When he first appeared on Barilla product labels and advertisements, the Barilla Boy was seen cracking a giant egg into a trough of flour - showing Barilla's roots as Italy's finest pasta and bread maker. As the Barilla family expanded its time-honored expertise to more areas of Italian cooking, the boy's duties grew to match. Today, he hefts giant tomatoes for Barilla's collection of authentic Italian sauces.
The Barilla Boy was brought to life in 1910 by Ettore Vernizzi, an artist living in Parma. In Vernizzi's day, pasta, like many other products, was sold loose, by weight. How could shopkeepers and their customers tell one brand from another without packages? To help people recognize and remember their brands, companies like Barilla would send store owners wall and pocket calendars, notepads, posters, postcards - even mirrors and table centerpieces. Vernizzi developed the Barilla Boy - a baker's helper - as a recognizable image from as far back as the 19th century. Vernizzi gave him a modern spin by giving him a happy smile.
Pictured emptying the yoke of a large egg into a kneading trough full of flour, the boy represented the freshness and homemade quality of Barilla products. He soon became the star of Barilla's wide variety of materials and the symbol of Barilla throughout Italy. And because many people couldn't read, the earliest materials contained very few words. Later, words were added to describe various Barilla products.
The hard-working Barilla Boy's appearance changed over time. In his original incarnation, he was fair-haired and sported red shorts and a pale blue jacket (as he appears now on jars of Barilla sauces). Later, the colors of his clothes and hair changed, and he even had his head replaced by a photograph! No matter where or when he appeared, the Barilla Boy represented homemade quality and Barilla's roots as Italy's finest pasta and bread maker.
Today, the Barilla Boy remains a symbol of the Barilla family's nearly 130-year passion for making the perfect Italian meal, and this commitment to quality makes Barilla the choice of both Italy and the United States. So it's only natural that the Barilla Boy is making his American debut on jars of Barilla Sauce. Look for him in your favorite food store soon!
