Ever thought how Elmer’s Glue came to be?

“No,” said senior Diego Garcia.

It started with the Borden Company, a dairy business.

The Borden company created Elmer’s glue with its original name being Cascorez Glue. Elmer’s glue became an instant hit amongst the public. The liquid glue was easier to use than paste and the white color was more popular than the other glues on the market which were clear. In contrast to other glues on the market, Borden’s glue spread nicely and dried clear. On top of that, it wasn’t permanent and worked perfectly for school.

“I never really thought about it being white and drying down clear,” stated senior Jasmine Finley.

Since Elmer’s initial launch in 1947, they have continued to adapt. From glass bottle to its squeezable plastic bottle and staple orange bullet shaped top, the company has heeded its customers complaints. And now almost 75 years later, Elmer’s Glue remains a staple of classrooms.

Due to the company’s strong affiliation with the dairy business, it comes as no surprise that Elmer’s glue mascot is a bull named Elmer. The Borden company learned the importance of campaigning with their milk products as milk in the early 20th century often carried disease. And as Borden became one of the first dairies to start producing pasteurized milk, they needed a way to convince people that it was worth it in price and in safety.

That when they decided to create a friendly image to convey a feeling of trust. Two men by the names of Stuart Peabody and Walter Early came up with Elsie the cow in the mid 1930s. The brown cow with kind eyes and a welcoming face soon became popular.

A survey conducted two years after Elsie’s launch showed that around 98 percent of Americans recognized her. Two years after Elsie’ release, she got a husband and became part of an all-American family.

Her husband is Elmer and he was introduced in 1940 with their children, Beulah and Beauregard in 1957. Elsie’s home life was featured a lot in Borden advertising with Elmer always fixing things up for Elsie. And soon Elmer’s face became a face that could be shown on a household product with it still fitting the Borden story line.

The glue found in stores today still has Elmer’s face on it, but it does bring up an important question: What happened to his wife and kids?