# The Wonder Bread Giant **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 7, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359 "2013-06-07T05:47:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/1 "2013-06-07T05:47:25Z")
Several years ago, my Grandma told me about a man known as the “Wonder Bread Giant.” He was apparently some sort of mascot for Wonder Bread. I don’t know exactly how tall he was, but I’m quite certain that he was over 7 feet–my impression is 7’ 4", but I’m not sure. I have tried to learn more about him, but Wikipedia, rather astonishingly, doesn’t have an article. I’ve tried Googling his nickname, lists of tallest people, and everything else I can think of, but no significant results. About the only thing I’ve found at all was a comment somewhere written by someone who had seen him at some event. Does anybody know his real name, or anything else about him? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/2 "2013-06-07T12:48:49Z")
Maybe she (or you) was misremembering, and was really thinking about the [Jolly Green Giant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Giant)? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/3 "2013-06-07T19:41:56Z")
Or maybe she was a pro wrestling fan and was referring to [Andre the Giant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_the_giant). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/4 "2013-06-07T19:55:44Z")
Or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/5 "2013-06-08T02:38:36Z")
No, there’s no way that it could be a case of mistaken identity. Somewhere–and of course I can’t find it now that I want it–my family has a picture of this man dressed in sort of a baker’s work uniform. The only concrete mention of him that I have been able to find on the internet is on this page. Scroll down to the top comment. [http://skarlet.hubpages.com/hub/Acromegaly-Gigantism](http://skarlet.hubpages.com/hub/Acromegaly-Gigantism) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/6 "2013-06-08T03:08:31Z")
I too have vague memories of a “wonder bread” giant. I would estimate he must have flourished during the Kennedy administration. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/7 "2013-06-08T03:12:49Z")
Never heard of a Wonder Bread man. Maybe it was that tire mascot, a being made from tires? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/8 "2013-06-08T03:44:41Z")
Wonder Bread has been around for a long time, and changed ownership several times also. There were plenty of opportunities to have an advertising campaign with a giant in it. Their slogan was something like “Building bodies in 12 different way”, so using a giant to demonstrate the growing ability of the product would make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/9 "2013-06-08T14:48:32Z")
Was he purple and crashing through walls and going, “Oh, yeah!” ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/10 "2013-06-08T18:45:55Z")
[Wonder Bread used as a steroid substitute](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3169/2609307557_31c4b515d4.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/11 "2013-06-08T18:53:57Z")
[Here’s another reference](http://www.ourseton.org/blog-entry/mr-westhoff/ramp). Apparently he was quite real. > [@](#): > > Heading back west we come to a building that is some town government place. It used to be the grocery store. The best memory from this store was the time the Wonder Bread Giant visited and gave away little loaves of Wonder Bread. I’m living proof that Wonder Bread helps build strong bodies 12 ways! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/12 "2013-06-08T19:22:18Z")
So that’s **flyer** , me and two guys on the Internet who remember him… ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/13 "2013-06-08T19:39:12Z")
Was it the Wonder Bread He Man? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/14 "2013-06-08T20:59:04Z")
My wife remembers him too, a really big, tall white guy in a white and red uniform of some kind. Definitely **not** the Wonder Bread He-Man. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/15 "2013-06-09T23:01:09Z")
I’m wanting to say he was called “Chris, the Wonder Giant.” He was on either Captain Kangaroo, as a guest, or else on some local children’s show in about 1966, at least. I remember meeting/seeing him at some store. Don’t remember his face, tho, or his uniform. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/16 "2013-06-09T23:15:35Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > I’m wanting to say he was called “Chris, the Wonder Giant.” It seems you’re right! > [@](#): > > Back in the mid 1960’s, it was Kris the Wonder Giant who walked the streets of Victoria, according to the personal testimony of Mike Wartman, former resident of Victoria and long standingcolumnist for the Victoria Gazette. That Wonder Giant was a spokes-man for white ready-sliced Wonder Bread. > **[Page Title](http://www.victoriagazette.com/July2009/index_Page326.htm)** And [this!](http://www.salvatorebasile.com/blog/?p=117) > [@](#): > > My sister and I still remember the day that Kris the Wonder Giant came to the store on a publicity tour. Kris was indeed close to seven feet tall, a genial German fellow who came to the store wearing a white baker’s uniform topped by a chef’s toque. He spent an afternoon giving out miniature loaves, patiently posing for photos with gawkers, and hoisting the smallest children on to his shoulder for a thrill. (I was one of those kids. Atop Kris’ shoulder, I think I could see into Herkimer County.) I don’t remember, but my sister does, that at the end of his stint a Wonder Bread factotum pulled up to take him to his next booking . . . driving a Volkswagen Beetle. Poor Kris. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/17 "2013-06-09T23:25:25Z")
And [here](http://newspaperarchive.com/daily-journal/1964-07-08/page-5) we see a newspaper ad from Fergus Falls, MN on July 8, 1964 touting an upcoming visit of Kris the Wonder Giant to the local Piggly Wiggly. Ditto for an appearance at [another locale](http://newspaperarchive.com/greeley-daily-tribune/1963-06-06/page-26) on June 6th, 1963. Sadly, doing an image search for Kris the Wonder Giant hasn’t produced a pic yet. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/18 "2013-06-10T01:55:36Z")
I did a web search for “picture of kris the wonder bread giant” and came up with [=wonder%20bread&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=26"]this picture]([Photobucket | Make your memories fun!](http://media.photobucket.com/user/VickiPerri/media/WonderBreadGiantatWestSideGrocery.jpg.html?filters)[term). Oddly…it’s in someone photobucket of Wonder Bread pictures. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/19 "2013-06-10T02:00:52Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > I did a web search for “picture of kris the wonder bread giant” and came up with [=wonder%20bread&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=26"]this picture]([Photo Storage](http://media.photobucket.com/user/VickiPerri/media/WonderBreadGiantatWestSideGrocery.jpg.html?filters)[term). > > Oddly..it’s in someone photobucket of Wonder Bread pictures. Good job! We have a thread winner! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359/20 "2013-06-10T03:00:05Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > I…came up with [=wonder%20bread&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=26"]this picture]([Photo Storage](http://media.photobucket.com/user/VickiPerri/media/WonderBreadGiantatWestSideGrocery.jpg.html?filters)[term). Huzzah!! Gee, looking at him brings absolutely no memories of him back to me… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonder-bread-giant/660359.md?page=2)