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who invented rice krispie treats

Rice Krispie Treats were created in 1939 by two Kellogg’s Home Economics employees, Mildred “Millie” Day and Malitta Jensen, in the Kellogg kitchens in Battle Creek, Michigan. They originally developed the recipe as a fun (and very sticky) fundraiser idea for the Camp Fire Girls.

Quick Scoop: The Inventors

  • The treats are widely credited to Mildred “Millie” Day, a home economist from Iowa who worked for Kellogg’s.
  • Her colleague Malitta Jensen co-created the recipe with her in the late 1930s, with 1939 usually cited as the key year.
  • They mixed Rice Krispies cereal with melted marshmallows and butter, adapting an older puffed wheat–molasses bar into a cleaner, easier snack.

How They Became Famous

  • Day and Jensen first used the bars as an easy-to-make crowd-pleaser for Camp Fire Girls fundraisers, where the treats sold extremely well.
  • Kellogg’s then printed the Rice Krispie Treats recipe on cereal boxes starting around 1941, turning a test-kitchen idea into a national classic.

A Bit Of Ongoing Trivia

  • Most sources today list both Mildred Day and Malitta Jensen as co-inventors, though some older retellings mention only Day and the “Kellogg staff.”
  • The exact first year sometimes varies slightly in stories (early 1930s vs. 1939), but 1939 in Battle Creek, Michigan, is the most consistently stated origin point.

“Who invented Rice Krispie Treats?”
Short forum-style answer: Mildred “Millie” Day and Malitta Jensen at Kellogg’s in 1939, for a Camp Fire Girls fundraiser.

TL;DR: Rice Krispie Treats were invented in 1939 by Mildred Day and Malitta Jensen at Kellogg’s, first used for Camp Fire Girls fundraisers and soon printed on Rice Krispies cereal boxes.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.