# What's the deal with Red Baron pizza? Why is a German who killed people the mascot of a pizza company? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 26, 2021, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789 "2021-02-26T09:34:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/1 "2021-02-26T09:34:08Z")
His 80 victories including the deaths of over 40 Brits, 7 Canadians and 1 American! And how come we don’t have an Erich Hartmann Pizza?! But more seriously, why did they land on the Red Baron to promote a reheatable pizza anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Enjoy\_Slurm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enjoy_slurm/32/3937_2.png) [@Enjoy\_Slurm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enjoy_Slurm)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/2 "2021-02-26T09:41:57Z")
The Germans are still mad that they lost the war so now they are trolling us by putting the greatest pilot in history on the greatest American food in history. Also Hot Pocket Ice Cream. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/3 "2021-02-26T10:30:25Z")
Bc people weren’t taught about Red Baron in school and they don’t make the connection like they would with Hitler. (They might get away with Erich but that’s not a very catchy name for a pizza company) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/4 "2021-02-26T10:42:23Z")
because the red baron was romanticized after WW1 as being one of the last noble warriors sort of a knight in but riding sn airplane when war was seen as a “gentleman’s honorable pursuit” but from what I’ve read and watched about the man was he was a spoiled whiny and extremely petty noble pretty much how he was portrayed in the movie “the blue max” ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/5 "2021-02-26T10:51:39Z")
Because if the put a caricature of Snoopy on it, MetLife would sue…? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/6 "2021-02-26T11:12:32Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > Because if the put a caricature of Snoopy on it, MetLife would sue…?- Because people would be confused by a beagle pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/7 "2021-02-26T11:14:47Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Because people would be confused by a beagle pizza. Are you [sure…?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02IePc2YkVI&ab_channel=BulldogPundit) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/8 "2021-02-26T11:46:10Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > > [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > > > Because if the put a caricature of Snoopy on it, MetLife would sue…?- > > Because people would be confused by a beagle pizza. Oh, I thought you said a _bagel_ pizza! ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/9 "2021-02-26T11:52:36Z")
…from a quick google: > [@WSJ](#): > > Outside Germany, the colorful moniker is more familiar. > > Americans nationwide can buy Red Baron frozen pizza, named in 1976 because the Red Baron “was well-known in the United States as an ace WWI fighter pilot,” says Chuck Blomberg, spokesman for producer Schwan Food Co. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/snoopy-remembers-the-red-baron-but-few-germans-do-1450057967](https://www.wsj.com/articles/snoopy-remembers-the-red-baron-but-few-germans-do-1450057967) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/10 "2021-02-26T13:04:58Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > But more seriously, why did they land on the Red Baron to promote a reheatable pizza anyway? I’ve long wondered this as well. But it’s not the only case of associating pizza with Germans. When I lived in Salt Lake City, one of the pizza places I used to go to was the _Rathskellar_ ( [Ratskeller - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratskeller) ) It was decorated with Germanic motifs, and pizza was their main dish. Another place that served pizza in a very non-Italian milieu was the Warburton’s restaurant in Boston, which had “traditional British-style” cheddar cheese pizza. Nowhere else have I encountered the claim that Cheddar Cheese pizza was a traditional British dish. I suspect the only “traditional” part of it is that cheddar cheese itself is. Long gone, of course > **[Chowhound - The Site for Food Nerds: Cooking Tips, Culinary How-To's, &...](https://www.chowhound.com/)** > > Chowhound is the site for food nerds - from expert chef tips to culinary how-to's, helpful ingredient lists, baking science, and more. Regarding Red Baron Pizza, the company disavows any connection with Manfred von Richthofen: > [@](#): > > Though Chuck Blomberg, a spokesman for Schwan’s, told The Wall Street Journal in 2015 that the Red Baron pizza logo celebrated the pilot’s “attention to detail” and personification of “strength and romance,” he also emphasized, “Any similarities in appearance between our baron and an actual person would be coincidental” (via Mel Magazine). > **[The Untold Truth Of Red Baron Pizza - Mashed](https://www.mashed.com/234633/the-untold-truth-of-red-baron-pizza/)** > > Red Baron Pizza has been a popular name in frozen pizza for years, but why is a pizza named after a WWI pilot? Read on to learn more about this brand's history. Yeah, right. I believe as much as I believe that Yogi Bear has nothing to do with Yogi Berra, or Baby Ruth has nothing to do with Babe Ruth, or Skippy Peanut Butter has nothing to do with the comic strip Skippy. I mean, how many Red Barons do you know of? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/11 "2021-02-26T13:14:30Z")
I was going to start a line of frozen pie and ice cream you can buy as a combo from the grocery store: General de Santa Anna’s Frozen Desserts. Slogan: Remember the a la mode! I was advised against it. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/12 "2021-02-26T13:16:11Z")
My dad owned a biplane, a Stearman N2S3. In the late 70’s he was approached by the Red Baron pizza company about using it for their advertising. He would have had to change the paint job from the plane’s Navy colors, so he declined. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/13 "2021-02-26T13:16:13Z")
I think it’s the same reason you have “Little Caesar” pizzas. The real Julius Caesar ensalved and sold tens of thousands of people and conquered and killed hundreds of thousands. You get the general mystique of the name/character and little else. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/14 "2021-02-26T13:16:13Z")
I’m sure the brand owes a lot more to Charles Schulz and a Sixties novelty song than it does to any interest in WWI aviation. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/15 "2021-02-26T13:18:10Z")
He wasn’t even red. He was the same pasty white color as most Germans are. This whole concept is off kilter. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/16 "2021-02-26T13:26:46Z")
In Germany, isn’t Richthofen’s nickname closer to the Red Fighter Pilot? (_Der rote Kampfflieger_) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/17 "2021-02-26T13:35:09Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > In Germany, isn’t Richthofen’s nickname closer to the Red Fighter Pilot? ( _Der rote Kampfflieger_ ) No, it’s also the Red Baron, “der rote Baron”. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/18 "2021-02-26T13:44:56Z")
Which I also find confusing since his title in German was _Freiherr_. Is there a difference between a frieherr and a baron or is it like sir and knight in English? ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/19 "2021-02-26T13:52:18Z")
I don’t think Red Baron pizza are precooked. They’re just frozen. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789/20 "2021-02-26T14:02:29Z")
In his final sortie, he was tag-teamed by two allied pilots–one British and one Canadian–while being strafed by a ground-based gunner. I don’t know if Red Baron Pizza delivers, but that’s the never-say-die spirit I would want in my pizza delivery! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-red-baron-pizza-why-is-a-german-who-killed-people-the-mascot-of-a-pizza-company/933789.md?page=2)