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William “Bill” Post, who helped create Pop-Tarts, the pantry staple that reinvented breakfast for the masses, has died. He was 96.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that William ‘Bill’ Post passed away over the weekend,” Pop-Tarts owner Kellanova said in a statement. “He played an important role in co-creating the iconic Pop-Tarts brand and we are grateful to Bill for his legacy and lasting contributions to our company.”
The Michigan man helped create the first toaster pastry for the former Hekman Biscuit Company, which later became Keebler, in the early 1960s. Pop-Tarts, originally called a “Fruit Scone,” came about when a group of Kellogg executives visited the plant that he managed, looking for ideas for a new snack.
“They had, like, a piece of pie, shape of a slice of bread, fork marks around the edge [and] two pieces of dough with some filling in it,” Post recalls in a promotional video about recent visit he made to the factory he worked in. “They said ‘We have this idea. We’d like to put that in a toaster.’”
He took the piece of pie with him and said he “had to break every rule in the book” to create Pop-Tarts. The original test run of 45,000 cases of each flavor (strawberry, blueberry, brown sugar cinnamon and apple-currant), first sold in Cleveland, “blew off the shelves.”
To make it easier to ship, Post thought of freezing them despite concerns they would melt in the toaster when heated (they obviously didn’t). In the following few years, frosting and sprinkles were added and Kellogg created “Milton the Toaster” to be its mascot.
Kellanova, which recently split off from Kellogg, makes 7 million Pop-Tarts a day that generate nearly $1 billion in yearly sales for the company. The breakfast staple, which turns 60 years old this year, recently went viral for being the first “edible mascot” at a college football bowl game.
“Just try anything. There is no idea that’s too crazy,” Post said. “If somebody tells you you can’t do it. Show them you can.”
Post, who served in the Army in occupied Japan before his career, worked in various roles for Keebler and tried to retire at 56. However, he “could not turn down Kellogg’s request to be their consultant” and stayed in the role for another two decades, according to his obituary.
“He was asked to tell the Pop Tart story to young people in countless classrooms and always enjoyed accommodating those requests, giving his testimony of God’s goodness to ‘the son of an immigrant,’ and bringing some of his unending supply of Pop-Tarts with him,” the obit said.
He was also humble about helping create Pop-Tarts. “I assembled an amazing team that developed Kellogg’s concept of a shelf-stable toaster pastry into a fine product that we could bring to market in the span of just four months,” Post said per the obit.
Post leaves behind two children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His wife, Florence, died in 2020.
