As an adult, Amos, an Air Force veteran who worked as a talent agent with the William Morris Agency, would send his home-baked chocolate chip cookies to celebrities to entice them to meet and perhaps sign a deal with his agency. Amos eventually returned to baked goods through Uncle Wally’s Muffin Company. He signed Simon & Garfunkel and headed the agency's rock 'n' roll department. [4] He started the business with the help of a $25,000 loan from Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Wally Amos has become well known when he started his chocolate chip cookie company known as Famous Amos. “I got ahead of my team. The muffins are sold in more than 3,500 stores nationwide. [2] He earned his high school equivalency diploma[3] before being honorably discharged from the military. Mr. Amos became a paid spokesman but left in frustration the next year. In 1948 he moved to New York City to live with his aunt where they often baked cookies together. [11] Uncle Noname became Uncle Wally's Muffin Company in 1999. Wally Amos has made many comebacks since losing ownership of his first cookie company, Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Co., in the 1980s. Since then, Wally Amos has moved to Kailua, Hawaii, where he continues to sell the Chip & Cookie brand cookies in a Hawaiian storefront along with his line of Uncle Wally’s Family of Muffins which are shipped to … Now, "Famous Amos" is ready to do it again at the age of 82 with the production of … A Famous Cookie And a Face to Match; How Wally Amos Got His Hand And His Name Back in the Game. Wallace "Wally" Amos, Jr. (born July 1, 1936) is an American TV personality, entrepreneur, and author from Tallahassee, Florida. Due to trademarking issues and the need to sell his company, Amos sold the rights to his own name, Famous Amos, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his love for cookies and the food … It is entitled ''Man With No Name: How the Founder of the Censored Cookie Company Lost Everything, Including His Name -- and Turned Adversity Into Opportunity.'' But ''it was a shocker at first.'' It is now owned by the Kellogg Company. In 1985, a series of events began that led the company to change hands. He has written 10 books,[6] many of which have a self-help theme, including The Cookie Never Crumbles[7] and The Power in You. So a decade after losing his company, Mr. Amos is back bragging about Famous Amos, like a proud father showing off his now-grown first-born. ''If Dave left Wendy's and came back after 10 years because things had not gone well the message is signaling change that 'We're going back to the way we used to be.' For an entrepreneur who was down on his luck it was almost too good a deal to pass up. (Courtesy of Shawn Amos) "My dad is a master showman," Shawn says. Apart from this, he is an author and has written around nine books. In 1986, President Reagan presented him with one of the first Awards of Entrepreneurial Excellence. Wally Amos was born in Tallahassee, Florida in July 1936. The Uncle Noname’s Cookie Company which afterwards transformed as Uncle Wally’s Muffin Company. In 1993, he founded Uncle Noname Cookie Company (he’d lost the right to use “Famous Amos” as the result of his earlier failure), and in 1995 he changed it to Uncle Wally… Amos has three sons from his first two marriages, Shawn, Michael and Gregory. And Keebler was willing to let him use his name for his own business. Please allow ample time if you require a response. Ever the optimist, he views the experience as yet another reminder of the power of faith and positive thinking. [12], In 2014, an article in Fortune magazine lauded "The cookie comeback of 'Famous' Wally Amos" as Amos bought back his handmade cookies under a new name The Cookie Kahuna. His brand name diminished after he sold Famous Amos to Shansby Group. Amos attracted clients by sending them chocolate chip cookies along with an invitation to visit him. Wallace "Wally" Amos, Jr. (born July 1, 1936) is an American TV personality, entrepreneur and author from Tallahassee, Florida. Wallace "Wally" Amos was born in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, on July 1, 1936.In 1948 he moved to New York City to live with his aunt where they often baked cookies together. The Shansby Group sued Amos for violating an agreement that forbade him to use his name and likeness on the packaging of any food products. Upon his parents’ divorce in 1948, he had to live with his Aunt Della in Manhattan, New York City, New York. In 1998, Famous Amos was purchased by Keebler. He has been inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs, and he received the Horatio Alger Award, The President’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, and The … In 1975, a friend suggested to Amos that he set up a store to sell his cookies, and in March of that year, the first Famous Amos cookie store opened in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Amos is happy to do his part. On March 1975 – Amos launched Famous Amos in Los Angeles. In the mid-1990s, Amos worked with partners, including Famous Amos distributor Lou Avignone, to launch a muffin company now known as Uncle Wally's Family of Muffins. He is the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate-chip cookie, the Cookie Kahuna, and Aunt Della’s Cookies gourmet cookie brands, and he was the host of the adult reading program, Learn to Read. He is the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookie brand. Today he focuses mostly on his muffin company, Uncle Wally's Muffins, which is a company dedicated to making healthy and delicious muffins. Soon the entrepreneur became a national personality renowned not only for his cookies but for his ebullient and outgoing persona as well. The man who created the Famous Amos cookie empire and eventually lost ownership of the company … Or, if you stay there long enough someone will come and rescue you.''