Parkay
An American margarine brand known for spreadable, sprayable, and squeezable products and for its advertising dialogue between a consumer and a talking package.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Parkay is an American margarine brand introduced in 1937. It was developed and sold within the Kraft business for most of the twentieth century before becoming part of ConAgra Foods in 1999. The brand occupies the consumer-spread segment of the food market, offering margarine in formats designed for different household uses, including conventional spreadable products, sprayable products, and squeezable products. The brand's early history is tied to National Dairy Products Corporation, which made and sold Parkay under the Kraft name from its introduction through 1969. After corporate reorganizations, the brand passed through Kraftco Corporation, Kraft, Inc., Kraft General Foods, Inc., and Nabisco Brands, Inc. before its acquisition by ConAgra Foods in 1999. These changes reflected shifts in the ownership and organization of major American packaged-food businesses rather than a change in Parkay's basic category positioning. Parkay became especially distinctive through advertising. During the 1940s and 1950s, it was a long-term sponsor of the radio program The Great Gildersleeve. Beginning in 1973, the brand developed a highly recognizable television campaign centered on a mechanically animated package that appeared to speak. The package repeatedly asserted the word “Parkay” while a human actor associated the product's creamy texture and buttery flavor with “butter.” The comic argument usually ended with the taster acknowledging the buttery taste, followed by the package's emphatic response: “Parkay.” The campaign gave the brand a memorable personality and turned its packaging into a recurring advertising character. Variations of the campaign appeared across different years and audiences. A 1973 execution used a household kitchen setting and the familiar verbal exchange between a consumer and a Parkay package. A 1975 version used a Latino character and incorporated the Spanish word for butter, “mantequilla.” A 1976 commercial featured Todd Bridges alongside another child actor, while other versions featured performers including Vic Tayback and Mel Stewart. The concept was also parodied by The Electric Company, demonstrating how recognizable the talking-package device had become in popular culture. Parkay's advertising language was later referenced in Gang Starr's 1993 hip-hop single “DWYCK.” Parkay's identity therefore rests on two linked elements: a familiar household margarine product and a long-running communication strategy that emphasized butter-like taste while maintaining the distinction between margarine and butter. The brand is associated primarily with the United States and remains identified with multiple convenient product formats.
History
Parkay was introduced in 1937 as a margarine brand associated with Kraft. Its early manufacturing and marketing history was connected to National Dairy Products Corporation, which made and sold the product under the Kraft brand name from 1937 until 1969. Parkay subsequently remained within a succession of Kraft-related corporate structures: Kraftco Corporation from 1969 to 1976, Kraft, Inc. from 1976 to 1990, Kraft General Foods, Inc. from 1990 to 1995, and Nabisco Brands, Inc. from 1995 to 1999. The brand's early public profile was supported by broadcast advertising. In the 1940s and 1950s, Parkay was a long-term sponsor of the radio program The Great Gildersleeve. This association placed the product within the era's household-oriented radio sponsorship model, in which packaged-food brands built familiarity through recurring entertainment programming. Parkay's most recognizable advertising identity emerged in 1973. The brand introduced commercials featuring a mechanically animated, talking Parkay package. The basic structure was a comic dispute between a human consumer and the package: the consumer insisted that the product was Parkay, while the package repeatedly responded with the word “butter.” After tasting the margarine, the consumer typically acknowledged its buttery flavor, prompting the package to reclaim its identity by saying “Parkay.” The campaign's central message connected the product's creamy texture and buttery taste with the category distinction between margarine and butter. The advertising concept was adapted over several years. The 1973 commercial used a household setting and a square Parkay container. A 1975 execution featured a Latino man and used “mantequilla,” the Spanish word for butter, as part of the exchange. A 1976 commercial included Todd Bridges and another child actor. Other versions used performers such as Vic Tayback and Mel Stewart. The campaign also generated radio jingles, including versions associated with performers such as Thurl Ravenscroft. Its cultural visibility was reinforced when The Electric Company spoofed the talking-food-package idea, with Skip Hinnant providing the voice of the food product. In 1999, Parkay was purchased by ConAgra Foods. The acquisition ended its period under Nabisco ownership and placed the brand within ConAgra's packaged-food portfolio. Parkay has been offered in several formats, including spreadable, sprayable, and squeezable forms. The brand's history combines continuity in its core margarine category with changes in corporate ownership and packaging formats. Its best-known historical asset remains the animated-package advertising campaign, whose “Parkay” and “butter” exchange became a durable part of the brand's identity and was later referenced in Gang Starr's 1993 song “DWYCK.”
