Sumith Prasad
In Netflix’s comedy film ‘Unfrosted,’ Friendly Farms Dairy is Kellogg’s milk supplier. Even though Bob Cabana initially treats the company’s milkmen pleasantly, he soon learns that the men in white shirts and pants are part of an underworld milk syndicate. When his efforts to develop a breakfast product that doesn’t need milk progress, Cabana even gets abducted by the milk company’s head. Jerry Seinfeld made his directorial debut with a story that unfolded in real life. However, Harry Friendly and his milk syndicate are not a part of the history of Kellogg’s and the individuals who created Pop-Tarts!
Friendly Farms: The Real and Reel Dairies
Friendly Farms Dairy is a fictional milk company. A milk syndicate never abducted a Kellogg’s employee for developing a breakfast product that doesn’t require milk. However, some of our readers must be familiar with Aldi’s Friendly Farms products. Even though the dairy in the film and the milk company in reality share the same name, they are not related at all. Aldi’s brand was established in 1979, while Kellogg’s launched Pop-Tarts in 1964. The events in the film take place in the early 1960s, and during the same period, Aldi’s brand didn’t exist. The logos of the real and fictional companies also differ significantly.
Seinfeld made ‘Unfrosted’ for kids who love cereal. And like in any kids’ tale, the story demands a villainous character who goes to any lengths to stop the efforts of the good-hearted hero. Even though Marjorie Post is Kellogg’s rival, since she is based on a real person, there are limitations to villainizing her with fictional additions to her storyline. Considering these factors, Friendly Farms Dairy and its members fill the vacuum of the terrible antagonists. Their actions even make Bob Cabana consider abandoning the Pop-Tarts project at one point. And more than any other reason, portraying a group of milkmen as terrifying villains is immensely hilarious.
In reality, milkmen are often associated with goodness. They represent the freshness of mornings as they show up with milk, which energizes a considerable part of the country’s population right away. That’s also why Cabana greets a milkman likely every day before he leaves for work. By making them the bad guys, the film enhances the farcical tone of the narrative, ensuring entertainment. Ultimately, that was the sole concern of Seinfeld and his writers. Even though their subject matter is based on a true story, they decided against committing to historical accuracy for the sake of comedy and entertainment, which explains and justifies the milk company’s creation.
“[Regarding] the characters, the guiding principle was always very simple and just like a ‘Seinfeld’ episode: whatever is funniest. Whatever we think is going to make our audience laugh, that’s the direction we’re going to go,” co-writer Spike Feresten told Eater. William Bill Post, the inspiration behind Cabana, developed Pop-Tarts without getting abducted by any milk company. William E. LaMothe, the head of Kellogg’s during the invention of the toasted pastry, never faced the threat of a milk syndicate as well.
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