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Frangos are HUGE in Seattle. (Native Northwesterner talkin' here.) And
there's nothing else like them, honest. They're not just mint-flavored
chocolates either: they come in all kinds of variations, from rum to
mocha to lemon to peanut butter.<br><br>
Frederick & Nelson is now trying to brand the original chocolates
that became Frangos separately, as "Frederick & Nelson meltaway
truffles":<br>
<a href="http://www.seattlegourmetfoods.com/product_1.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.seattlegourmetfoods.com/product_1.html</a><br><br>
Here's the relevant bit from a siten about F& N that has a version of
how the name originated. The link is <br>
<a href="http://pdxhistory.com.tripod.com/deptstores/fredericknelson/fredericknelson.html" eudora="autourl">http://pdxhistory.com.tripod.com/deptstores/fredericknelson/fredericknelson.html</a><br>
<b>You can’t talk about Frederick & Nelson without mentioning Frangos
melt-in-your mouth chocolates. The exact year of creation and the origin
of the name have been lost to history. According to a trademark document
from the U.S. Patent Office, the name Frango was first officially used on
June 1, 1918. A popular item on the Tearoom Menu was a frozen dessert
called Frango and it was available in maple and orange flavors.<br>
The name probably originated by the combination of Fr from Frederick’s
and the ango from the tango dance craze. In 1926, the consistency of the
Frango Dessert was described as flaky, requiring the use of a fork, not a
spoon, as you would use with ice cream. Eventually the Frango dessert
line included pies, ice cream sodas and milk shakes.<br>
It was decided upon in 1928 or ‘29 that Frederick’s should offer a
chocolate mint truffle. Candy maker Ray Alden is credited with developing
the Frango Mint. His secret recipe called for chocolate from cocoa beans
grown on the African Coast and South America, triple-distilled oil of
Oregon peppermint and 40 percent butter.<br>
A few months after Frederick sold out to <u>Marshall Field’s </u>in 1929,
Frederick’s candy makers in Seattle were summoned to Chicago to introduce
Frango’s to <u>Marshall Field’s</u> to help build slumping sales during
the great depression. Soon the candy kitchen at <u>Marshall Field’s</u>
had produced their own Mid-western interpretation of the Frango Chocolate
recipe.<br><br>
<br>
</b>At 11:59 PM 10/26/03 -0500, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> Were they
"Franco" Mints, and was the name changed for political
purposes? Or is that a myth? Are these really big in
Seattle? Chicago?<br>
There are 1,100 Google hits. ProQuest wasn't much help
here. Again, the Chicago Tribune would've be nice to
have.<br><br>
<br>
(GOOGLE)<br>
<a href="http://mhintze.tripod.com/seattle/frangos.htm" eudora="autourl">http://mhintze.tripod.com/seattle/frangos.htm</a><br>
The Original Frango Mints<br><br>
As everybody from Seattle knows, Frango mints were originally developed
here and were sold in the Frederick & Nelson department stores (that
is, until Frederick's went out of business in 1992 - now they are sold in
the Bon Marche stores). But during the time I spent living on the
east coast, I was stunned to learn that people from other parts of the
country think that Frangos are from Chicago.<br><br>
So to set the record straight, here's the deal with the origin of Frango
mints. Frangos were invented in Seattle around the beginning of the
twentieth century. It was originally a frozen desert (Frango ice
cream) that was served in the Frederick & Nelson tea room, and the
candy form was introduced a few years later.<br><br>
Then, in 1929, Donald Edward Frederick - the surviving co-founder of
F&N - turned 69 and decided to retire. He sold the business to
Marshall Field & Co. for $6 million. Recognizing a good thing
when they bought it, Marshall Field then decided to produce and sell
Frango mints in their flagship store in Chicago. The Frederick
& Nelson subsidiary, meanwhile, continued to produce and sell Frangos
in the Northwest.<br><br>
1n 1982, after mismanaging Frederick's nearly to death, Marshall Field
sold Frederick & Nelson to Batus Inc. (the first of three owners in
its final 10 years - none of which were able to bring F&N back to its
former glory), but they retained the rights to Frangos (and licensed back
to F&N the right to produce and sell Frangos in the
Northwest).<br><br>
<br>
(GOOGLE)<br>
<a href="http://mhintze.tripod.com/seattle/frangos_article.htm" eudora="autourl">http://mhintze.tripod.com/seattle/frangos_article.htm</a><br>
Chicago Sun-Times<br>
Sunday, March 14, 1999, Pg. 4<br><br>
The Bittersweet Truth<br>
by Bryan Smith<br><br>
It is small and square, and when you drop it on your tongue it melts
deliciously, oh-so-slowly into a yummy lump of mint and
chocolate.<br><br>
And, of course, as everyone knows, it is Chicago -- maybe not quite
Wrigley Field and Michael Jordan, but without question a city
institution.<br><br>
Tourists take home boxes as gifts; families give them to friends as
"a taste of Chicago."<br><br>
The Frango Mint belongs to Chicago. Right?<br><br>
Well, there's, er, this other city. Where the treats were invented.
