Gail Borden, Jr. founded Borden Dairy in 1857. He pioneered
the process of condensed milk, a shelf-stable product not requiring
refrigeration. That’s a big deal, considering General Electric’s Monitor-Top
refrigerator didn’t debut until 1927. In 1936, Borden introduced Elsie the Cow,
a happy cartoon mascot. She was given a fictional cartoon husband, Elmer the
Bull, and the pair had four children: Beulah, Beauregard, and the twins Larabee
and Lobelia. In 1957, Elmer was chosen to represent Elmer’s Products, Inc.,
promoting adhesive, craft, home repair, and office supply products. I used to
think putting a bull’s face on a bottle of glue was morbid. I grew up around
dairy cattle, and knew being “sent to the glue factory” was something that
happened to farm animals who’d outlived their usefulness. But I was wrong about
Elmer. His face is there because casein, which used to be a component of Elmer’s
glue, is a protein derived from dairy milk.
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