1940’s Cup Mug of Beulah the Cow by Universal Cambridge Co. is one among an assortment of family member mugs available. This mug from the collection features one of the first of Elsie’s (1936, the original company mascot) calf children, Beulah (1948). Offspring Beauregard (1948), Husband Elmer the Bull (1940), and twins Larabee and Lobelia (1957) are also part of the family set.
Flavored milk provides the same 9 essential nutrients as white milk. This vintage tin reads, “Borden’s New instant sweetened chocolate flavored malted milk is a source of body-building protein…” Children are a huge fan of milk and flavor sweetens the deal. The graphics on this tin contain images of a young boy and girl drinking chocolate milk, Elsie, and her daisy logo. Borden has found ways to keep a healthy amount of fun throughout the years.
A vintage 1 gallon glass milk bottle with red handle and Elsie logo that says, “If it’s Borden’s, it’s got to be good.” This bottle, reportedly from the mid-1900s, still stands, just like Elsie The Cow! In 1885, Borden pioneered the use of glass milk bottles and in 2009, the debut of then 16 year old star, Selena Gomez, can be found in a commercial saying the phrase from the jar. This bottle embodies the rich history of Borden, reaching all the way back to times when milk delivery was commonplace.
In this whimsical flip book we see an adventurous Elsie travel to the moon and back. This book is the perfect representation of the whimsical fun-filled Elsie Americans came to know and love in the 1950’s. During the 1950s, at the height of Elsie’s popularity, it was not uncommon to have many pieces of Elsie merchandise and furnishings scattered around the house at this time.
Elsie the Cow has been an icon for ages, beginning in 1930 and spanning decades to present day. In this interactive flip book, we are able to learn about our beloved Elsie and see how her character was molded into one of the greatest advertising icons of the 20th century. On the cover we see a picturesque portrait of Elsie, click on the image to read into her history.
In this Borden cookbook we plunge into a multitude of classic recipes that transcend decades. Whether you are craving Elsie’s French Toast or a Chicken Casserole, Borden’s “To Market To Market” cookbook has you covered. On the cover, we see an image of vintage Elsie with her friend rushing to the market to pick up fresh, wholesome ingredients for tonight’s dinner. Try one of Elsie’s favorite recipes today!
How cute is this vintage heavy cream holder? Don’t you miss the days when glass milk jugs were hand delivered to your doorstep? I know we do. During the 1950s and 1960s, home milk delivery service reached an apex, Borden was delivering to seemingly every house on the block, these antique glass milk jugs have us feeling nostalgic.
Elsie the Cow was named one of the top advertising icons of the 20th century, and there’s a reason why! Her charming personality has passed the test of time, and she is loved to this very day. This vintage advertisement shows off our beloved Elsie in her prime. Now that we think about it, Borden has always been Big on Flavor.
Elsie, Elmer, and the whole Borden family are proud to reveal our first featured memorabilia submission. These lovely vintage Elsie placemats were submitted by Wade F. from Alabama. Wade’s father, Ralph, was a Borden employee for nearly three decades, and was a star member of the Borden community. Ralph passed away June 2nd, 2017, but he will always be a part of the Borden family.
This amazing memorabilia submission is brought to us by Barry & Lamenda M. from Mississippi. That’s right, this is a full, life-size statue of our fearless leader, Elsie The Cow! Barry & Lamenda, advertising memorabilia collectors, found this towering artifact at a local advertising show and couldn’t let such a gem go! Now, Elsie accompanies Barry & Lamenda to shows everywhere, and always gets the loving attention of (and pictures with!) Elsie fans of all ages. Thanks for this one-of-a-kind submission, Barry & Lamenda!!
This week’s memorabilia submission comes from Marnie L. from Borden’s home state of Texas! Marnie’s grandfather worked for Borden in Houston for over 40 years, and accumulated many pieces of memorabilia as the decades pass. Marnie was kind enough to share some of these valuable pieces of her family history with us, and we are very appreciative! We love to see how large of a role Borden Dairy and Elsie have played in lives all over the country and the world. Thanks so much for this submission, Marnie!
Today’s #ThrowbackThursday submission comes from Jim S., forever a valued member of the Borden community. Jim worked as a manager at Borden’s Akron, OH plant for 28 years – thank you Jim!
Throughout his tenure at the Akron plant, Jim obtained some great memorabilia items, including: Miniature Borden milk delivery trucks, Elsie The Cow playing cards, Elsie drinking glasses, Borden milk jug, Elsie stuffed animal, Elmer The Bull jar, Borden creamer jugs, Elsie mugs, ‘Lady Borden’ mug…and more!
That’s a lot of memorabilia! We can’t tell you how much we appreciate you sharing these valuable pieces of history, Jim!
Today’s #ThrowbackThursday memorabilia selection was brought to us by Andrea B. from Orange, TX, another valued member of the Borden family. Andrea included the following message:
If there ever was a person who represented the Borden brand wholeheartedly, it was this man, my father, Pete Alvarez…He was an independent Borden distributor for over 50 years and woke up (early) every day loving his job! His work ethics were something that is unheard of in this day and age. As you can see from the pictures, this spanned a lifetime. In one picture, he is representing the construction of the new Beaumont, Texas plant. Decades later, he was still “the Milkman” in Orange, Texas. Loved by all his stores, and always happy to see the same faces day after day. He delivered Borden milk until he could no longer get in and out of the truck. Even though he passed in 2011, I still run across people in Orange, Texas that smile when they remember the milkman! Famous words…”Mr. Pete, gimme a chocolate!”. I would like to add that my brother, Rod Alvarez, is also a Borden Distributor. He could rival my Dad in years as he has been a milkman for over 40 years. So, yes! My Daddy was the Milkman!
