# Kentucky Fried Chicken --\> KFC **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2001, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325 "2001-04-09T05:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KwikStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47c2d/32.png) [@KwikStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KwikStah)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/1 "2001-04-09T05:37:32Z")
Why did Kentucky Fried Chicken decide to start promoting itself as KFC? My friend says that it’s a “well-known fact” that KFC now uses “genetically engineered chickens,” and since they’re not real chickens, the company doesn’t advertise itself as Kentucky Fried Chicken. Of course, I dismiss this hypothesis as absurd… ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/2 "2001-04-09T05:41:10Z")
That is, indeed, absurd. It’s disproven at [http://www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com) , but I’m too lazy to find exactly where. The real reason is that fried food kills people, while KFC is just 3 simple letters. People on health kicks avoid fried food like the plauge, but they’ll go to a bunch of initials for a tender roast every once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/3 "2001-04-09T05:52:32Z")
Here’s the actual link > **[Does KFC Use Mutant Chickens?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kfc-mutant-chickens/)** > > Urban legends about mutated KFC meat are good for a laugh, but the chain does not use meat derived from eight-legged genetic monstrosities. You have an old one. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/4 "2001-04-09T05:57:21Z")
Snopes is your friend…repeat after me, “Snopes is my friend”. Trust me, if you hear goofy stuff like that, if you look at Snopes you will further yourself and prove your friends wrong with goofy stuff like that. Oh and further people on the SDMB from having another eye rolling session. 😉 Some of us here have very strong eyeballs, we could tow a bus with them over the “Urban Legends” that get repeated over and over again…so repeat after me, “Snopes is my friend.” 😉 Sorry I couldn’t resist, Earthlink was giving me a VERY hard time and well this just struck me as silly since an hour of signing on at 12000 kps really had me in psychotic stitches. 😉 > **[Snopes.com](https://www.snopes.com)** > > The definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/5 "2001-04-09T05:59:17Z")
er 12000 bps…sheesh I wish I had some sense of sanity right now. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha \< going crazy now \> ---
**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/6 "2001-04-09T15:35:48Z")
I love this question! 😉 Seriously, though, this is a perfect example of an Urban Legend, and a good introduction to thinking critically (read: being skeptical) about such things. Read the article, then read every other article on SNOPES. ---
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/7 "2001-04-09T15:44:55Z")
As has been noted, and to sum up, the word the restaurant chain is wanting people to avoid thinking about is “fried,” not “chicken.” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/8 "2001-04-09T15:58:20Z")
…I live PDC (pretty damn close) to Louisville, KY, which is where the corporate HQ is located. I remember this from a few years ago. Little town, so ANYTHING makes news (for instance, the Kentucky Derby’s coming up in about a month. They recently devoted valuable air time during the local news to discuss what HATS would be worn to the race). KFC DID change its name because they wanted to steer away from the Fried reference, but that’s not the only reason. Everyone in this area referred to at as “KFC” for as long as I can remember. It’s a lot quicker to say, and it takes up less space advertising, too. The signs in front of the place, and the ads that they run, are more cost effective, since they don’t have to print “Kentucky Fried Chicken” on each one. In fact, a quick phone call to Tricon, the parent company, comfirmed this (I spoke with Patricia Carnes) ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/9 "2001-04-09T16:24:05Z")
Hey, cool! This thread now completes a personal hat trick. I have now heard that Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC because: a) they couldn’t use the word “Kentucky” in their name (because “Kentucky” is copyrighted by the state of the same name); b) they couldn’t use the word “Fried” in their name (because their chicken is pre-cooked); and now c) they couldn’t use the word “Chicken” in their name (because they use genetically-engineered chicken-like meat). Luckily all these problems came to a head at once, otherwise we would have been treated to the intermediate names of “K Fried Chicken” and “KF Chicken.” Someone also told me that KFC couldn’t refer to Colonel Sanders as “Colonel Sanders” because of lawsuit problems with his heirs, and that’s why he’s referred to as “the Colonel” in their commercials. Do I get an additional point for that? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/10 "2001-04-09T17:54:35Z")
Really? Cool, this is all news to me. See, I had heard that they shortened the name because they actually got the chickens from Kalifornia. The problem was that the test groups didn’t like eating serial killing chickens. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/11 "2001-04-09T18:07:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KwikStah \* > \*\*My friend says that it’s a “well-known fact” that KFC now uses “genetically engineered chickens,” and since they’re not real chickens, the company doesn’t advertise itself as Kentucky Fried Chicken. \*\* If this were true than KFC is just easier to deal with than Kentucky Fried Genetically Engineered Bio-Mass ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/12 "2001-04-09T18:20:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Milossarian \* > \*\*As has been noted, and to sum up, the word the restaurant chain is wanting people to avoid thinking about is “fried,” not “chicken.” \*\* Indeed. The verb “to fry” does not properly refer to a cooking process that occurs inside a pressure cooker. ---
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/13 "2001-04-09T21:11:40Z")
_But_, AHunter, I don’t think they wanted to have people avoid thinking about “fried” in the spirit of accuracy. Our culture has come to view fried foods as unhealthy. They’re trying to avoid that sort of connection, so people don’t instead choose a much healthier fast food option, like a Big Mac or a Whopper with cheese. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/14 "2001-04-09T21:33:33Z")
I miss the old commercials in which someone was singing (in an accent), “Keeeyen-tucky Fraaaahhhd Chicken!” Say, do they still have buckets? ---
**Author:** ![Lego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@Lego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lego)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/15 "2001-04-10T01:14:18Z")
It stands for Kentucky Fried Chimpanzee. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/16 "2001-04-10T14:13:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*Say, do they still have buckets? \*\* Yep. Also, KFC is trying to lure the Vancouver Grizzlies to Louisville, under the condition that they become the Kentucky Colonels. [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2001/03/23/grizzlies\_business\_ap/](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2001/03/23/grizzlies_business_ap/) The stadium would be named “The Bucket”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/17 "2001-04-10T14:21:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Superdude \* > it takes up less space advertising, too. Off-topic, but: I remember an interview once (long ago) with the marketing genius who was behind the revival of Yes and other bands in the mid-80s. He was being asked why all of his bands (sorry I can’t think of any other examples off the top of my head) had such short names. He answered, simply, that the shorter the name, the bigger the letters could be. “You can see a poster for Yes from down the street,” he said, or words to this effect. “How far away can you be and still read ‘The Fabulous Thunderbirds’?” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/18 "2001-04-10T14:45:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gigi \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > > \*\*Say, do they still have buckets? \*\* > > Yep. Also, KFC is trying to lure the Vancouver Grizzlies to Louisville, under the condition that they become the Kentucky Colonels. [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2001/03/23/grizzlies\_business\_ap/](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2001/03/23/grizzlies_business_ap/) The stadium would be named “The Bucket”. 🙂 \*\* Louisville lost out on that to Memphis, Tennessee. Which is good, I guess. The feedback in the Louisville area (where I live) was horrendous. No one liked to think that the name of the arena would be the Bucket. And quite a few thought that renaming the team to the Colonels was a bad idea, too (to answer an earlier post, KFC does still call Colonal Sanders by name. There is no litigation or other disagreements between Sanders’ estate and the company. That is also from Patricia Carnes, the spokesperson I talked to at Tricon). ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-fried-chicken-kfc/61325/19 "2001-04-12T05:41:00Z")
I was always tickled by Roger Zelazny’s alternate-universe KFC in his first _Amber_ book: Kentucki Fried Lizzard Partes…