1 00:00:02,042 --> 00:00:05,500 - [Narrator] Crunchy, chewy, crumbly. 2 00:00:06,208 --> 00:00:09,667 Americans consume over 5 million cookies 3 00:00:09,667 --> 00:00:11,583 every single day. 4 00:00:11,583 --> 00:00:14,542 - [Adam] When we look at cookies, we're spoiled for 5 00:00:14,542 --> 00:00:17,583 choice with all these different versions in the supermarket. 6 00:00:17,583 --> 00:00:20,208 - [Narrator] But just over a century ago, 7 00:00:20,208 --> 00:00:23,875 the industry as we know it didn't exist. 8 00:00:23,875 --> 00:00:25,958 - [Jason] It doesn't seem possible 9 00:00:25,958 --> 00:00:28,000 that they have not always been with us. 10 00:00:29,708 --> 00:00:32,042 - [Narrator] Thanks to a series of visionaries, 11 00:00:32,042 --> 00:00:33,542 in just a few decades, 12 00:00:33,542 --> 00:00:36,292 cookies go from a treat for the wealthy- 13 00:00:36,292 --> 00:00:38,250 - Nothing special. - Bland. 14 00:00:38,250 --> 00:00:42,500 - [Narrator] To a $15 billion a year American industry. 15 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:45,292 - [Jason] The cookie took over the world. 16 00:00:45,292 --> 00:00:47,583 - [Narrator] from the groundbreaking sandwich cookie. 17 00:00:47,583 --> 00:00:49,083 - First one off the line. 18 00:00:49,083 --> 00:00:51,208 - [Narrator] To the iconic chocolate chip, 19 00:00:51,208 --> 00:00:53,125 - You have to give me the recipe. 20 00:00:53,125 --> 00:00:55,042 - [Narrator] Whether they're sold in shopping malls. 21 00:00:55,042 --> 00:00:56,792 - Can I offer you a chocolate chip cookie? 22 00:00:56,792 --> 00:00:59,708 - [Narrator] Or in grocery stores around the world. 23 00:00:59,708 --> 00:01:01,625 - [Handley] Amos was shooting to make his cookie 24 00:01:01,625 --> 00:01:04,583 the biggest star that he had ever had. 25 00:01:04,583 --> 00:01:06,083 - [Narrator] Each new innovation- 26 00:01:06,083 --> 00:01:07,542 - It tastes pretty darn good. 27 00:01:07,542 --> 00:01:10,583 - [Narrator] led to the next great American icon. 28 00:01:10,583 --> 00:01:13,000 - [Jason] Cookies went from zero to a thousand. 29 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,625 - Cookies here. 30 00:01:14,625 --> 00:01:16,208 - [Adam] You can't talk about the foods that built America 31 00:01:16,208 --> 00:01:18,833 without talking about the iconic cookie. 32 00:01:18,833 --> 00:01:22,458 - [Narrator] This is the history of the American cookie. 33 00:01:23,208 --> 00:01:26,042 [upbeat music] 34 00:01:38,125 --> 00:01:40,792 [gentle music] 35 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,667 [bright music] 36 00:01:45,667 --> 00:01:48,417 - [Narrator] The world's first cookies are thought to have 37 00:01:48,417 --> 00:01:52,667 originated in seventh century Persia as tiny cakes. 38 00:01:52,667 --> 00:01:55,042 - [Dr. Yohuru] They would bake these kind of smaller cakes 39 00:01:55,042 --> 00:01:57,417 to test the oven to see if it was hot enough. 40 00:01:58,417 --> 00:01:59,583 - [Susan] They would put them in the oven 41 00:01:59,583 --> 00:02:01,250 to see if the temperature worked, 42 00:02:01,250 --> 00:02:03,625 but also if the recipe worked. 43 00:02:03,625 --> 00:02:05,375 - [Dr. Yohuru] And at some point they realized 44 00:02:05,375 --> 00:02:06,875 that they came out crispy 45 00:02:06,875 --> 00:02:08,375 and they were quite delicious, 46 00:02:08,375 --> 00:02:11,458 and they became kind of a food in their own right. 47 00:02:11,458 --> 00:02:14,083 - [Susan] And they endured all the way up 48 00:02:14,083 --> 00:02:16,500 into becoming what was known as the cookie. 49 00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:18,583 - [Narrator] By the turn of the 20th century, 50 00:02:18,583 --> 00:02:21,292 cookies are predominantly homemade 51 00:02:21,292 --> 00:02:23,625 and reserved for the wealthy. 52 00:02:23,625 --> 00:02:27,375 - [Beth] In America, the history of cookies really stems 53 00:02:27,375 --> 00:02:31,375 from this wider category of items called biscuits. 54 00:02:31,375 --> 00:02:33,375 Savory biscuits are called crackers, 55 00:02:33,375 --> 00:02:35,708 and sweet biscuits are cookies. 56 00:02:35,708 --> 00:02:38,458 - [Narrator] There are no national cookie brands yet. 57 00:02:38,458 --> 00:02:40,875 So the story of the cookies that built America 58 00:02:40,875 --> 00:02:43,958 begins in the world of crackers, 59 00:02:43,958 --> 00:02:45,500 which is dominated by the nation's 60 00:02:45,500 --> 00:02:47,542 first food conglomerate, 61 00:02:47,542 --> 00:02:52,542 the National Biscuit Company, better known as Nabisco. 62 00:02:53,917 --> 00:02:58,667 But in 1907, just 20 miles from Nabisco headquarters, 63 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:01,167 brothers Jacob and Joseph Loose 64 00:03:01,167 --> 00:03:03,625 are taking aim at Nabisco's crown 65 00:03:03,625 --> 00:03:05,292 with their recently formed company 66 00:03:05,292 --> 00:03:09,125 called Sunshine Biscuits. 67 00:03:09,125 --> 00:03:11,542 And for them, it isn't just business. 68 00:03:13,042 --> 00:03:13,875 It's personal. 69 00:03:15,417 --> 00:03:17,750 - Are you sure you wanna do this? 70 00:03:17,750 --> 00:03:20,583 - [Narrator] Since a few years earlier, Nabisco's chairman, 71 00:03:20,583 --> 00:03:23,500 Adolphus Green, absorbed the Loose brothers' 72 00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:26,583 first biscuit company in an aggressive bid 73 00:03:26,583 --> 00:03:30,083 to become the only name in American crackers. 74 00:03:30,083 --> 00:03:32,833 - You can't be- - Sit down. 75 00:03:35,458 --> 00:03:37,917 - Let's vote by a show of hands. All those in favor? 76 00:03:40,667 --> 00:03:43,458 - [Adam] Adolphus Green stabbed him in the back, 77 00:03:43,458 --> 00:03:45,667 and Joseph Loose was dumbstruck. 78 00:03:48,167 --> 00:03:50,583 - [Narrator] Now, the Loose brothers are on a mission 79 00:03:50,583 --> 00:03:52,917 to exact revenge on Adolphus Green. 80 00:03:54,167 --> 00:03:55,542 - [Dr. Libby] They think they know how to run a company 81 00:03:55,542 --> 00:03:57,208 better than Nabisco does. 82 00:03:57,208 --> 00:03:58,417 They're gonna make it different. 83 00:03:58,417 --> 00:04:00,208 They're very, very progressive. 84 00:04:01,417 --> 00:04:04,750 So first thing they do is build a new recipe. 85 00:04:04,750 --> 00:04:06,375 - [Narrator] Instead of launching Sunshine 86 00:04:06,375 --> 00:04:08,208 with just another cracker, 87 00:04:08,208 --> 00:04:10,333 the Loose brothers plan to enter the fight 88 00:04:10,333 --> 00:04:12,417 with something Nabisco doesn't have. 89 00:04:14,250 --> 00:04:15,208 A cookie. 90 00:04:16,833 --> 00:04:20,042 They try several recipes to find one they can mass produce 91 00:04:20,042 --> 00:04:23,292 into a product that is both affordable and delicious. 92 00:04:23,292 --> 00:04:25,958 [upbeat music] 93 00:04:28,708 --> 00:04:29,625 - Nothing special. 94 00:04:30,917 --> 00:04:32,458 - Bland. 95 00:04:32,458 --> 00:04:34,583 - [Rashed] The entrepreneurs have an idea. 96 00:04:34,583 --> 00:04:36,333 They have a passion for something, 97 00:04:36,333 --> 00:04:37,750 and they want to take the risk, 98 00:04:37,750 --> 00:04:39,542 financial and personal risks to be able 99 00:04:39,542 --> 00:04:42,292 to develop that idea into product. 100 00:04:42,292 --> 00:04:43,875 I think it's a human instinct 101 00:04:43,875 --> 00:04:45,875 that really drives everyone to be independent, 102 00:04:45,875 --> 00:04:49,792 to be able to leverage their skills and aspirations. 103 00:04:51,375 --> 00:04:52,375 - It's too plain. 