(NAPSA)—If yow’re into nostalgia, these are good times for you. One doesn’t have to look very far to find familiar, old images in today’s popular culture. It seemslike almost every tele- vision commercial is using music from the ’60s, ’70s or ’80s. Oldies radio stations are hot, and some of the most popular “new” cars are actually remakes of classic models. Ford’s Thunderbird, Chrysler’s PT Cruiser and the new Volkswagen Beetle are but a few examples of nostalgic successes. America’s fondness for the familiar has even affected the food business, prompting manytraditional brandsto revive long lost advertising campaignsandslogans. Even some foods that slipped into the background over the years are experiencing new popu- larity. One prime example is Jiffy Pop, the popcorn that, since 1960, has come in its own pan that growsasit pops. Whenit wasfirst introduced, it was the most innovative thing in popcorn. Millions of people saw the company’s TV commercials in the ’60s and ’70s and Jiffy Pop’s sales grew faster than the pan on the stove. While the introduction of improved popcorn poppers and the invention of microwave popcorn slowed sales a bit, Jiffy Pop found new markets with campers, hikers and others who wanted to enjoy fresh popcorn even when a microwave wasn’t handy. Distribution of Jiffy Pop has recently been increasing far beyond outdoor-oriented customers. Many parents want to share the experience of making the popcorn that’s “as much fun to make as it is to eat” with their children. The popularity of an old-style popper is once again heating up on stoves across America. In response to the renewed popularity of Jiffy Pop, ConAgra Foods, Jiffy Pop’s parent company, has made a few changes to update the product. The company has changed the variety of popcorn used to give Jiffy Pop the bigger, fluffier kernels that people love in microwave popcorn. Perhaps more importantly to popcorn fans, they've added a new flavor—Kettle Corn, which comes in a new black, epoxy-coated pan that pops much faster and leaves fewer un-popped kernels. “Tt’s a lot like the ‘new’ nostalgic cars,” according to a company spokesman, “Jiffy Pop has been improved to appeal to today’s tastes, while keeping the tradition alive.” For the foreseeable future, it looks like Americanswill still gobble up (figuratively and literally) anything that brings back pleasant memories from thepast. For more information on Jiffy Pop andits history, consumers can visit the Web site at www.con agrafoods.com.
