A chance encounter with "Bimbo Bread" prompted Laura Payne to explore the history of the word (and the bread):
It wasn't until I turned the loaf over that I realized the brand's first vowel is meant to be pronounced as /i:/ and not /I/.
The parent company is Bimbo Bakeries USA, part of Grupo Bimbo, based in Mexico. But they have chosen for their brand name a word with Italian heritage and connotations...
"Bimbo" is a common nice word, used as a diminutive of (male) child.It's interesting that the word evolved in this country to mean a foolish person/woman - presumably implying a child-like mental status.
Child = Bambino = Bimbo.
Photo (cropped from the original) and text from A Walk in the Words.
Bimbo bread sponsors Philadelphia Union soccer team. The players have the word 'Bimbo' on their shirts, and this amuses me.
ReplyDeleteBimbo has kinda been a mainstay of Latino markets, smaller markets and corner groceries here in Chicago forever. I would have never thought it came from Italy though, I always thought this was a Mexican company.
ReplyDeleteThe word "bimbo" may have Italian origins but the Bimbo corporation is based in Mexico.
ReplyDeleteYou're quite correct:
DeleteAlthough many of its brands can trace their histories back to the late 1800s or early 1900s, Bimbo Bakeries USA’s origins as a company began in 1994 when Grupo Bimbo, its parent company, purchased La Hacienda, a tortilla company in California. Bimbo Bakeries USA then entered the U.S. bread market in 1997 with the acquisition of Pacific Pride Bakeries of San Diego.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grupo_Bimbo
In Britain "bimbo" means a woman who is pretty but not very clever.
ReplyDeleteIn North Texas, Bimbo Bakeries bought out Mrs. Baird's Bread, a noted company.
ReplyDelete