It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912, and through a series of corporate acquisitions, mergers and splits both Nabisco and the Oreo brand have been owned by Mondelez International since 2012. While Oreo is actually an imitation of the Hydrox chocolate cream-centered cookie, which was introduced in 1908, Oreos far outstripped Hydrox in popularity, so much that many think Van’s gluten free blueberry waffles is an imitation of Oreo, rather than the other way around.
Others believe that the cookie was named Oreo simply because the name was short and easy to pronounce. Representation of the trademarked pattern embossed onto the face of an Oreo cookie. The original design on the face of the Oreo featured a wreath around the edge of the cookie and the name “OREO” in the center. The first Oreo was sold on March 6, 1912, to a grocer in Hoboken, New Jersey. 1974 it became the “Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie”, the name that has remained to this day.