8 Cheesy Throwback Facts About Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. The one and only. The tall blue box has long been recognized as a symbol of childhood mealtime happiness. You may be surprised to learn that this meal has an endearing history, with more bizarre facts than you might imagine.

To celebrate all the cheesy goodness of Kraft, here are eight facts you probably didn’t know about your favorite mac and cheese.

1. Kraft Sells One Million Boxes Of Mac And Cheese A Day

No wonder Kraft is one of the most profitable companies in the country if their sales are that astronomical. They’re lucky we’re all addicted to their cheesy goodness.

2. The Record For Eating An Entire Box Of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Is One Minute, 2.14 Seconds

This number is both impressive and nauseating all at once. Set by a speed eater in April of 2014…we do not suggest you attempt to beat this record, for your own personal safety.

3. There Are Over 50 Varieties Of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

There’s not just “The Cheesiest." For a more elegant palate try flavors such as buffalo cheddar, garlic & herb alfredo, grilled cheese explosion, veggie pasta, and organic white cheddar.

And we’re not even counting the fun shaped pasta (i.e. Spongebob Squarepants) in that 50.

4. In 2014, Kraft Brought Back Vanilla Ice For A Throwback Advertising Campaign

Ice’s legacy lives on through mac and cheese. Kraft hired Vanilla Ice to do his famous “Ninja Rap” from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991 for their 2014 advertisement.

If you think they were targeting kids, you’re wrong – that commercial was for us 90s kids who wanted another excuse to feel nostalgic and buy as much Kraft as possible.

5. (We Think) Kraft Secretly Placed A Giant Macaroni Sculpture In Love Park

In the middle of the night in November 2011, a giant noodle sculpture appeared in Philadelphia’s Love Park.

Not a noodle sculpture you made in elementary school mind you, but one big, beautiful noodle with the slogan “You Know You Love It” on the side. There was no sign of Kraft’s logo anywhere, and Kraft headquarters refuses to comment on the origin of the mysterious statue to this day.

6. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Is Considered The Unofficial De Facto Food Of Canada

Seriously. “Kraft Dinner," as they call it in Canada, is a favorite meal in the Great White North and considered by some to be the unofficial national meal – even over poutine and Tim Hortons. Canadians purchase 12% of all Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and eat it 55% more than Americans do.

Kraft Dinners have become such a culture staple in Canada that Kraft has changed the name of its mac and cheese to just, “KD."

7. The Popular Way To Eat Mac And Cheese In Canada Is With Ketchup

Despite eating boxes and boxes of Kraft’s in my childhood, I never once defiled it with ketchup. Apparently, this trend was all the rage in the 90s and has not died to this day. You go, Canada.

8. James Lewis Kraft Is Not The Inventor Of Mac And Cheese

The true story is that Kraft saw a salesman in St. Louis selling boxes of pasta with grated cheese attached by a rubber band and had an “aha!” moment. As the first to patent the idea of mass produced cheesy pasta, I hear he’s done pretty well for himself since then.