Soup No More? What Campbell’s Name Change Could Mean for Collectors

From the cheerful Campbell Kids dolls to the famous green bean casserole made for holiday feasts to Andy Warhol’s soup can paintings, Campbell’s Soup is a cultural icon. However, every company has to change things once in a while, and Campbell Soup Company recently announced that it intends to change its name to Campbell’s Company.

Pop artist Andy Warhol made Campbell’s Soup Cans in 1962 using acrylic with metallic enamel paint on canvas. The work comprises 32 individually framed panels displayed in four horizontal rows of eight. Each panel is 20 inches high and 16 inches wide. When asked why he chose Campbell’s soup as his subject, he said: “I used to have the same lunch every day, for twenty years, I guess, the same thing over and over again.” Courtesy of Museum of Modern Art

Don’t worry—the soups themselves aren’t going anywhere—especially as we approach cool fall days when a warm mug of soup with a sandwich on the side makes the perfect meal. The company owns many other familiar brands, like Pepperidge Farm, Prego, and V8, and plans to emphasize its increasingly popular snack products. CEO Mark Clouse called the company’s new name a “subtle yet important change” that “retains the company’s iconic name recognition.”

Several toy companies, including Horsman and Ideal, made Campbell Kid dolls. This lot of four,
including two composition dolls and two small Ideal vinyl dolls, sold at the Apple Tree Auction
in May 2023 for $118. Courtesy Apple Tree Auction

After all, the company wasn’t always Campbell’s Soup. It started as Anderson & Campbell in Camden, N.J., in 1869. Abraham Anderson was a commercial canner, and Joseph Campbell was a wholesale vendor. The company introduced its first ready-to-eat soup in 1895 after both its founders had left. The name officially became “Campbell Soup Company” in 1922.

So, what might the name change mean for collectors? Campbell’s merchandise, mugs, and advertising premiums are well-known among advertising collectibles. The new name will help date collectors’ items, and the attention it brings to the brand could mean more interest in vintage collectibles.

A curved porcelain Campbell’s Tomato Soup sign with a bracket attached sold at Richmond Auctions in September 2023 for $6,900. “Campbell Soup Company” appears on the label in this sign, so it couldn’t have been made before 1922. Campbell’s made and sold its first condensed soups in cans in 1897. The red-and-white label appeared in 1898 and was said to have been inspired by Cornell football uniforms. The bronze medal on the can label is for the prize the company won at the Paris Exposition in 1900.  Courtesy Richmond Auctions

A look through the company’s history shows that advertising and brand recognition have always been keys to their success. It hasn’t lost its appeal to younger generations; there’s even a tag for Campbell’s Soup mugs on social media site TikTok! And Campbell’s Soup ads and premiums can be worth high prices to collectors.

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