. It is now owned by the Kellogg Company. In 1994, the two became partners and subsequently launched Uncle Noname Gourmet Muffins. Debt mounted to $1.3 million and Uncle Noname filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1997, emerging just two months ago. http://www.GreatCookieComeback Before Wally was famous, he was Wally Amos. [17][18][19] Amos currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina, where he is working on Aunt Della's Cookies. Wally Amos had long ago lost control of Famous Amos, the cookie company he founded in 1975, and had even lost the right to use his name or the famous likeness of himself with his salt-and-pepper beard, Panama hat and embroidered Indian shirt. In 1987, he also hosted a television series designed to teach others how to read, entitled Learn to Read, produced by Kentucky Educational Television and WXYZ-TV. ''I'd lost the company really because I didn't use to listen to people a lot because I was Famous Amos,'' the founder now acknowledges. Your message will go straight to the inbox of Wally Amos and he will read it himself. Wally Amos Biography, Life, Interesting Facts Childhood And Early Life. Wally Amos’s Net Worth is $20,000. Amos launched "Chip and Cookie, by Wally Amos," with T-shirts and ceramics at five JCPenney stores in Hawaii in 1992. Despite the company's poor financial history, and the fact that Uncle Wally's muffins have not become the huge hit with consumers that Famous Amos cookies once were, the business had modest revenues of about $3 million last year and the product is winning fans, Mr. Avignone said. [1] Amos improved on his aunt Della's recipe, which was already uncommon because it included several ingredients not generally associated with chocolate chip cookies.[vague]. The Sharks all passed on the opportunity. Yet, after sampling the cookies that Keebler was selling, he couldn't help himself. Returning to New York City, Amos went to college to become a secretary, and after graduating, took a mailroom clerk job with the William Morris Agency. ''Somehow or another caramel coloring had been added and I don't know why that was,'' the 63-year-old Mr. Amos said, the lines in his forehead becoming more pronounced. Wally Amos was born on the 1st of July 1936 in Tallahassee, Florida. Wally Amos was born in Tallahassee, Florida in July 1936. Wally Amos poses with a hot batch of chocolate chip cookies at his store in Kalua, Hawaii, in 2007 Mr Amos started the Famous Amos company … [1] When his parents divorced, he moved to Manhattan, New York with his aunt, where he enrolled at the Food Trades Vocational High School. In 1992, he started producing high-priced hazelnut cookies under the name Wally Amos Presents. But later in life, due to financial troubles, Wally had to sell his cookie company. It was from his aunt Della Bryant, who would bake cookies for him, that Amos later developed his chocolate chip cookie recipe. Due to trademarking issues and the need to sell his company, Amos sold the rights to his own name, Famous Amos, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his love for cookies and the food industry after this occurred. Amos's role as a perpetual hype man had its downside. At one point, he lost his house. He now leaves the day-to-day operations of his Long Island company, which is based in Hauppauge, to a partner, Lou Avignone, who is a former owner of a larger food distributor. In 1985, a series of events began that led the company to change hands. Wallace "Wally" Amos was born in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, on July 1, 1936. [15] One of Amos' children is musician Shawn Amos. [19], "No longer Famous, Wally Amos still baking", "The Cookie Comeback King: Wally "Famous" Amos", "A Famous Cookie And a Face to Match; How Wally Amos Got His Hand And His Name Back in the Game", "Wally Amos | Bio | Premiere Motivational Speakers Bureau", "Wally Amos –Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau", "Son of 'Famous Amos' Cookie Maker Mixing His Own Batch of Blues and Soul", "Famous Amos gives cookie business another try", "No longer famous, Wally Amos still bakes sweet treats", "Famous Amos Creator Lives Near Charlotte as He Plans Next Venture", http://johnmcalley.com/assets/pdfs/feature-writing/FamousAmos.Spirit.Web.pdf, "Shark Tank: The Cookie Kahuna, from Famous Amos Creator, Crumbles in the Tank, Fails to Get A Deal", "Shark Tank - Cookie Legend Wally Amos Pitches New Cookie Kahuna Brand - Chew Boom", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wally_Amos&oldid=999049914, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles needing clarification, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2018, Articles with failed verification from December 2020, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, In 1980, Amos appeared in the February 5 episode of. '', See the article in its original context from. But since the name was copyrighted by the original company Wally can no longer use the name “Famous Amos”. In his book, “Man With No Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade,” Amos explains how he lost Famous Amos even before it was sold it off for $63 million to a Taiwanese company … '', Keebler, a unit of Flowers Industries, which had inherited the reformulated cookies, agreed to meet Mr. Amos's conditions. The Uncle Noname’s Cookie Company which afterwards transformed as Uncle Wally’s Muffin Company. He also was the host of the adult reading program, Learn To Read. While he created a thriving business, he did not have all the skills he needed to run it as it grew. He frequently travels, giving motivational speeches or working on behalf of charities like Literacy Volunteers of America, of which he is spokesman. One of the first things I shared with Keebler when we met was that I couldn't promote the