Where they were named. Where they still are made.<br><br>
Call Chicago the home of the Frango there, and they'll look at you
as if you're claiming Starbucks and Microsoft, too.<br><br>
"I love Chicago," says Robert Spector, Seattle resident
and author of The Legend of Frango Chocolate.<br><br>
"You can claim Michael Jordan. You just can't claim Frangos. I
have a lot of friends from Chicago, and I have to set them
straight."<br>
(...)<br><br>
(TRADEMARKS)<br>
Word Mark<br>
FRANGO<br>
Goods and Services<br>
IC 030. US 046. G & S: CANDIES. FIRST USE:
19180601. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19180601<br>
Mark Drawing Code<br>
(1) TYPED DRAWING<br>
Serial Number<br>
73100803<br>
Filing Date<br>
September 22, 1976<br>
Change In Registration<br>
CHANGE IN REGISTRATION HAS OCCURRED<br>
Registration Number<br>
1064058<br>
Registration Date<br>
April 19, 1977<br>
Owner<br>
(REGISTRANT) MARSHALL FIELD & COMPANY CORPORATION DELAWARE 111 NORTH
STATE STREET CHICAGO ILLINOIS 60690<br>
Assignment Recorded<br>
ASSIGNMENT RECORDED<br>
Attorney of Record<br>
L PAUL BURD<br>
Type of Mark<br>
TRADEMARK<br>
Register<br>
PRINCIPAL<br>
Affidavit Text<br>
SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR).<br>
Renewal<br>
1ST RENEWAL 19970529<br>
Live/Dead Indicator<br>
LIVE<br><br>
<br>
(TRADEMARKS)<br>
Record Mark<br>
FRANGO<br>
Goods and Services<br>
IC 030. US 046. G & S: candies, cookie mixes and
cocoa. FIRST USE: 19180601. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE:
19180601<br>
Mark Drawing Code<br>
(1) TYPED DRAWING<br>
Serial Number<br>
74331157<br>
Filing Date<br>
November 16, 1992<br>
Published for Opposition<br>
April 6, 1993<br>
Registration Number<br>
1779123<br>
Registration Date<br>
June 29, 1993<br>
Owner<br>
(REGISTRANT) MARSHALL FIELD & COMPANY CORPORATION DELAWARE 111 North
State Street Chicago ILLINOIS 60690<br>
(LAST LISTED OWNER) TARGET BRANDS, INC. CORPORATION BY ASSIGNMENT, BY
ASSIGNMENT, BY CHANGE OF NAME MINNESOTA 1000 NICOLLET MALL TPS-3165
MINNEJAPLIS MINNESOTA 55403<br>
Assignment Recorded<br>
ASSIGNMENT RECORDED<br>
Attorney of Record<br>
SHAYNE L. BROWN<br>
Prior Registrations<br>
1064058;1279145;1297227<br>
Type of Mark<br>
TRADEMARK<br>
Register<br>
PRINCIPAL<br>
Affidavit Text<br>
SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR). SECTION 8(10-YR) 20030804.<br>
Renewal<br>
1ST RENEWAL 20030804<br>
Live/Dead Indicator<br>
LIVE </blockquote></html>