- 1999
ConAgra Foods acquires Parkay
[1]ConAgra Foods, Inc. purchases the Parkay brand from Nabisco Brands, Inc.
- 1995
Parkay becomes associated with Nabisco Brands
[1]Parkay moves into the Nabisco Brands, Inc. ownership period.
- 1993
Parkay's slogan is referenced in popular music
[1]The brand's advertising phrase is referenced in Gang Starr's hip-hop single “DWYCK.”
- 1990
Parkay enters the Kraft General Foods period
[1]The brand becomes associated with Kraft General Foods, Inc.
- 1976
Parkay becomes part of Kraft, Inc.
[1]Parkay is sold under Kraft, Inc. after another corporate reorganization.
- 1973
The talking-package campaign begins
[1]Parkay launches its long-running advertising concept featuring a mechanically animated package that says “Parkay” during a humorous argument about butter.
- 1969
Production moves to Kraftco Corporation
[1]Following a corporate transition, Parkay becomes associated with Kraftco Corporation.
- 1937
Parkay is introduced
[1]Parkay is introduced as a margarine brand made and sold under the Kraft name by National Dairy Products Corporation.
Products and positioning
A mainstream household margarine brand positioned around creamy texture, buttery flavor, and convenient product formats.
Margarine
Parkay spreadable margarine
The conventional spreadable form of Parkay, intended for household use as a butter substitute or spread. Its historical advertising emphasized a creamy texture and buttery taste while identifying the product as margarine.
Margarine
Parkay sprayable margarine
A sprayable format designed to distribute margarine over food or cooking surfaces. It represents Parkay's extension beyond a traditional tub or solid spread into a more convenient application format.
Margarine
Parkay squeezable margarine
A squeezable version of the brand designed for controlled dispensing. The format broadens Parkay's household use cases while retaining its core identity as a margarine product.
Marketing campaigns
- 1976Todd Bridges talking-package commercial
United States
A commercial featuring Todd Bridges and another child actor uses the established dispute between a consumer and a talking Parkay package.
Outcome. Extended the campaign's cast and continued its use of recognizable performers.
- 1975Mantequilla talking-package execution
United States
A Spanish-language variation features a Latino man whose package uses “mantequilla,” the Spanish word for butter, within the familiar comic argument.
Outcome. Adapted the established campaign concept for a Spanish-language and Latino-oriented execution.
- 1973Talking Parkay package
United States
A mechanically animated Parkay package argues with a human actor over whether the product tastes like butter. The recurring exchange ends with the package saying “Parkay” after the consumer acknowledges the buttery flavor.
Outcome. Created Parkay's most recognizable advertising character and slogan structure.
- 1940The Great Gildersleeve sponsorship
United States
Parkay was a long-term sponsor of The Great Gildersleeve during the 1940s and 1950s, using radio entertainment to build household brand familiarity.
Outcome. Established Parkay as a recognizable consumer-food advertiser during the golden age of radio.
Brand decisions
1999
Transfer of Parkay to ConAgra FoodsM&ABackground
Parkay had been held by Nabisco Brands, Inc. since 1995.
Action taken
ConAgra Foods, Inc. purchased the Parkay brand in 1999.
Aftermath
Parkay continued as a ConAgra Foods margarine brand and remained available in spreadable, sprayable, and squeezable formats.
1973
Adopt the talking-package brand characterStrategyBackground
Parkay sought a memorable way to communicate a buttery taste while retaining its identity as margarine.
Action taken
The brand introduced commercials in which a mechanically animated package verbally challenged consumers over the product's identity and flavor.
Aftermath
The device became Parkay's signature advertising concept and was adapted for multiple performers, settings, and languages.
Recent events
- 1999
Parkay is acquired by ConAgra Foods[1]
M&A
Ownership of the Parkay brand passes from Nabisco Brands, Inc. to ConAgra Foods, Inc.
- 1973
Parkay launches its talking-package advertising campaign[1]
Campaign
Parkay begins a long-running advertising campaign featuring a mechanically animated package that humorously argues with consumers about whether the product tastes like butter.
- 1940
Parkay becomes associated with The Great Gildersleeve[1]
Campaign
During the 1940s and 1950s, Parkay serves as a long-term sponsor of the radio program The Great Gildersleeve.
- 1937
Parkay is introduced as a Kraft-associated margarine brand[1]
Product launch
Parkay is introduced and made and sold under the Kraft brand name by National Dairy Products Corporation.
Sources1 sources
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