104 00:04:54,250 --> 00:04:55,333 What else we got? 105 00:04:56,542 --> 00:04:58,542 - [Narrator] After multiple failed attempts, 106 00:04:58,542 --> 00:05:01,042 the brothers devise a new approach, 107 00:05:01,042 --> 00:05:04,917 taking advantage of a hot new trend sweeping the country. 108 00:05:07,042 --> 00:05:07,875 Chocolate. 109 00:05:08,875 --> 00:05:10,583 - [Dr. Libby] Chocolate originates in America. 110 00:05:10,583 --> 00:05:11,875 It's from Central America. 111 00:05:11,875 --> 00:05:15,042 It is delicious, but it is so expensive 112 00:05:15,042 --> 00:05:17,875 that it was really only available to the elite, 113 00:05:17,875 --> 00:05:22,542 and it was Hershey who creates the everyday chocolate bar 114 00:05:22,542 --> 00:05:24,083 that was affordable. 115 00:05:24,083 --> 00:05:27,583 So this is gonna make chocolate an American product 116 00:05:27,583 --> 00:05:32,542 and help really develop that taste in this country. 117 00:05:33,542 --> 00:05:35,042 - [Narrator] The Loose brothers believe 118 00:05:35,042 --> 00:05:36,750 if they can incorporate milk chocolate into their recipe, 119 00:05:36,750 --> 00:05:39,708 they could revolutionize the cookie in America. 120 00:05:39,708 --> 00:05:42,292 [bright music] 121 00:05:47,042 --> 00:05:50,292 They use cocoa to create a sweet version of a cracker. 122 00:05:52,875 --> 00:05:54,792 - [Stella] They really increase the amount of cocoa powder 123 00:05:54,792 --> 00:05:57,417 that's in the dough, and that changes everything 124 00:05:57,417 --> 00:05:59,792 in terms of the flavor and the texture. 125 00:05:59,792 --> 00:06:02,667 [cookie crunching] 126 00:06:03,708 --> 00:06:05,542 - Not too exciting for sure. - No. 127 00:06:08,125 --> 00:06:10,917 - [Narrator] Unsatisfied with just a sweet chocolate version 128 00:06:10,917 --> 00:06:13,708 of a biscuit, the brothers draw inspiration 129 00:06:13,708 --> 00:06:15,667 from a centuries old food 130 00:06:18,125 --> 00:06:20,458 that has never been thought of for cookies. 131 00:06:22,125 --> 00:06:23,125 The sandwich. 132 00:06:26,583 --> 00:06:28,750 to create their sweet take on a meal 133 00:06:28,750 --> 00:06:32,167 as old as the Middle Ages, they add a decadent layer 134 00:06:32,167 --> 00:06:35,292 of vanilla cream and top it off 135 00:06:35,292 --> 00:06:37,375 with a second chocolate cookie. 136 00:06:37,375 --> 00:06:40,042 [dramatic music] 137 00:06:43,458 --> 00:06:44,500 - There it is. 138 00:06:46,292 --> 00:06:50,625 - [Narrator] And in 1908, the sandwich cookie is born. 139 00:06:51,583 --> 00:06:53,042 - [Adam] It's a huge moment. 140 00:06:53,042 --> 00:06:57,417 The creation is representative of the sort of tinkering 141 00:06:57,417 --> 00:06:59,000 that was happening across America, 142 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,875 especially where you wanted to create something 143 00:07:00,875 --> 00:07:03,208 that was a signature that looked different 144 00:07:03,208 --> 00:07:04,625 and seemed different. 145 00:07:04,625 --> 00:07:07,875 That's sort of what we strive for as an American idea. 146 00:07:07,875 --> 00:07:10,500 - [Narrator] With their sights set on overtaking Nabisco 147 00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:12,917 as America's most successful bakery, 148 00:07:12,917 --> 00:07:16,583 the Loose brothers prepare to launch their sandwich cookie 149 00:07:16,583 --> 00:07:18,583 onto the national stage. 150 00:07:20,667 --> 00:07:23,458 They named their revolutionary new product Hydrox. 151 00:07:27,583 --> 00:07:30,417 - [Adam] They thought, what's pure? Water. 152 00:07:30,417 --> 00:07:33,958 Hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrox. 153 00:07:35,292 --> 00:07:38,042 But the word Hydrox, it's not a name 154 00:07:38,042 --> 00:07:42,333 that necessarily evokes, mm, delicious cookie. 155 00:07:42,333 --> 00:07:46,458 Hydrox sounds like a cleaning product 156 00:07:46,458 --> 00:07:50,542 or a planet in the Star Wars star system. 157 00:07:52,958 --> 00:07:55,167 - We did it. - Yeah. Thank you. 158 00:07:56,708 --> 00:07:58,542 - [Narrator] Running their factory at full capacity. 159 00:07:58,542 --> 00:08:00,500 - We gotta get these out. 160 00:08:00,500 --> 00:08:02,542 First shipment's out to Cincinnati in the morning. 161 00:08:02,542 --> 00:08:03,958 Come on. 162 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,500 - [Narrator] The Loose brothers launch the Hydrox, 163 00:08:07,500 --> 00:08:08,958 blanketing the country 164 00:08:08,958 --> 00:08:12,458 with the first ever prepackaged cookie. 165 00:08:12,458 --> 00:08:14,000 It's an instant hit. 166 00:08:14,958 --> 00:08:17,542 - There you go, thank you. Bay four. 167 00:08:18,958 --> 00:08:22,208 - [Stella] Sunshine really is able to enter the market 168 00:08:22,208 --> 00:08:25,542 effectively. They did something like $12 million in profit, 169 00:08:25,542 --> 00:08:28,833 so they were doing so great for the time. 170 00:08:28,833 --> 00:08:31,042 - Can I get another sack over here? 171 00:08:31,042 --> 00:08:34,208 - You can take that little sandwich cookie and twist it, 172 00:08:34,208 --> 00:08:37,208 and you can eat the cream out if that's your fancy, 173 00:08:37,208 --> 00:08:38,625 and have a glass of milk. 174 00:08:41,875 --> 00:08:44,708 - [Narrator] As Sunshine's sales continue to grow, 175 00:08:48,625 --> 00:08:50,833 it eats into Nabisco's profit share. 176 00:08:54,833 --> 00:08:57,167 For the first time since its formation, 177 00:08:57,167 --> 00:08:59,500 Nabisco's growth stalls. 178 00:09:02,542 --> 00:09:04,042 - [Stella] People are saying like, hey, like, 179 00:09:04,042 --> 00:09:05,875 Nabisco's kind of stagnant these days. 180 00:09:05,875 --> 00:09:08,042 Should we be selling off and buying Sunshine? 181 00:09:13,375 --> 00:09:15,042 - [Adolphus] Hmm. 182 00:09:15,042 --> 00:09:17,083 - [Stella] And if his number one competitor has a chocolate 183 00:09:17,083 --> 00:09:19,792 and vanilla sandwich cookie on the market, 184 00:09:19,792 --> 00:09:21,000 Nabisco would need to have a chocolate 185 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,125 and vanilla sandwich cookie on the market. 186 00:09:23,125 --> 00:09:25,875 [dramatic music] 187 00:09:33,708 --> 00:09:36,208 - [Narrator] In a ruthless move, Green begins working 188 00:09:36,208 --> 00:09:40,042 on a recipe for a Nabisco version of a sandwich cookie 189 00:09:40,042 --> 00:09:42,333 that can compete with the Hydrox. 190 00:09:43,542 --> 00:09:47,167 - [Adam] Adolphus Green, he was known for speaking ill 191 00:09:47,167 --> 00:09:51,042 of competition, and it wasn't about peaceful coexistence, 192 00:09:51,042 --> 00:09:53,833 it was about market domination through and through. 193 00:09:55,208 --> 00:09:58,458 - [Narrator] And Green has an ace up his sleeve, 194 00:09:58,458 --> 00:10:00,833 a bold plan to join forces 195 00:10:02,250 --> 00:10:05,667 with one of the most dominant names in American food. 196 00:10:05,667 --> 00:10:07,792 [dramatic music] 197 00:10:17,542 --> 00:10:22,167 - [Narrator] In 1912, Adolphus Green is determined to perfect a 198 00:10:22,167 --> 00:10:25,000 product that will compete with the groundbreaking Hydrox 199 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:30,583 cookie. And now, he's got a secret weapon. 200 00:10:32,167 --> 00:10:34,375 - [Adam] He reached out to Milton Hershey, 201 00:10:34,375 --> 00:10:36,250 who had obviously found ways 202 00:10:36,250 --> 00:10:39,750 of making Dutch cocoa much more accessible 203 00:10:39,750 --> 00:10:41,708 and usable in other food products, 204 00:10:41,708 --> 00:10:43,792 in chocolate milk, hot chocolate, and so on. 205 00:10:43,792 --> 00:10:46,375 So you could get that greater fudginess 206 00:10:46,375 --> 00:10:50,000 that originally started from Hershey's cocoa. 