# Quaker Oats and William Penn

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quaker-oats-and-william-penn/665516>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 6, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quaker-oats-and-william-penn/665516 "2013-08-06T19:23:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ilcorago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@ilcorago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ilcorago)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quaker-oats-and-william-penn/665516/1 "2013-08-06T19:23:16Z")

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Is that William Penn on the Quaker Oats box? As a proud Philadelphian, I do have to set the record straight. Despite what Quaker Oats says today, early advertisements from the company were proud to associate their breakfast cereal with our beloved Penn. See the March 18, 2013 post here and decide for yourself: [http://phillyflashbacks.wordpress.com/](http://phillyflashbacks.wordpress.com/)

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**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quaker-oats-and-william-penn/665516/2 "2013-08-06T21:15:36Z")

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I’m guessing that you’re referring to this Staff Report?  
[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1553/is-the-guy-on-the-quaker-oats-box-john-penn](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1553/is-the-guy-on-the-quaker-oats-box-john-penn)

And just to make your link a little more precise:  
[http://phillyflashbacks.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/if-it-walks-like-william-penn-talks-like-william-penn-and-looks-like-william-penn/](http://phillyflashbacks.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/if-it-walks-like-william-penn-talks-like-william-penn-and-looks-like-william-penn/)

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quaker-oats-and-william-penn/665516/3 "2013-08-07T21:58:49Z")

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If you eliminate the period hat, the period coat, and the period wig, they don’t look much alike.