• Philadelphia Inquirer, Thursday, January 14, 2010 10:52 AM

The "Daddy-O of SpaghettiOs" -- former Campbell Soup marketing research director Donald E. Goerke -- has died at 83 of heart failure. In the early 1960s, Goerke's group considered different pasta shapes that would appeal to children, Sally A. Downey reports. Wanting to keep things simple, he decided to go with O's.

Campbell president W.B. Murphy was so excited about the product that it was rolled out without a market test. Thanks in part to Jimmie Rodgers singing a catchy jingle ("The neat, round spaghetti you can eat with a spoon: Uh-oh, SpaghettiOs"), the product was a hit not only with kids but also with moms because it was "spoonable" and didn't make a mess, Goerke told reporters.

Over 35 years, Goerke introduced more than 100 products, including Campbell's Chunky Soup. He also served as president of Champion Valley Farms, a Campbell division that produced Recipe Dog Food, sponsor of the Lassie television series. He also was director of marketing for Campbell's ready-to-serve products and then general manager of the Red and White line of condensed soups. He retired in 1990 as manager of Campbell's microwave-soups division.

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