Pop-Tarts Creator William ‘Bill’ Post Has Died At The Age Of 96

Pop-Tarts inventor William 'Bill' Post has reportedly passed away at the age of 96. The business mogul, who died on Saturday, was born and raised in Grand Rapids.

According to his obituary, Post was one of seven children of Dutch immigrants. After completing his studies at Grand Rapids Christian High School, Post worked as a truck washer part-time at Hekman Biscuit Company, which subsequently changed its name to Keebler Company.

Post's family announced his death on Saturday, February 10. During his life, the 96-year-old who married Florence Schut, his high school sweetheart, also served in the Army Air Corps during the occupation of Japan.

At the age of 21, Post became the full-time personnel manager of the company Hekman (Keebler) and also worked in sales, production, and other departments.

Twenty years later, he welcomed an idea from Kellogg's executives about a new product for Keebler to make. This idea eventually became what is now known as Pop-Tarts.

Post's obituary noted his humility when it came to taking credit for the creation of Pop-Tarts, emphasizing that he always saw it as a team effort.

"To be accurate, however, Bill would say, 'I assembled an amazing team that developed Kellogg's concept of a shelf-stable toaster pastry into a fine product that we could bring to market in the span of just four months' The collaboration and growth of Kellogg's and Keebler continued until Kellogg's finally purchased the Keebler company," his obituary read.

Following news of his death, fans of the sweet pastry have already flocked to Pop-Tarts social media pages to pay their respects to Post.

One person wrote, "Rest in peace the Inventor of Poptarts William' Bill' Post," and another said, "Just dropping by to leave my condolences. RIP Bill, thank you for making breakfast easy and nostalgic for so many."

Pop-Tarts remains a highly lucrative business, reportedly maintaining annual sales of around $1 billion in the United States alone, per CNBC.

According to his obituary, Post always welcomed the idea of inspiring others by sharing the story of the creation of Pop-Tarts.

The obituary read, "Over the years, Bill has been interviewed by newspaper reporters (including the New York Times), TV reporters (History Channel, CBS, etc.), and by radio hosts in this country and abroad."

It continued: "He was asked to tell the Pop Tart story to young people in countless classrooms and always enjoyed accommodating those requests, giving his testimony of God's goodness to 'the son of an immigrant,' and bringing some of his unending supply of Pop Tarts with him."

Post was also described as someone who loved and "served" his community.

"In spite of an extraordinary life and legendary accomplishments, Bill remained a humble man of God with a servant's heart that seemed to overflow with generosity. He served the communities in which he lived as a board member for schools, churches, the YMCA, and was a member of Gideons International for 60 years," Post's obituary stated.

After retiring at the age of 56 and relocating to Glen Arbor, Michigan, Post spent the next 20 years as a consultant for Kellogg's. His wife, Florence, passed away in 2020. Post is survived by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Hollywood star Jerry Seinfeld is set to make his directorial debut in a movie about Pop-Tarts titled, "Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story."

The actor would both star in and direct the film, which is reportedly based loosely on a part of a stand-up show where he talked about how Pop-Tarts made him feel good as a child.

Seinfeld has also assembled a cast of A-List actors to appear in the movie. Movie stars such as Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, Daniel Levy, and Fred Armisen are set to appear in the film, which is slated for release in May on Netflix.

Speaking to Deadline about the film, Seinfeld said, "Stuck at home watching endless sad faces on TV, I thought this would be a good time to make something based on pure silliness. So we took my Pop-Tart stand-up bit from my last Netflix special and exploded it into a giant, crazy comedy movie."

Rest in peace, William 'Bill' Post.