207 00:10:52,375 --> 00:10:53,125 - Sir. 208 00:10:54,667 --> 00:10:56,042 First one off the line. 209 00:10:56,042 --> 00:10:58,750 [dramatic music] 210 00:11:05,542 --> 00:11:08,292 - [Narrator] Four years after the Hydrox is released, 211 00:11:09,917 --> 00:11:13,042 America's next great cookie is born. 212 00:11:13,042 --> 00:11:15,625 [dramatic music] 213 00:11:32,542 --> 00:11:34,167 Nabisco launches the Oreo, 214 00:11:34,167 --> 00:11:37,042 accompanied by an aggressive ad campaign. 215 00:11:37,042 --> 00:11:41,292 Within a year, the Oreo is outselling the Hydrox, 216 00:11:41,292 --> 00:11:45,042 quickly becoming the number one cookie in America. 217 00:11:45,042 --> 00:11:47,625 - [Stella] If you were a millionaire or just scraping by, 218 00:11:47,625 --> 00:11:51,333 everyone's fond of Oreos, so it's really managed to appeal 219 00:11:51,333 --> 00:11:55,042 across generations and class boundaries and the miles, 220 00:11:55,042 --> 00:11:58,333 and really established itself as an American cultural icon. 221 00:11:58,333 --> 00:12:01,458 - [Narrator] For well over two decades, the Oreo remains 222 00:12:01,458 --> 00:12:04,875 the undisputed number one cookie in America. 223 00:12:04,875 --> 00:12:07,917 And by the 1930s, thanks in large part 224 00:12:07,917 --> 00:12:12,375 to the Oreo's dominance, a vast majority of American cookies 225 00:12:12,375 --> 00:12:14,417 are now made in factories 226 00:12:14,417 --> 00:12:16,833 and are rarely being baked at home anymore. 227 00:12:20,042 --> 00:12:21,792 But the husband and wife founders 228 00:12:21,792 --> 00:12:24,292 of a new restaurant called the Toll House 229 00:12:24,292 --> 00:12:27,542 believe that everything's better homemade. 230 00:12:27,542 --> 00:12:28,792 - We got another order of filet mignon, 231 00:12:28,792 --> 00:12:30,708 medium rare, and a lobster Thermidor. 232 00:12:33,042 --> 00:12:35,167 - Ruth Wakefield managed the kitchen, 233 00:12:35,167 --> 00:12:37,500 while Ken would run the front of the house. 234 00:12:37,500 --> 00:12:38,250 - Thank you. 235 00:12:40,375 --> 00:12:42,208 - [Narrator] One of the things the Toll House 236 00:12:42,208 --> 00:12:46,375 becomes known for are Ruth's unique desserts. 237 00:12:47,708 --> 00:12:49,917 - Take these to table six. 238 00:12:51,250 --> 00:12:53,417 - [Narrator] Including the simplest one on the menu, 239 00:12:54,667 --> 00:12:56,083 a butter pecan cookie. 240 00:12:57,583 --> 00:13:01,625 - People liked them, but it was a giveaway. It was free. 241 00:13:01,625 --> 00:13:05,667 - [Adam] It was a sort of unremarkable, uninspiring 242 00:13:05,667 --> 00:13:07,292 accompaniment to ice cream. 243 00:13:07,292 --> 00:13:09,792 Much like today when you order soup, 244 00:13:09,792 --> 00:13:11,667 you get a little packet of crackers. 245 00:13:11,667 --> 00:13:14,875 They're there, but they're not necessarily 246 00:13:14,875 --> 00:13:17,375 the thing you wanted, you wanted soup. 247 00:13:17,375 --> 00:13:19,708 - [Narrator] But soon customers are requesting 248 00:13:19,708 --> 00:13:21,542 the cookies themselves. 249 00:13:21,542 --> 00:13:26,208 - [Beth] Ruth had tons of success with this butter pecan 250 00:13:26,208 --> 00:13:30,333 cookie. It was beloved by everybody, and she thought, 251 00:13:30,333 --> 00:13:33,667 how can I riff on the success of a cookie? 252 00:13:33,667 --> 00:13:35,208 How could she up it? 253 00:13:35,208 --> 00:13:39,500 Could she offer a different texture to elevate them? 254 00:13:41,042 --> 00:13:44,833 - She came up with the idea to create a chocolate cookie, 255 00:13:44,833 --> 00:13:46,792 almost like a little chocolate cake. 256 00:13:47,958 --> 00:13:50,917 So she decides to take a baker's chocolate bar, 257 00:13:50,917 --> 00:13:54,333 which is unsweetened, it's got no added milk or sugar, 258 00:13:54,333 --> 00:13:55,458 and she's gonna melt it 259 00:13:55,458 --> 00:13:57,917 and put it in a blonde cookie batter. 260 00:14:03,458 --> 00:14:05,167 - [Ruth] What's this? 261 00:14:05,167 --> 00:14:07,417 - They were out of baker's chocolate. 262 00:14:07,417 --> 00:14:09,458 - [Beth] There were two types of chocolate 263 00:14:09,458 --> 00:14:12,333 in the American grocery store, 264 00:14:12,333 --> 00:14:14,958 eating bars, like a Hershey's bar, 265 00:14:14,958 --> 00:14:16,875 which had milk and sugar in it. 266 00:14:16,875 --> 00:14:19,583 And there was also a baking bar, baker's chocolate, 267 00:14:19,583 --> 00:14:23,958 which was unsweetened and commonly used for cooking. 268 00:14:25,125 --> 00:14:27,167 - [Narrator] On a whim, Ruth decides to use 269 00:14:27,167 --> 00:14:29,500 the semi-sweet chocolate bar anyway. 270 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,125 - [Vallery] Ruth realizes that the original plan 271 00:14:33,125 --> 00:14:34,875 would have been too sweet if she used 272 00:14:34,875 --> 00:14:36,708 the Nestle chocolate bar. 273 00:14:36,708 --> 00:14:39,083 So she's gonna experiment with a new way 274 00:14:39,083 --> 00:14:41,083 of preparing the chocolate. 275 00:14:45,083 --> 00:14:48,542 - [Adam] She takes an ice pick and starts chipping away 276 00:14:48,542 --> 00:14:52,333 at this massive Nestle's bar of semi-sweet chocolate. 277 00:14:53,458 --> 00:14:55,125 - [Narrator] This allows Ruth to add chocolate 278 00:14:55,125 --> 00:14:58,375 in smaller doses without over-sweetening the dough. 279 00:14:59,458 --> 00:15:01,375 - [Beth] She invented the chocolate chip. 280 00:15:04,375 --> 00:15:07,292 - [Bill] Although it seems completely obvious today, 281 00:15:07,292 --> 00:15:08,708 this was probably the first time 282 00:15:08,708 --> 00:15:11,833 that a piece of candy had been inserted into a cookie. 283 00:15:11,833 --> 00:15:14,417 [upbeat music] 284 00:15:15,625 --> 00:15:20,500 [oven dings] [upbeat music] 285 00:15:22,583 --> 00:15:25,375 - [Carolyn] So the first cookie comes out of the oven 286 00:15:25,375 --> 00:15:28,542 and it's polka-dotted with gooey, melted, 287 00:15:28,542 --> 00:15:30,875 but still distinct pieces of chocolate. 288 00:15:32,958 --> 00:15:35,542 Some people have said that she was surprised 289 00:15:35,542 --> 00:15:38,000 the chocolate didn't melt, 290 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:39,917 but I think that she was smarter than that. 291 00:15:39,917 --> 00:15:41,167 She knew her stuff. 292 00:15:42,708 --> 00:15:46,875 - [Adam] The chocolate is not pervasive throughout the cookie, 293 00:15:46,875 --> 00:15:50,042 so you get a contrast of sweet and savory. 294 00:15:50,958 --> 00:15:52,792 - She was the first person ever 295 00:15:52,792 --> 00:15:55,083 to have a chocolate chip cookie. 296 00:15:55,083 --> 00:15:57,583 - [Vallery] What's crazy to think about is if the store 297 00:15:57,583 --> 00:15:59,250 had baker's chocolate that day, 298 00:15:59,250 --> 00:16:01,583 these cookies might have never been invented. 299 00:16:03,042 --> 00:16:05,250 - [Narrator] Ruth Wakefield doesn't know it, 300 00:16:05,250 --> 00:16:09,292 but one day over 7 billion cookies inspired by her recipe 301 00:16:10,583 --> 00:16:14,625 will be eaten in the United States every single year. 302 00:16:14,625 --> 00:16:16,875 - [Adam] And it will go on to be the most beloved 303 00:16:16,875 --> 00:16:18,458 cookie on planet Earth. 304 00:16:18,458 --> 00:16:20,958 - [Narrator] But for now, the chocolate chip cookie 305 00:16:20,958 --> 00:16:23,042 is still an unknown commodity. 