 Print this article |
 Email to friend |
Author: Bill Hirst
How "Green Giant" Arborvitae (Thuja Plicata) was Named The original Green Giant got its name not from ancient lore, but from unusually extra large, hence "giant," green peas. These "Green Giant Peas" were a new "strain," a new species, introduced by the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1925. You
Founded back in 1903, Minnesota Valley Canning was a pea company located along the Minnesota River, which was the Dakota Sioux name for "cloudy water," just southwest of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the state capital. This is where there's a bottomland "confluence" with the even cloudier, soil-rich, muddier Mississippi River. The whole area, including surrounding towns like LeSueur, got the title, the "Minnesota Valley." Ohhh. And where did THAT name, LeSeur, come from you may be wondering? Lesueur is the name of the original explorer of the area, a Frenchmen of the early 1700's.
Minnessota is amidst the land of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe, tall tales about them a part of he culture. Maybe the stories gave rise to ideas for how to advertise Green Giant Peas.
The "Jolly Green Giant" became incredibly popular as the way to advertise those Green Giant Peas and by 1950 he was an "icon" as we say today. There was a cartoon character created, ubiquitous TV commercials and print advertising, even "giant-sized" highway billboards, so the company changed its name to his.
So that is where the "Green Giant" comes from, 20th ( Next Page )
Rate this article:
(No ratings yet)
Saving ...
