helped Create One Of America's Favorite Dinners

In the 20th century, the popularity of convenience foods exploded. Canned foods were one of the first modern-day solutions to everyday life, introduced in the interwar period, and were followed closely by the TV dinners of the 1950s and the wave of packaged foods that defined the culinary world in the '70s, '80s, and '90s. It's no coincidence that convenience foods rose to prominence during a 100-year span when women were entering the workforce in droves. The changing face of the American family led to a need for weeknight solutions that didn't involve a homemaker in the kitchen prepping meals all day.

In 1965, June Lockhart, an actress who was the comforting face behind the mom characters on "Lassie" and "Lost in Space," starred in a commercial that debuted Shake 'n Bake, a nigh-on revolutionary seasoned breadcrumb product that, if the ad copy was to be believed, replicated home-cooked fried chicken without the mess or extensive time commitment. 

To make Shake 'n Bake, you just moistened your chicken, shook it up in a bag with the breading, and baked the result. The subliminal messaging was clear: American moms should buy Shake 'n Bake because it provided a shortcut to a home-cooked dinner (who doesn't love fried chicken, yesterday or today?) when time was an issue. The campaign was a tremendous success, and Shake 'n Bake became a tidy problem-solver that addressed not just convenience but all the mistakes people make when cooking fried chicken.

As the second half of the 20th century wore on, Shake 'n Bake's powers only grew. Another series of ads featured adorable children crowing about their assistance with an easy dinner. The whippersnappers would look at the camera and croon, "It's Shake 'n Bake ... and I helped!" In the 1980s, the ultimate TV homemaker, Ann B. Davis, who played the maid Alice in "The Brady Bunch," surprised a butcher in a Shake 'n Bake spot. By 1990, Shake 'n Bake was shilling bagged breading mixes for pork chops and playing off the national obsession with cutting fried foods for health reasons, positioning Shake 'n Bake as a more wholesome choice.

Today, the pendulum of public opinion has swung back to valuing a home-cooked meal as part of a greater emphasis on traditional values, nutrition, and diverse culinary interests. Home cooks — even the busy ones! — are more likely to embrace the challenge of not just regular fried chicken, but the Korean variety, and even fried chicken cooked in duck fat. American cooks have access to more varied cuisine than ever before, thanks to massive improvements in logistics and information access. 

While Shake 'n Bake was likely a familiar product to '90s parents and kids, its many varieties don't get as much press and attention as they used to. There's nothing wrong with Shake 'n Bake — it's still great for a speedy dinner that tastes good, if nothing fancy or worldly. Maybe it's time for America to fall back in love with the Bake.