306 00:16:27,417 --> 00:16:30,292 - [Carolyn] No restaurant served cookies at that time. 307 00:16:30,292 --> 00:16:31,958 It had never been done before. 308 00:16:33,208 --> 00:16:34,875 - [Brooke] Dessert at a restaurant was supposed to be 309 00:16:34,875 --> 00:16:36,875 really elaborate and decadent. 310 00:16:36,875 --> 00:16:38,958 Cookies were just little inexpensive treats 311 00:16:38,958 --> 00:16:41,625 that you could get at any grocery store. 312 00:16:41,625 --> 00:16:43,542 - [Vallery] These cookies are nothing like 313 00:16:43,542 --> 00:16:46,042 what you would find in a grocery store. 314 00:16:46,042 --> 00:16:49,458 - Excuse me, ma'am, you have to give me the recipe. 315 00:16:50,417 --> 00:16:53,208 - Oh, of course. I'll be right back. 316 00:16:54,458 --> 00:16:57,208 - [Edward] She goes on to almost in a philanthropic way, 317 00:16:57,208 --> 00:17:00,458 share this recipe with anybody that wants it. 318 00:17:00,458 --> 00:17:03,458 - [Carolyn] She was handing out typed recipes, 319 00:17:03,458 --> 00:17:06,875 and "The Boston Globe" newspaper published the recipe. 320 00:17:06,875 --> 00:17:10,875 It was kind of a grassroots popularity for that cookie. 321 00:17:10,875 --> 00:17:13,667 Newspapers, recipe swap columns. 322 00:17:13,667 --> 00:17:16,833 - [Narrator] As word spreads about her unique cookie recipe, 323 00:17:16,833 --> 00:17:20,125 it triggers sales of Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate bar 324 00:17:20,125 --> 00:17:23,417 to spike an amazing 500%, 325 00:17:23,417 --> 00:17:25,875 only around Whitman, Massachusetts, 326 00:17:25,875 --> 00:17:30,375 which catches the attention of Nestle's CEO, Edouard Muller. 327 00:17:31,375 --> 00:17:33,333 - I would like to print your recipe 328 00:17:33,333 --> 00:17:36,375 on each and every package of our semi-sweet chocolate bars. 329 00:17:39,292 --> 00:17:42,500 - [Narrator] In 1939, Nestle buys the rights 330 00:17:42,500 --> 00:17:43,667 to Ruth's recipe. 331 00:17:45,042 --> 00:17:48,542 And within months, they launch a first-of-its-kind product 332 00:17:48,542 --> 00:17:51,083 that will make it possible for chocolate chip cookies 333 00:17:51,083 --> 00:17:54,167 to be made and consumed all over the world, 334 00:17:56,083 --> 00:17:59,667 Nestle's Toll House Morsels. 335 00:18:00,958 --> 00:18:03,667 - [Beth] This was incredibly novel. 336 00:18:03,667 --> 00:18:05,083 It's very common today, 337 00:18:05,083 --> 00:18:09,708 but imagine in 1940 seeing the first bag 338 00:18:09,708 --> 00:18:11,875 of these chocolate morsels. 339 00:18:11,875 --> 00:18:16,042 There was nothing else like these morsels on the shelf. 340 00:18:17,208 --> 00:18:19,875 - [Adam] And people are still used to hearing about 341 00:18:19,875 --> 00:18:24,042 how Ruth had been chipping off the chocolate from the bar. 342 00:18:24,042 --> 00:18:25,208 - And the Toll House cookie 343 00:18:25,208 --> 00:18:26,958 becomes the chocolate chip cookie. 344 00:18:26,958 --> 00:18:29,667 - [Adam] So even though the package says semi-sweet 345 00:18:29,667 --> 00:18:32,208 chocolate morsels, people called them 346 00:18:32,208 --> 00:18:35,583 chocolate chip cookies, and the name stuck. 347 00:18:35,583 --> 00:18:39,042 - [Narrator] By 1945, Nestle's global annual revenue 348 00:18:39,042 --> 00:18:44,167 increases 125% since buying Ruth's recipe, 349 00:18:45,458 --> 00:18:49,208 soaring to $225 million, roughly $4 billion today. 350 00:18:50,500 --> 00:18:53,375 - [Adam] And a lot more people began really loving 351 00:18:53,375 --> 00:18:56,542 chocolate chip cookies all over the country. 352 00:18:56,542 --> 00:19:00,208 Then in a 1950's survey, America reveals 353 00:19:00,208 --> 00:19:03,792 that its favorite cookie is no longer the Oreo, 354 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:06,708 it's the chocolate chip cookie. 355 00:19:06,708 --> 00:19:09,792 - [Narrator] And Nestle's meteoric rise in America 356 00:19:09,792 --> 00:19:13,333 will unwittingly provoke the company behind the Oreo 357 00:19:13,333 --> 00:19:17,500 to once again reinvent how people eat cookies. 358 00:19:17,500 --> 00:19:19,833 - [Beth] And that's where things get really exciting. 359 00:19:24,292 --> 00:19:26,083 - [Narrator] In the late 1950s, 360 00:19:26,083 --> 00:19:30,375 Nabisco's annual sales near $500 million, 361 00:19:30,375 --> 00:19:34,042 thanks in great part to their top seller, the Oreo. 362 00:19:34,042 --> 00:19:35,208 - [Edward] In the world of cookies, 363 00:19:35,208 --> 00:19:37,625 Nabisco was a big player in the game. 364 00:19:37,625 --> 00:19:40,000 They had a lot of hits at the time, 365 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,750 so they felt pretty comfortable in their position 366 00:19:42,750 --> 00:19:45,833 as top cookie dog. 367 00:19:45,833 --> 00:19:47,500 - [Narrator] But now, more than half 368 00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:51,000 of all Americans surveyed declare their favorite cookie 369 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:52,833 is the chocolate chip cookie, 370 00:19:52,833 --> 00:19:56,458 knocking Nabisco's Oreo out of the number one spot. 371 00:19:57,375 --> 00:19:59,042 - [Beth] That is huge. 372 00:19:59,042 --> 00:20:04,333 Oreo has been America's favorite cookie for years, 373 00:20:05,542 --> 00:20:07,958 and here comes this chocolate chip cookie 374 00:20:07,958 --> 00:20:10,750 that people are making at home 375 00:20:10,750 --> 00:20:13,208 that is America's favorite cookie. 376 00:20:15,375 --> 00:20:19,000 - [Narrator] And Nabisco's new CEO, Lee Bickmore, 377 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:20,833 isn't happy about it. 378 00:20:20,833 --> 00:20:24,667 - [Adam] He realizes if the chocolate chip cookie has enough 379 00:20:24,667 --> 00:20:29,625 appeal to dethrone the legendary, iconic Nabisco Oreo, 380 00:20:30,042 --> 00:20:32,625 that they have to get into the chocolate chip cookie game. 381 00:20:34,583 --> 00:20:36,208 - [Narrator] So Bickmore directs his team 382 00:20:36,208 --> 00:20:38,333 to make something unprecedented, 383 00:20:38,333 --> 00:20:41,042 a shelf-stable chocolate chip cookie, 384 00:20:41,042 --> 00:20:44,292 which means they can't use the typical ingredients 385 00:20:44,292 --> 00:20:46,333 from Ruth's recipe. 386 00:20:46,333 --> 00:20:49,250 - [Adam] So they can't use eggs and butter 387 00:20:49,250 --> 00:20:50,917 and all those wonderful things 388 00:20:50,917 --> 00:20:54,500 that are gonna make a cookie a little more bendy and chewy, 389 00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:56,292 because they are gonna turn rancid 390 00:20:56,292 --> 00:20:59,375 and spoil on store shelves. 391 00:21:02,125 --> 00:21:03,625 - What am I looking at here? 392 00:21:05,333 --> 00:21:07,500 - This cookie was baked using our proprietary blend 393 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:09,792 and sealed in a package for 24 hours. 394 00:21:09,792 --> 00:21:12,542 [dramatic music] 395 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:16,708 - [Adam] It's hard, brittle, and not the soft, 396 00:21:16,708 --> 00:21:18,917 chewy chocolate chip cookie that everyone 397 00:21:18,917 --> 00:21:20,792 knows, loves, and makes at home. 398 00:21:29,250 --> 00:21:34,042 - You know, that tastes, um, that tastes pretty darn good. 399 00:21:38,583 --> 00:21:40,083 - The thing about chocolate chip cookies is like they say 400 00:21:40,083 --> 00:21:42,708 about pizza, even bad ones are still pretty good. 401 00:21:43,583 --> 00:21:45,375 - [knocks] This a good time? 402 00:21:46,375 --> 00:21:48,042 - Come on in. 403 00:21:48,042 --> 00:21:50,125 - [Narrator] But there's a final piece of the puzzle needed 404 00:21:50,125 --> 00:21:52,208 to make their product complete. 