Aunt Sammy

Aunt Sammy was a fictional radio character created by the Bureau of Home Economics of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for a popular cooking show called "Housekeeper's Chat". Its target audience was farm wives. The show premiered in October, 1926. 
The program was also known as "Housekeeper's Half-Hour" and as just "Aunt Sammy". It was one of the first radio shows that had regular characters; Aunt Sammy's family and friends included Ebenezer, an uncle; Billy, a nephew; Percy DeWillington, a fussy eater, and the Nosy Neighbor.
Supposedly the wife of Uncle Sam, the character was voiced by different women at each individual radio station, using a standardized script. In 1927, three women at the USDA collaborated to prepare content for each episode. Fanny Walker Yeatman tested recipes and conducted research on foods; Josephine Hemphill wrote the chatty portions; Ruth Van Deman coordinated the menus and recipes.
Each performer was selected to emulate local accents and speech patterns. By the end of 1927, the show was broadcast on 43 radio stations. Within a few years hundreds of radio stations carried the show . The show included jokes, commentary on the news and household advice, but its main focus was to help rural women prepare nutritious meals based on simple recipes. Letters from listeners — more than 25,000 in four months — helped to determine the programs' content.
Morse Salisbury, who was chief of the radio service fee for the USDA, was responsible for the friendly, chatty style of the Aunt Sammy character. According to Salisbury, "The first injunction laid upon the radio speaker is to be entertaining and natural and friendly". Sammy would comment on current events, such as the 1926 visit of Queen Marie of Romania to the United States, which took place shortly after the show premiered. "Queen Marie of Rumania is visiting my town this week," said Aunt Sammy. "She didn't come to America especially to see me, but I thought she might drop in to discuss household problems. I have a new recipe, called Peach Dainty, that I've been saving for her. I am sure the King would like it, and the Prince and Princess, too."
In 1927, a cookbook called "Aunt Sammy's Radio Recipes" was published. It was expanded and republished several times. As demand increased, the recipe book grew from a loose-leaf format to a bound volume. By 1928, 205,000 copies of the book had been sent to listeners. The first cookbook published in braille was a 1932 edition of Aunt Sammy's book. 
Aunt Sammy promoted the cookbook on the air. "By the way, some of you have begun to listen in quite recently. You may not have copies of the loose-leaf Radio Cook Book Uncle Sam is sending to homemakers. I want to give Uncle Sam all the credit due him, but the cookbook was not his idea at all. After he saw how neat it was, and how easily extra pages could be added, he waxed enthusiastic — he really did. His only regret was that he didn't originate the idea himself. Isn't that just like a man?" 
For the 1928-1929 radio season, the recipe book was supplemented by "Aunt Sammy's Radio Record", a 48-page book that offered information on how to provide balanced meals and how to set a table. It also contained pages on which listeners could write down menus and recipes that were given on the air. 
In 1931, Aunt Sammy instructed listeners in authentic traditional Chinese cooking techniques, helping to improve the quality of Chinese-American food prepared by home cooks. 
The show was broadcast until 1944.