The Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, began producing Wonder Bread for a debut on May 21, 1921, following a blind promotion with ads that only stated a "Wonder" was coming on that date.
The brand was named by vice president for merchandising development Elmer Cline, who was inspired by the International Balloon Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 Cline was filled with "wonder" by the scene of hundreds of balloons creating a kaleidoscope of color resulting in the iconic red, yellow and blue balloons featured on the Wonder Bread logo.
The logo was designed by commercial artist Drew Miller while he was on staff at a Chicago ad agency.

Continental Baking Company purchased Taggart in 1925.
This made Wonder Bread a national brand and added "It's Slo Baked" to the logo.
In the 1930s, Continental Baking began marketing Wonder Bread in sliced form nationwide, one of the first companies to do so; this was a significant milestone for the industry and for American consumers, who, at first, needed reassurance that "wonder-cut" bread would not dry out.
The W. E. Long Company of Chicago, which had formed a cooperative of bakeries to market Holsum Bread, had pioneered and promoted the packaging of sliced bread two years prior, in 1928.
Unsliced bread returned for a period during World War II due to a steel shortage that led to an industry-wide slicing suspension in 1943.
Bread slicers returned two years later.

During the 1940s, Continental Baking began adding vitamins and minerals to Wonder Bread as part of a government-sponsored program of enriching white bread, which was notoriously deficient in vitamin and mineral content, to combat certain diseases.
 Known as the "Quiet Miracle", this development is credited with greatly reducing the incidence of the diseases beriberi and pellagra.
Wonder was also the first national bread brand to feature open dating as well as nutrition information on its packaging.
In the 1950s, Wonder Bread further expanded advertising of its nutrient enrichments.
The company sponsored Howdy Doody with host Buffalo Bob Smith telling the audience, "Wonder Bread builds strong bodies 8 ways.
Look for the red, yellow and blue balloons printed on the wrapper."
By the 1960s, Wonder Bread was advertised with the slogan "Helps build strong bodies 12 ways," referring to the number of added nutrients.
In 1986, Continental introduced the lower-calorie Wonder Light bread.

Interstate Bakeries Corporation, later known as first Hostess Brands company (Old HB), purchased Continental Baking in 1995.
 In 2004, Interstate Bakeries declared bankruptcy, putting the future of Wonder Bread in some doubt.
In February 2009 Interstate Bakeries emerged from bankruptcy marking a "new beginning" for the baking company.

In 2006, Wonder was one of the first bread brands to introduce whole grain white breads such as "Wonder Made with Whole Grain White" as a bread that appealed to consumers who loved the taste of white bread, but who were looking for more nutrition These breads were made with an albino wheat variety that doesn't have the more pronounced taste of whole red-wheat flour.

On August 28, 2007, Interstate Bakeries announced it would soon end production of Wonder Bread in the Southern California market, leading to a loss of 1,300 jobs.
This was due to the judgment in a $121 million racial discrimination suit and a decline in sales, as Southern Californians in particular were partial to whole-grain breads and "premium" loaves.
As of September 2009, Wonder Bread and other Hostess Brands breads, such as Home Pride, returned to Southern California supermarkets in response to significant consumer demand.
 In connection with the re-introduction, the company donated thousands of loaves of bread to the San Diego Food Bank and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

In August 2009, Wonder reformulated its Wonder Classic and Wonder Classic Sandwich bread varieties to include more calcium and vitamin D. Two slices of Wonder Classic and Wonder Classic Sandwich bread then provided 30% of the daily recommended intake of calcium, the
The Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, began producing Wonder Bread for a debut on May 21, 1921, following a blind promotion with ads that only stated a "Wonder" was coming on that date. The brand was named by vice president for merchandising development Elmer Cline, who was inspired by the International Balloon Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Cline was filled with "wonder" by the scene of hundreds of balloons creating a kaleidoscope of color resulting in the iconic red, yellow and blue balloons featured on the Wonder Bread logo. The logo was designed by commercial artist Drew Miller while he was on staff at a Chicago ad agency.
Continental Baking Company purchased Taggart in 1925. This made Wonder Bread a national brand and added "It's Slo Baked" to the logo. In the 1930s, Continental Baking began marketing Wonder Bread in sliced form nationwide, one of the first companies to do so; this was a significant milestone for the industry and for American consumers, who, at first, needed reassurance that "wonder-cut" bread would not dry out. The W. E. Long Company of Chicago, which had formed a cooperative of bakeries to market Holsum Bread, had pioneered and promoted the packaging of sliced bread two years prior, in 1928. Unsliced bread returned for a period during World War II due to a steel shortage that led to an industry-wide slicing suspension in 1943. Bread slicers returned two years later.
During the 1940s, Continental Baking began adding vitamins and minerals to Wonder Bread as part of a government-sponsored program of enriching white bread, which was notoriously deficient in vitamin and mineral content, to combat certain diseases.  Known as the "Quiet Miracle", this development is credited with greatly reducing the incidence of the diseases beriberi and pellagra. Wonder was also the first national bread brand to feature open dating as well as nutrition information on its packaging. In the 1950s, Wonder Bread further expanded advertising of its nutrient enrichments. The company sponsored Howdy Doody with host Buffalo Bob Smith telling the audience, "Wonder Bread builds strong bodies 8 ways. Look for the red, yellow and blue balloons printed on the wrapper." By the 1960s, Wonder Bread was advertised with the slogan "Helps build strong bodies 12 ways," referring to the number of added nutrients. In 1986, Continental introduced the lower-calorie Wonder Light bread.
Interstate Bakeries Corporation, later known as first Hostess Brands company (Old HB), purchased Continental Baking in 1995.  In 2004, Interstate Bakeries declared bankruptcy, putting the future of Wonder Bread in some doubt. In February 2009 Interstate Bakeries emerged from bankruptcy marking a "new beginning" for the baking company.
In 2006, Wonder was one of the first bread brands to introduce whole grain white breads such as "Wonder Made with Whole Grain White" as a bread that appealed to consumers who loved the taste of white bread, but who were looking for more nutrition These breads were made with an albino wheat variety that doesn't have the more pronounced taste of whole red-wheat flour.
On August 28, 2007, Interstate Bakeries announced it would soon end production of Wonder Bread in the Southern California market, leading to a loss of 1,300 jobs. This was due to the judgment in a $121 million racial discrimination suit and a decline in sales, as Southern Californians in particular were partial to whole-grain breads and "premium" loaves. As of September 2009, Wonder Bread and other Hostess Brands breads, such as Home Pride, returned to Southern California supermarkets in response to significant consumer demand.  In connection with the re-introduction, the company donated thousands of loaves of bread to the San Diego Food Bank and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
In August 2009, Wonder reformulated its Wonder Classic and Wonder Classic Sandwich bread varieties to include more calcium and vitamin D. Two slices of Wonder Classic and Wonder Classic Sandwich bread then provided 30% of the daily recommended intake of calcium, the 
Wonder Bread