405 00:21:52,208 --> 00:21:54,708 - Possible list of names. 406 00:21:54,708 --> 00:21:55,583 - No. 407 00:21:59,042 --> 00:21:59,833 No. 408 00:22:04,042 --> 00:22:05,000 No. 409 00:22:06,875 --> 00:22:08,125 Definitely not. 410 00:22:08,125 --> 00:22:10,958 [dramatic music] 411 00:22:17,833 --> 00:22:18,708 Chips Ahoy. 412 00:22:22,333 --> 00:22:25,667 - [Carolyn] It came from that naval boating expression, ships 413 00:22:25,667 --> 00:22:27,875 ahoy, when you see a lot of ships. 414 00:22:27,875 --> 00:22:29,833 And Nabisco is trying to emphasize the number 415 00:22:29,833 --> 00:22:32,125 and abundance of chocolate chips. 416 00:22:32,125 --> 00:22:33,792 So it's like Chips Ahoy, 417 00:22:33,792 --> 00:22:37,083 we see a lot of chips in this cookie. 418 00:22:37,083 --> 00:22:39,875 - Chips Ahoy. [chuckles] 419 00:22:46,875 --> 00:22:49,792 - [Narrator] In 1963, their groundbreaking cookie 420 00:22:49,792 --> 00:22:52,667 hits grocery stores nationwide. 421 00:22:52,667 --> 00:22:55,292 - [Beth] It was the first time Americans could buy that 422 00:22:55,292 --> 00:22:57,250 on a shelf ready to go. 423 00:22:57,250 --> 00:23:00,750 - [Edward] And the Chips Ahoy cookie is an instant hit. 424 00:23:00,750 --> 00:23:03,375 - [Narrator] Within a year of their release, 425 00:23:03,375 --> 00:23:06,875 Nabisco's sales increase by $156 million, 426 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,542 hitting $719 million. 427 00:23:10,542 --> 00:23:12,125 - [Edward] Ruth Wakefield had invented 428 00:23:12,125 --> 00:23:13,708 the chocolate chip cookie, 429 00:23:13,708 --> 00:23:16,500 but Nabisco really made it their own. 430 00:23:16,500 --> 00:23:18,958 - [Narrator] But Nabisco's new cookie is also part 431 00:23:18,958 --> 00:23:22,792 of a growing movement in America over the next decade 432 00:23:22,792 --> 00:23:25,458 where mass-produced inexpensive food 433 00:23:25,458 --> 00:23:28,167 dominates supermarket aisles. 434 00:23:28,167 --> 00:23:31,833 - Walk into a supermarket, and there's all types 435 00:23:31,833 --> 00:23:34,750 of food on the shelves from big conglomerates. 436 00:23:34,750 --> 00:23:39,125 We would see the 1970s as the peak of when preservatives 437 00:23:39,125 --> 00:23:41,792 and chemical dyes were in almost 438 00:23:41,792 --> 00:23:43,708 everything that people were eating. 439 00:23:43,708 --> 00:23:46,542 And we'd find out pretty soon that they aren't good for you. 440 00:23:46,542 --> 00:23:49,125 So there was this whole sort of movement 441 00:23:49,125 --> 00:23:53,042 of people rebelling against the chemistry industry 442 00:23:53,042 --> 00:23:54,333 behind the food industry, 443 00:23:54,333 --> 00:23:56,042 and California was leading the way. 444 00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:00,000 - [Narrator] In Hollywood,- 445 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,417 [phone rings] 446 00:24:03,542 --> 00:24:06,083 food is the last thing on one man's mind. 447 00:24:06,083 --> 00:24:09,042 - Hi, Mr. Masekela. Let me see if he's available. 448 00:24:09,042 --> 00:24:11,708 - [Narrator] He's left the world's largest talent agency 449 00:24:11,708 --> 00:24:15,750 to start a company managing his own clients. 450 00:24:15,750 --> 00:24:17,917 - He just got off a call. 451 00:24:17,917 --> 00:24:19,750 - Hughie, my man. 452 00:24:19,750 --> 00:24:22,208 - [Vallery] He was able to get a job in the mail room 453 00:24:22,208 --> 00:24:24,542 at William Morris Agency, 454 00:24:24,542 --> 00:24:27,625 which is one of the top talent agencies, 455 00:24:27,625 --> 00:24:31,208 and he became the first Black talent manager. 456 00:24:32,333 --> 00:24:33,917 - [Adam] He famously is credited 457 00:24:33,917 --> 00:24:37,583 for discovering Simon & Garfunkel. 458 00:24:37,583 --> 00:24:41,208 He represented Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, 459 00:24:41,208 --> 00:24:43,875 and my favorite singer of all time, Sam Cooke. 460 00:24:43,875 --> 00:24:47,833 But he also really understands the publicity machine, 461 00:24:47,833 --> 00:24:52,125 celebrity, and how to make friends and influence people. 462 00:24:52,125 --> 00:24:55,583 - Oh, and you already signed with him. I see. 463 00:24:56,875 --> 00:24:59,625 - [Narrator] But his new venture is struggling. 464 00:24:59,625 --> 00:25:02,542 - The problem is if you're an independent agent 465 00:25:02,542 --> 00:25:03,833 and you get a guy and he gets big enough, 466 00:25:03,833 --> 00:25:05,542 these big agencies are gonna come in, 467 00:25:05,542 --> 00:25:06,667 they're gonna try to buy him out, 468 00:25:06,667 --> 00:25:07,833 and they're gonna get him over to them. 469 00:25:07,833 --> 00:25:09,542 And he couldn't really overcome that. 470 00:25:09,542 --> 00:25:12,167 [dramatic music] 471 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,667 - [Adam] So after losing his last client, 472 00:25:16,667 --> 00:25:19,167 he needed a bit of a distraction. 473 00:25:19,167 --> 00:25:20,875 So he remembers his Aunt Ella 474 00:25:20,875 --> 00:25:23,125 used to make chocolate chip pecan cookies, 475 00:25:23,125 --> 00:25:25,083 and he started doing that himself. 476 00:25:25,083 --> 00:25:27,750 - [Hadley] Baking was his happy space. 477 00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:31,292 So he started to bake cookies kind of to self-soothe. 478 00:25:31,292 --> 00:25:33,167 - Cookies here. 479 00:25:33,167 --> 00:25:35,875 [dramatic music] 480 00:25:43,875 --> 00:25:45,333 - Mm. 481 00:25:45,333 --> 00:25:47,875 - [Jason] A light kind of goes off, and he realizes, 482 00:25:47,875 --> 00:25:50,458 what's the one thing that's making me happy? 483 00:25:50,458 --> 00:25:52,042 It's making cookies. 484 00:25:52,042 --> 00:25:54,000 - [Narrator] He doesn't know it, but this simple idea 485 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:57,542 will lead to the creation of a billion-dollar company, 486 00:25:57,542 --> 00:26:00,167 deals with America's largest retailers, 487 00:26:00,167 --> 00:26:03,667 and will turn him into a national TV star 488 00:26:03,667 --> 00:26:06,250 as he kickstarts a cookie revolution. 489 00:26:06,250 --> 00:26:09,708 - [Vellery] He will open the first shop dedicated 490 00:26:09,708 --> 00:26:12,625 to chocolate chip cookies in the world. 491 00:26:12,625 --> 00:26:15,500 - [Narrator] His name is Wally Amos, 492 00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:17,583 better known as Famous Amos. 493 00:26:23,458 --> 00:26:26,208 - [Narrator] In the mid 1970s, Wally Amos is transforming 494 00:26:26,208 --> 00:26:29,958 himself from a talent manager into a cookie entrepreneur. 495 00:26:29,958 --> 00:26:31,750 - [Vallery] I don't think he even thought twice about it. 496 00:26:31,750 --> 00:26:33,875 He knew it would be that next step. 497 00:26:33,875 --> 00:26:38,583 He could turn his love of baking cookies into a business. 