We can’t thank you enough for the submission, Andrea, and we’ll be forever indebted to your father, Pete, for his 50+ years of loyal service to the Borden family, as well as your brother, Ron. 90+ years of combined service to the Borden family, amazing!!!
This week’s #ThrowbackThursday featured memorabilia item was submitted by Diane F., a beloved member of the extended Borden community.
Diane’s submission, along with many of the other items we’ve featured in this section, remind us of just how many Elsie-branded items were created over the years and still exist today. In fact, Diane included a message with her submission speaking to this point…
“This can reminds me of when I was a kid, Elsie was on everything when I was growing up.”
That’s right, Elsie was “on everything,” and if you look hard enough, even today, Elsie still is “on everything!”
Today’s #ThrowbackThursday memorabilia submission is brought to us by Ken N., a valued member of the extended Borden family. These milk cartons are interesting for a few reasons. Not only are they intriguing relics of the mid 20th century, but one side contains an interesting nod to American history: “For defense, buy United States Defense Bonds and Stamps.” These bonds and stamps were issued by the US Treasury to help fund participation in World Wars I and World War II. That’s how far back these milk cartons go!
Today’s #ThrowbackThursday featured piece of memorabilia made everyone at Borden chuckle a little bit. In America, one has to achieve a certain, coveted level of notoriety to be made into a doll or action figure. Being one of the top advertising icons of all time, there’s no doubt that Elsie has met and surpassed that standard. This “dancing” Elsie doll was submitted by Cecilia E. from Texas, who had this to say.
When the Jones family went to Texas State Fair, we always went by to see Elsie. I still have my stuffed Elsie.
Maybe someday Elsie will make a return appearance to the Texas State Fair! Until then, we have this dancing Elsie doll to remind us of those fun times. ?
As we know, Elsie The Cow has been one of our country’s most recognizable advertising icons for many decades. Thus, our beloved mascot has had the privilege of playing an important role in the childhood of many Americans, which led to this week’s #ThrowbackThursday submission.
Linda’s husband, Dennis, was a member of the Borden employee family for over a decade – beginning as a fill-in driver for wholesale and retail home deliveries and later becoming a permanent wholesales salesman delivering to restaurants, grocers, and convenience stores.
Linda & Dennis’ oldest son was born in 1966, which is when they obtained the Elsie the Cow and Borden truck memorabilia portrayed in the photograph.
Thanks so much for the submission, Linda, and our most sincere thanks to your husband, Dennis, for his years of commitment to Borden Dairy!
For many years, Borden’s Ice Cream was regarded as some of the best in the nation, and many a restaurant used the delicious dessert’s notoriety to bolster their own reputation.
Borden Dairy fan Larry P. came across this vintage sign on Old Route 940 in Ponoco Lake, PA. Larry explains…
Came across this vintage sign on Old Route 940 in Pocono Lake, Pennsylvania. It brought back pleasant childhood memories of Borden condensed milk and Borden ice cream more than half a century ago.
Borden Dairy is honored to have provided Larry with a brief moment to reminisce – we can all use a healthy dose of fond childhood memories from time to time! We offer our sincerest thanks to Larry P. for the great #ThrowbackThursday submission. ?
Emma W. was kind enough to provide this week’s #ThrowbackThursday submission, and we’re humbled to learn how important of a role our beloved Elsie played in her and her family’s youth. Few groups of people are closer to Elsie and Borden’s heart than dairy farmers, so we give our most sincere thanks to Emma for her wonderful story, featured below:
I grew up on a small dairy farm that was established in the late 40s and was owned by my dad and his brother. Borden’s purchased our milk. Elsie was an integral part of the lives of my five siblings and two cousins. The dairy was a family business, so as soon as one of us kids was old enough to push a broom or carry a milk pail, we worked on the farm, a seven-day-a-week operation. We knew Elsie well, and to this day every time I see her image on a Borden’s truck or on a Borden’s product, I think of all the valuable lessons about work ethic, loyalty, teamwork, and love of family that I learned from being the child of a dairy farmer. We kids had a number of Elsie memorabilia in our youth, but the one thing I have kept and still love is my Elsie pin, and on occasion for old times’ sake and for curiosity’s sake–I’m always asked about it–I wear it. I am a firm believer that our life stories are our greatest gifts, and my Elsie story is one of those treasures.
Thanks so much for submitting your story, Emma, and for being a valued member of the Borden family for close to eighty years! The values that Elsie reminds you of can be a lesson to all of us. Keep wearing that Elsie pin! 🙂
Borden mom Carrie G. was kind enough to provide this week’s featured memorabilia submission, along with a beautiful story about the sentimental value of Borden memorabilia and some photos of her adorable children enjoying some ice cream in vintage Borden ice cream dishes. I’ll let Carrie take it from here!
My grandfather, Gordon DeWitt was a manager in upstate New York when my dad and his brothers were younger. He was the first generation to take a job off the farm. I never met my grandfather, he passed away young at age 46. My dad, was one of 4 boys remembers box freezers in their garage full of Borden ice cream, creamsicles and many more treats! An endless supply of Borden goodies. My dad unexpectedly passed away in 2015 and I inherited his entire Borden collection, including the ice cream dishes my kids are eating ice cream from and the ice cream sign behind their snack table. Aside from the items seen here, I have bottles and jars, dolls and trucks, buttons and pins, aprons and fabric…all of which I hold dear as some of the best stories my dad told me of his childhood surround his dad and the Borden Milk Company.
From the entire Borden Dairy family, we couldn’t be happier to see how these items are helping you remember your father and grandfather, despite your grandfather’s early passing. We’re also honored that your grandfather had so many great experiences while working with the Borden Milk Company. Thanks so much for your #ThrowbackThursday submission, Carrie, and we’re proud to call you and your family lifelong members of the Borden family! ?