Wendy Kaufman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Born: | September 6, 1958 |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Spokesperson, TV personality |
| Website: | Wendy Wear Official Website |
Wendy Kaufman (b. 1958 in North Woodmere, New York, USA) is a Jewish American best known for being the spokesperson for Snapple and for her two stints on Celebrity Fit Club.
Kaufman was born to a homemaking mother and a father who owned a steel manufacturing company. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1980 with degrees in film and sociology. She then worked for ten years in the shipping and billing department of her father's company until 1989. In 1991, she began working for Snapple Beverage Corporation for her best friend's father, Arnie Greenberg, one of the 3 founders of Snapple.
When Kaufman was a young child, she wrote her one and only fan letter to Greg Brady (Barry Williams), which went unanswered. So, at Snapple, when she realized how many people where trying to connect with the company, she took it upon herself to answer all the letters, since she remembered how terrible she felt when he never replied. This led to her being referred to as "The Snapple Lady".
When it was discovered that Kaufman had been answering Snapple fan-mail in her free time (because nobody in the office wanted to do it themselves), their brand new advertising agency, Kirshenbaum & Bond, developed a campaign around her energetic personality. She appeared in television, radio, and print advertising until 1996 wherein she answered letters written to Snapple with witty responses. Kaufman's 1990's Snapple ad trademark was to appear on camera with her head barely peeking out over the Snapple reception counter, giving the viewer the impression that she was incredibly short in stature (She is officially 5'2"). Wendy continues to get a kick out of telling people that she was the real "Head of Snapple". She would begin each commercial by saying in a thick New York accent that she received a letter from a particular Snapple fan, who would then be included in the commercial. It has been noted by many that these commercials were the beginnings of Reality television, since Wendy was not an actress, but a real person who worked for the company.
Kaufman's humorous Snapple ads were well-received, especially among members of Generation X, and she was partially responsible for a jump in Snapple's sales from 23 million dollars a year to 750 million a year in 1995. She was fired in 1995, upon Snapple's sale to Quaker Oats. However, when Quaker sold Snapple to Triarc brands in 1997, they reinstated Wendy as the Snapple goodwill embassador.
Because Kaufman is not an actress, she never vigorously pursued acting. However, she did play herself in "Vegas Vacation" in 1997, played a Bridal Clerk in the 1998 film "Enough Already", and was featured in the film "Funny Valentine" with Anthony Michael Hall, and the short lived series "The Beat".
In 2002 Kaufman began taking classes at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and was accepted to the school's graduate program contingent upon her taking a probability and statistics course. Based upon her immense fear of mathematics in general, (Quote "I'd rather slit my wrists than take a math course at age 48") she refused to take the course but can still be seen sporadically taking undergraduate courses.
VH1 has enlisted Wendy in a variety of projects as of late. She was featured on the popular show I Love the 90s, has appeared on the American reality show Celebrity Fit Club 1 & 2 and All Access: Where Are They Now: Celebrity Fit Club. It is from her life-changing experience on these shows that Wendy has found her new mission in life. She is a partner in Wendy Wear, a brand new venture which will make flattering activewear for plus-size women. The company's website is www.wendywear.com.