498 00:26:38,583 --> 00:26:41,333 - Wally Amos here calling for Marvin Gaye. 499 00:26:42,875 --> 00:26:46,875 - So after this management business failed, 500 00:26:46,875 --> 00:26:51,708 he turns to the people that know who he is, what he's about, 501 00:26:51,708 --> 00:26:56,292 and famously gets a $25,000 investment 502 00:26:56,292 --> 00:26:59,625 from these iconic musicians like Marvin Gaye, 503 00:26:59,625 --> 00:27:01,000 Helen Reddy, and so on. 504 00:27:03,208 --> 00:27:05,875 - [Narrator] Wally Amos is confident his cookies 505 00:27:05,875 --> 00:27:08,625 are exactly what America needs right now. 506 00:27:12,542 --> 00:27:14,583 - [Narrator] By the 1970s, America's cookie industry bakes 507 00:27:14,583 --> 00:27:18,708 up billions of dollars for large corporations, like Keebler, 508 00:27:18,708 --> 00:27:22,292 which has $300 million in sales in 1974, 509 00:27:22,292 --> 00:27:25,333 and Nabisco, who reaches almost $2 billion 510 00:27:25,333 --> 00:27:29,125 selling factory-made cookies for 75 cents a box. 511 00:27:29,125 --> 00:27:30,833 But Amos wants to make something 512 00:27:30,833 --> 00:27:33,792 the packaged juggernauts can't offer. 513 00:27:33,792 --> 00:27:37,000 - You plan to put what here? 514 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,708 - [Vallery] And so he decided to open the first shop 515 00:27:40,708 --> 00:27:44,000 dedicated to chocolate chip cookies in the world. 516 00:27:45,125 --> 00:27:47,125 - [Hadley] Amos was trying to break new ground 517 00:27:47,125 --> 00:27:50,625 by selling this homemade chocolate chip cookie 518 00:27:50,625 --> 00:27:53,333 that had that mom-just-made-it flavor 519 00:27:53,333 --> 00:27:56,417 instead of kind of the traditional thin wafers 520 00:27:56,417 --> 00:27:59,417 that had been sold up to that time. 521 00:27:59,417 --> 00:28:02,000 - [Narrator] With no experience in the food industry, 522 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,542 Wally Amos goes all in, gambling his reputation 523 00:28:05,542 --> 00:28:08,333 and future on his homemade cookies. 524 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:17,167 Just five hours north, in Palo Alto, California, 525 00:28:17,167 --> 00:28:20,042 a young housewife is trying to make a good impression 526 00:28:20,042 --> 00:28:21,792 on her husband's colleagues. 527 00:28:23,833 --> 00:28:26,583 - Mm. Hello, Louis, right? 528 00:28:26,583 --> 00:28:28,125 - You're Randy's wife. 529 00:28:28,125 --> 00:28:30,083 - Debbi. It's nice to meet you. 530 00:28:30,875 --> 00:28:31,917 - These are yours? 531 00:28:33,958 --> 00:28:37,667 - Debbi had a great cookie recipe by the time she was, 532 00:28:37,667 --> 00:28:40,250 you know, 13 or 14, in her teenage years. 533 00:28:40,250 --> 00:28:43,792 Then by the time she's 19, she's married 534 00:28:43,792 --> 00:28:46,333 and she's started putting these cookies out, 535 00:28:46,333 --> 00:28:50,375 you know, on trays for parties for her husband's friends, 536 00:28:50,375 --> 00:28:52,792 and people loved them. 537 00:28:55,375 --> 00:28:57,042 - So, what do you do? 538 00:28:58,250 --> 00:29:02,875 - Oh, um, I'm, I'm just trying to get orientated. 539 00:29:02,875 --> 00:29:07,375 - [scoffs] The word is oriented. 540 00:29:07,375 --> 00:29:10,042 [Debbi chuckles] 541 00:29:10,042 --> 00:29:12,458 If you can't learn proper English, 542 00:29:12,458 --> 00:29:15,000 then you should probably just stick to baking. 543 00:29:17,208 --> 00:29:19,417 - [Narrator] One belittling comment at a party 544 00:29:21,250 --> 00:29:23,583 will turn her hobby into a cookie empire 545 00:29:23,583 --> 00:29:26,125 worth over $450 million. 546 00:29:28,875 --> 00:29:33,667 But for now, Debbi is a housewife known simply- 547 00:29:33,667 --> 00:29:35,000 - Goodnight, Mrs. Fields. 548 00:29:35,792 --> 00:29:37,250 - [Narrator] as Mrs. Fields. 549 00:29:38,667 --> 00:29:43,042 Meanwhile, in 1975, Wally Amos is opening what is believed 550 00:29:43,042 --> 00:29:47,083 to be the world's first cookie store, Famous Amos, 551 00:29:47,083 --> 00:29:51,042 right in the heart of L.A.'s iconic Sunset Boulevard. 552 00:29:51,042 --> 00:29:53,875 - [Bill] Famous Amos was the first of the luxury 553 00:29:53,875 --> 00:29:55,583 chocolate chip cookies that cropped up 554 00:29:55,583 --> 00:29:57,375 in the late '70s and early '80s. 555 00:29:57,375 --> 00:29:59,875 And they came in a package that was very distinct 556 00:29:59,875 --> 00:30:03,208 and different than your average Chips Ahoy package. 557 00:30:03,208 --> 00:30:06,917 They were smaller, they had a much richer flavor, 558 00:30:06,917 --> 00:30:08,917 and for a brief period, they were considered 559 00:30:08,917 --> 00:30:11,250 like the gold standard in chocolate chip cookies. 560 00:30:12,833 --> 00:30:15,333 - He treats this thing like a Hollywood premiere, 561 00:30:15,333 --> 00:30:18,833 and it's a huge success, it's gangbusters, 562 00:30:18,833 --> 00:30:20,083 and he sells out of everything, 563 00:30:20,083 --> 00:30:22,625 but he actually spends a lot of money. 564 00:30:22,625 --> 00:30:25,500 - [Adam] So though Wally Amos has an incredible ability 565 00:30:25,500 --> 00:30:28,875 to market himself and to reach the masses, 566 00:30:28,875 --> 00:30:32,208 he's got no real financial background, 567 00:30:32,208 --> 00:30:35,458 so the cookies were fine, the business not so much. 568 00:30:35,458 --> 00:30:37,792 - [Narrator] And his desire to rapidly expand 569 00:30:37,792 --> 00:30:42,167 will soon force him to reinvent his entire enterprise. 570 00:30:43,333 --> 00:30:46,125 Despite being only about 300 miles away, 571 00:30:46,125 --> 00:30:48,333 the location Debbi Fields is eyeing 572 00:30:48,333 --> 00:30:52,083 for her new cookie shop couldn't be more different. 573 00:30:52,083 --> 00:30:55,042 - Doesn't seem like the best place. 574 00:30:55,042 --> 00:31:00,000 - It's small, intimate, there's foot traffic right outside. 575 00:31:01,042 --> 00:31:02,458 - [Narrator] Seizing an unusual opportunity, 576 00:31:02,458 --> 00:31:05,542 Debbi Fields is ahead of the coming food court boom 577 00:31:05,542 --> 00:31:08,500 as she tries to open her first cookie store 578 00:31:08,500 --> 00:31:10,708 inside a shopping mall. 579 00:31:10,708 --> 00:31:15,333 But to do so, she's forced to take a big financial risk. 580 00:31:15,333 --> 00:31:19,208 - [Adam] She leverages her home and her husband's money 581 00:31:19,208 --> 00:31:21,083 to get the one loan she could get 582 00:31:21,083 --> 00:31:24,542 with an astronomical 21% interest rate 583 00:31:24,542 --> 00:31:28,458 to build her first store in Palo Alto, California, 584 00:31:28,458 --> 00:31:32,500 even though people told her it was the stupidest idea ever. 585 00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:35,292 - [Narrator] But Debbi believes her store will succeed 586 00:31:35,292 --> 00:31:38,833 since she's offering something completely new. 587 00:31:38,833 --> 00:31:41,542 - [Adam] It was unlike any other cookie on the market. 588 00:31:41,542 --> 00:31:45,375 It was a warm, chewy, soft, homemade cookie. 589 00:31:46,667 --> 00:31:48,958 But at first, people were definitely skeptical. 590 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,083 - [Narrator] By noon on her first day, 591 00:31:52,083 --> 00:31:55,000 she hasn't had a single customer. 592 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,000 And if she can't sell her cookies, 593 00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:58,583 it could mean there's no market 594 00:31:58,583 --> 00:32:01,792 for fresh baked goods sold in shopping malls. 595 00:32:01,792 --> 00:32:03,583 [dramatic music] 596 00:32:13,542 --> 00:32:16,917 - [Narrator] Unlike Famous Amos, opening day at Debbi Fields' 597 00:32:16,917 --> 00:32:20,875 shop in 1977 is anything but grand. 598 00:32:20,875 --> 00:32:24,042 - She starts out having absolutely no sales, 599 00:32:24,042 --> 00:32:27,042 but she is driven and starts pounding the pavement. 600 00:32:28,208 --> 00:32:30,875 - Can I offer you a chocolate chip cookie? 601 00:32:30,875 --> 00:32:32,083 Come back and see us. 602 00:32:33,833 --> 00:32:35,375 Good afternoon, can I offer you 603 00:32:35,375 --> 00:32:37,375 a chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven? 604 00:32:37,375 --> 00:32:41,083 - [Adam] She starts giving out samples to people, 605 00:32:41,083 --> 00:32:44,125 getting them to try her iconic warm cookies, 606 00:32:44,125 --> 00:32:45,833 saying, "Hey, would you buy this cookie? 607 00:32:45,833 --> 00:32:47,208 Do you like this cookie? 608 00:32:47,208 --> 00:32:48,750 Well, I've gotta store around the corner." 609 00:32:48,750 --> 00:32:49,875 - They're even better with coffee. 610 00:32:49,875 --> 00:32:51,375 Come by and see us on your break. 611 00:32:52,708 --> 00:32:55,208 - [Beth] Debbi was really one of the first to go out there 612 00:32:55,208 --> 00:32:58,292 with a tray and sample them for people to taste 613 00:32:58,292 --> 00:33:01,208 so that people could experience them warm and fresh, 614 00:33:01,208 --> 00:33:03,583 but also just to sample in general. 615 00:33:03,583 --> 00:33:07,292 And that was genius, because once people 616 00:33:07,292 --> 00:33:11,208 tasted those cookies, they were sold. 617 00:33:12,542 --> 00:33:13,792 - Hi, Jeff. Hi, Russell. 618 00:33:13,792 --> 00:33:15,167 - Hi, Mrs. Fields. 619 00:33:15,250 --> 00:33:18,208 - Mrs. Fields was definitely a pioneer with starting 620 00:33:18,208 --> 00:33:21,500 the snacks in a shopping center, and we see them still. 621 00:33:21,500 --> 00:33:25,667 We see Cinnabon, we see Auntie Em's, we see Orange Julius, 622 00:33:25,667 --> 00:33:28,792 because you're gonna have people who are walking by 623 00:33:28,792 --> 00:33:30,708 who don't have access to, you know, 624 00:33:30,708 --> 00:33:33,583 go home and grab a snack out of their pantry. 625 00:33:33,583 --> 00:33:38,125 So Mrs. Fields opening her stores in shopping malls 626 00:33:38,125 --> 00:33:40,083 was pretty genius. 627 00:33:40,083 --> 00:33:41,417 - Thank you. See you tomorrow. 628 00:33:43,083 --> 00:33:44,708 - [Narrator] By the end of her first year, 629 00:33:44,708 --> 00:33:49,042 sales of Mrs. Fields' cookies reached $200,000, 630 00:33:49,042 --> 00:33:51,792 the equivalent of over a million dollars today. 631 00:33:53,042 --> 00:33:54,958 - [Beth] This was beyond her expectations, 632 00:33:54,958 --> 00:33:56,875 and it really set the tone for like, 633 00:33:56,875 --> 00:33:58,542 this can be a profitable business. 634 00:33:58,542 --> 00:34:01,250 - [Narrator] By the early 1980s, she has over 635 00:34:01,250 --> 00:34:05,500 a dozen locations in shopping malls all across the West, 636 00:34:05,500 --> 00:34:07,958 and cookie giants, Keebler, Nabisco, 637 00:34:07,958 --> 00:34:10,458 and Procter & Gamble, take notice. 638 00:34:10,458 --> 00:34:13,542 - [Adam] It's kind of a profound compliment for Debbi Fields 639 00:34:13,542 --> 00:34:17,250 that Nabisco, who's selling 400 million pounds 640 00:34:17,250 --> 00:34:21,208 of cookies every year, sees Mrs. Fields as a threat. 641 00:34:21,208 --> 00:34:24,833 They were making these crispy, crunchy, 642 00:34:24,833 --> 00:34:28,250 store-bought cookies, but she was doing something different, 643 00:34:28,250 --> 00:34:30,125 something warm, soft, and chewy, 644 00:34:30,125 --> 00:34:32,375 something that people clearly loved. 645 00:34:32,375 --> 00:34:35,417 So they begin to pivot. 646 00:34:35,417 --> 00:34:37,708 - [Narrator] Procter & Gamble spends $30 million 647 00:34:37,708 --> 00:34:41,042 developing their Duncan Hines Chocolate Chip Cookies, 648 00:34:41,042 --> 00:34:43,875 followed by Nabisco's Chewy Chips Ahoy 649 00:34:43,875 --> 00:34:45,833 and Keebler's Soft Batch. 650 00:34:45,833 --> 00:34:50,167 - [Adam] Suddenly, cookies with names like Almost Home 651 00:34:50,167 --> 00:34:52,875 end up finding their way onto the shelves, 652 00:34:52,875 --> 00:34:55,542 recreating the soft texture. 653 00:34:55,542 --> 00:34:58,208 And though they say imitation is the most sincere 654 00:34:58,208 --> 00:35:01,208 form of flattery, it's not too flattering 655 00:35:01,208 --> 00:35:03,375 when it eats into your bottom line. 656 00:35:03,375 --> 00:35:05,208 - [Narrator] While Mrs. Fields struggles 657 00:35:05,208 --> 00:35:07,708 to fend off the new competition, 658 00:35:07,708 --> 00:35:10,833 Wally Amos has been expanding too quickly. 659 00:35:12,083 --> 00:35:14,708 To stay afloat, he sells his majority stake 660 00:35:14,708 --> 00:35:19,542 for $1.1 million, and now the company's new CEO, 661 00:35:19,542 --> 00:35:22,792 Keith Lively, wants to transition away 662 00:35:22,792 --> 00:35:24,833 from storefront cookie shops. 663 00:35:24,833 --> 00:35:29,042 - [Adam] Keith Lively is a businessman, not a baker. 664 00:35:29,042 --> 00:35:31,000 So to help extend the shelf life, 665 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:33,792 Keith Lively changes the recipe 666 00:35:33,792 --> 00:35:37,625 and makes a quality on par with Chips Ahoy and Keebler. 667 00:35:37,625 --> 00:35:41,208 But now, this product that was meant to create 668 00:35:41,208 --> 00:35:44,875 a homemade feel is just another store-bought cookie. 669 00:35:44,875 --> 00:35:45,667 - What is this? 670 00:35:46,708 --> 00:35:48,167 - [Narrator] To increase profit margins, 671 00:35:48,167 --> 00:35:49,750 Lively wants Amos's cookies 672 00:35:49,750 --> 00:35:52,667 on grocery store shelves across America. 673 00:35:52,667 --> 00:35:55,333 - [Vallery] Changing the recipe to make it less gourmet 674 00:35:55,333 --> 00:35:57,833 was the final straw for Wally Amos, 675 00:35:57,833 --> 00:35:59,833 and that's when he walked away. 676 00:35:59,833 --> 00:36:02,542 [dramatic music] 677 00:36:04,500 --> 00:36:05,792 - [Narrator] Wally Amos leaves his 678 00:36:05,792 --> 00:36:10,292 $225,000 salary and quits. 679 00:36:10,292 --> 00:36:12,750 With Amos out of the picture, the company that bears 680 00:36:12,750 --> 00:36:16,625 his name is sold to Keebler for $61 million, 681 00:36:16,625 --> 00:36:19,542 and the cookie revolution Amos had kicked off 682 00:36:19,542 --> 00:36:22,375 is about to give way to a new revolution 683 00:36:22,375 --> 00:36:24,292 in store-bought cookies. 684 00:36:28,125 --> 00:36:31,792 - [Narrator] In 1987, now with 70 Mrs. Fields locations 685 00:36:31,792 --> 00:36:34,000 nationwide, Debbi's husband, Randy Fields, 686 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,792 has developed an innovative computer software 687 00:36:36,792 --> 00:36:40,833 that uses an early form of the internet called an intranet 688 00:36:40,833 --> 00:36:44,792 to connect each of their stores to a central headquarters. 689 00:36:44,792 --> 00:36:48,542 - It was such a genius system that Randy set up. 690 00:36:48,542 --> 00:36:51,083 Debbi and Randy didn't have to be running around 691 00:36:51,083 --> 00:36:52,792 to all these different stores. 692 00:36:52,792 --> 00:36:56,125 They were able to check on the stores through this system 693 00:36:56,125 --> 00:36:57,792 that not only controlled inventory, 694 00:36:57,792 --> 00:37:01,500 they knew exactly what was selling every second of the day. 695 00:37:01,500 --> 00:37:03,417 And that was unheard of. 696 00:37:04,333 --> 00:37:05,583 - [Narrator] After its first year, 697 00:37:05,583 --> 00:37:08,500 the new system helps rake in $87 million. 698 00:37:10,208 --> 00:37:12,792 - It was so groundbreaking that Mrs. Fields 699 00:37:12,792 --> 00:37:17,500 sold that computer system to none other than Burger King. 700 00:37:17,500 --> 00:37:19,083 - [Narrator] With Debbi Fields at the helm, 701 00:37:19,083 --> 00:37:20,875 and Randy as her right hand, 702 00:37:20,875 --> 00:37:24,917 Mrs. Fields becomes the largest cookie store in America. 703 00:37:24,917 --> 00:37:29,833 - [Adam] By 1989, Mrs. Fields, this little brand in Palo Alto, 704 00:37:30,875 --> 00:37:35,458 is recording a profit of $129.7 million. 705 00:37:37,125 --> 00:37:41,375 And on top of that, she expands into the UK, Australia, 706 00:37:41,375 --> 00:37:45,708 Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, the Middle East. 707 00:37:45,708 --> 00:37:48,500 - [Narrator] Growing to 900 stores worldwide, 708 00:37:48,500 --> 00:37:51,833 Fields decides that to compete with juggernauts like Keebler 709 00:37:51,833 --> 00:37:56,000 and Nabisco, she must implement a new strategy. 710 00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:00,458 - [Beth] Debbi finally has to franchise, aligning herself 711 00:38:00,458 --> 00:38:03,208 with the best bakers in whatever country 712 00:38:03,208 --> 00:38:04,792 she's franchising in, in order to make 713 00:38:04,792 --> 00:38:06,958 high quality Mrs. Fields cookies. 714 00:38:08,833 --> 00:38:09,625 - Looks good. 715 00:38:10,833 --> 00:38:12,583 - [Narrator] Now an international phenomenon, 716 00:38:12,583 --> 00:38:15,625 in 1992, Debbi Fields sells the company 717 00:38:15,625 --> 00:38:18,125 she built to an investment firm, 718 00:38:18,125 --> 00:38:22,042 Famous Brands International, for $100 million. 719 00:38:23,125 --> 00:38:25,833 [dramatic music] 720 00:38:27,250 --> 00:38:30,500 That same year, the brand Wally Amos built in defiance 721 00:38:30,500 --> 00:38:33,708 of cookie conglomerates is now owned by one. 722 00:38:33,708 --> 00:38:35,542 And even though the Famous Amos Cookie 723 00:38:35,542 --> 00:38:39,042 is more profitable than ever, the top brass at Keebler 724 00:38:39,042 --> 00:38:42,125 are having second thoughts about losing the man 725 00:38:42,125 --> 00:38:43,750 who created the brand. 726 00:38:43,750 --> 00:38:47,000 So in 1999, they meet with him 727 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,208 to discuss a bold proposition. 728 00:38:49,208 --> 00:38:51,958 [dramatic music] 729 00:38:55,042 --> 00:38:56,375 - [Adam] The Keebler Corporation 730 00:38:56,375 --> 00:38:57,708 decides they wanna shake things up 731 00:38:57,708 --> 00:39:01,125 and bring Wally Amos back on as a spokesperson 732 00:39:01,125 --> 00:39:03,333 because of his magnetic personality 733 00:39:03,333 --> 00:39:05,667 and incredible recognizability. 734 00:39:05,667 --> 00:39:10,375 - We'd love to have you return as the face of Famous Amos. 735 00:39:10,375 --> 00:39:13,000 [Wally laughs] 736 00:39:13,917 --> 00:39:15,250 - No. 737 00:39:15,250 --> 00:39:16,833 - [chuckles] Why not? 738 00:39:16,833 --> 00:39:19,000 - Because those are not my cookies. 739 00:39:20,250 --> 00:39:22,958 - [Adam] He said he wasn't interested on coming back 740 00:39:22,958 --> 00:39:24,542 if they wouldn't go back a little closer 741 00:39:24,542 --> 00:39:26,875 to his original recipe, 742 00:39:26,875 --> 00:39:29,042 and Keebler agreed to do just exactly that. 743 00:39:32,083 --> 00:39:34,875 - All right. You got a deal. 744 00:39:34,875 --> 00:39:36,750 - Good. [laughs] 745 00:39:38,625 --> 00:39:42,042 - [Narrator] For an undisclosed sum, Wally Amos restores 746 00:39:42,042 --> 00:39:46,125 Famous Amos's image, quality, and heritage. 747 00:39:46,125 --> 00:39:47,958 - [Adam] As a credit to Wally Amos's integrity, 748 00:39:47,958 --> 00:39:49,792 the company becomes insanely profitable, 749 00:39:49,792 --> 00:39:52,667 raking in sales of $100 million. 750 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:55,208 - [Narrator] Though Wally Amos goes on to start 751 00:39:55,208 --> 00:39:57,083 a number of new cookie ventures, 752 00:39:57,083 --> 00:40:00,833 he never duplicates the success of Famous Amos. 753 00:40:00,833 --> 00:40:05,000 In 2019, Famous Amos was acquired by the Ferrero Group 754 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:09,208 for $1.3 billion, and remains a staple 755 00:40:09,208 --> 00:40:12,750 in over 170 countries to this day. 756 00:40:12,750 --> 00:40:15,750 - [Vallery] Wally Amos is someone who broke barriers, 757 00:40:15,750 --> 00:40:19,667 who realized his passion, and he never let that fire 758 00:40:19,667 --> 00:40:22,875 and entrepreneurial spirit within him be snuffed out. 759 00:40:22,875 --> 00:40:25,625 He opened the door for so many other 760 00:40:25,625 --> 00:40:29,500 very niche bakeries today that just sell 761 00:40:29,500 --> 00:40:32,750 one specific thing, like Mrs. Fields. 762 00:40:32,750 --> 00:40:36,625 - [Beth] Debbi Fields gave America food stores at malls. 763 00:40:36,625 --> 00:40:39,958 She should really be up there with the Ray Krocs 764 00:40:39,958 --> 00:40:43,542 of the world who are hailed for being these pioneers. 765 00:40:43,542 --> 00:40:46,208 Debbi Fields is a pioneer. 766 00:40:46,208 --> 00:40:48,208 - [Narrator] Today, Debbi Fields remains involved 767 00:40:48,208 --> 00:40:51,917 in Mrs. Fields as a consultant and board member, 768 00:40:51,917 --> 00:40:54,958 with an estimated net worth of $200 million. 769 00:40:56,375 --> 00:40:59,208 But her success, along with Wally Amos's, 770 00:40:59,208 --> 00:41:01,625 wouldn't be possible without the visionaries 771 00:41:01,625 --> 00:41:04,542 who paved the way, like the Loose brothers, 772 00:41:04,542 --> 00:41:07,042 whose revolutionary chocolate sandwich cookie 773 00:41:07,042 --> 00:41:11,083 kicked off a fierce rivalry that led to the Oreo, 774 00:41:11,083 --> 00:41:13,375 which now accounts for 10% 775 00:41:13,375 --> 00:41:16,542 of all cookie sales in grocery stores. 776 00:41:16,542 --> 00:41:19,208 - Oreo continues to come out with new flavors, 777 00:41:19,208 --> 00:41:23,333 and every time a new flavor of Oreo hits the universe, 778 00:41:23,333 --> 00:41:25,417 they sell out in two seconds. 779 00:41:25,417 --> 00:41:27,000 People go bananas. 780 00:41:27,125 --> 00:41:29,708 - [Narrator] And the Oreo's dominance of prepackaged cookies 781 00:41:29,708 --> 00:41:32,833 led Ruth Wakefield to create her groundbreaking 782 00:41:32,833 --> 00:41:35,708 home-baked chocolate chip cookie. 783 00:41:35,708 --> 00:41:39,042 - [Jason] This is one of those things that just went beyond 784 00:41:39,042 --> 00:41:42,125 any possible conception of growth 785 00:41:42,125 --> 00:41:45,083 and of exposure and success. 786 00:41:45,083 --> 00:41:48,208 The Toll House cookie took over the world. 787 00:41:48,208 --> 00:41:50,792 - [Narrator] Which triggered Nabisco to fight back 788 00:41:50,792 --> 00:41:53,875 with what became America's bestselling brand 789 00:41:53,875 --> 00:41:56,500 of chocolate chip cookie, Chips Ahoy. 790 00:41:56,500 --> 00:41:58,625 - [Edward] At this point, nothing was gonna slow down 791 00:41:58,625 --> 00:42:00,083 Chips Ahoy's growth. 792 00:42:00,083 --> 00:42:01,875 - [Narrator] In just over a hundred years, 793 00:42:01,875 --> 00:42:04,833 these pioneers helped prepackaged cookies 794 00:42:04,833 --> 00:42:07,875 evolve from non-existent into a roughly 795 00:42:07,875 --> 00:42:11,125 $40 billion a year global industry. 796 00:42:11,125 --> 00:42:13,708 - [Adam] One way or another, there is a cookie for you 797 00:42:13,708 --> 00:42:17,375 that appeals to your personal taste, home-baked chewy, 798 00:42:17,375 --> 00:42:21,792 or hard, brittle, and jam-packed with chocolate. 799 00:42:21,792 --> 00:42:23,708 And that is why undeniably, 800 00:42:23,708 --> 00:42:25,875 you can't talk about the foods that built America 801 00:42:25,875 --> 00:42:27,792 without talking about the iconic cookie.