product they were currently selling, that if I were going to be a part of it we had to make some adjustments so that it could be closer to a Wally Amos product. He served at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1954 until 1957. Also the co-founder and shareholder of Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co., Amos is now running a new cookie empire, The Cookie Kahuna. Wally Amos, famed entrepreneur and founder of the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookie brand, was born Wallace Amos Jr. on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida. answers, but I was very, very wrong. These cookies were marketed in a store in Hawaii, where Amos is based. The episode is named "Famous Wally Amos: The Cookie King". In 1991, Amos attempted to launch another cookie company, which he called Wally Amos Presents Chip & Cookie. Mr. Amos started the original Famous Amos Cookie Company with $25,000 from the singers Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy, celebrity friends he knew from his days as a talent agent. The couple has a daughter named Sarah. Use this page to find out if Wally Amos is dead or alive. Distinguished African-American entrepreneur, author, and television personality Wally Amos was born as Wallace Amos Jr. on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America. But he has been chastened by failure, acknowledging that in some respects he walked into a trap awaiting many entrepreneurs. He is the founder of the "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie brand. Yes, the Kellogg company bought him out in the mid 80's. When he sold Famous Amos in 1985, Wally Amos lost more than a company. Thanks in part to the success of his cookie company, he was hired to deliver speeches. He gave the shirt off his back and his battered Panama hat to the Smithsonian Institution’s Business Americana Collection. [9], Due to financial troubles, Amos was forced to sell the Famous Amos Company, and because the name "Famous Amos" was trademarked by his former company, he had to use The Uncle Noname's Cookie Company as his new company's name. Amos faces five hungry sharks: Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran and Robert Herjavec Hindsight being what it is, Mr. Amos is now able to reflect philosophically on the low points. He had some pleasant experiences while living with his Aunt, who used to bake delicious chocolate chip … ''The first couple of years after I left Famous Amos, I didn't even make cookies anymore, and I used to always make cookies at home. ''I can even use my picture on here,'' he said, seemingly astonished. [13], In 2019, Amos was called "the King of cookies" by NBC affiliate KSNV-TV in Las Vegas. His entrepreneurial spirit in tact, Mr. Amos switched to a line of low-fat and fat-free muffins. Wally Amos has been the recipient of many honors and awards. A high school dropout who eventually earned a general equivalency diploma, Mr. Amos knew little about business basics and failed to hire managers who did. Wally Amos back in the cookie business. Mr. Amos again found himself in a money-losing venture on the verge of collapse. They come in the flavors original chocolate chip, chocolate chip with pecans and butterscotch with macadamia nuts. [10][failed verification] A Famous Amos distributor at the time, Lou Avignone, heard Amos on a local radio talk show and, inspired by Amos' story of his early business success with Famous Amos and his spirit, contacted Amos with the idea for starting a new business. Letting an industry insider run the business has freed Mr. Amos to pursue a wide range of other interests. In 1993, he founded Uncle Noname Cookie Company (he’d lost the right to use “Famous Amos” as the result of his earlier failure), and in 1995 he changed it to Uncle Wally… Simply fill out the form below and then click the submit button. He became such a known figure culturally that he appeared as himself in the Taxi episode "Latka's Cookies", in 1981. THE COOKIE CRUMBLES. Very user friendly navigation and includes a search function and interactive quizzes. But Wally Amos isn't one to fret over the loss of his name or his company. In his book, "Man With No Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade," Amos explains how he lost Famous Amos even before it was sold off for $63 million to a Taiwanese company in 1991. When the dust settled, he was barred from using his identity or his face to sell cookies. Famous Amos founder Wally Amos and his son, Shawn, hang out in front of the Famous Amos store on Sunset Blvd. The company sold $300,000 in cookies that year, and by 1982, revenue reached $12 million. He has co-written several books of inspiration, including one capitalizing on his failures at Famous Amos. I thought that because I was famous Amos… I … In 1998, Famous Amos was purchased by Keebler. Wally Amos: Wife, Dating, Family & Friends Wally Amos is currently resides in Hawaii with his third wife, Christine Harris. Of course, it will take more than Mr. Amos's paid seal of approval to revive the brand. Whatever his former ties to it, he said, ''I will always be Famous Amos. Wally Amos Net Worth: Wally Amos is an American television personality, entrepreneur, and author who has a net worth of $20 thousand. Amos's… ''It is like Dave from Wendy's,'' said Clive Chajet, president of Chajet Consultancy, which advises companies on brand-building strategies. Wally Amos currently has 4 kids; 3 boys and one girl. He's got a fine attitude in his mind, man, he's got a kazoo in his … [16], Amos had lived in Hawaii from 1977 until 2018 and was a member of the Unity Church in Waikiki. Now, under terms of his deal with Keebler, he has regained the right to use his name and he sells the muffins as Uncle Wally's. I Created and developed my intellectual property creation and development company studying what happened to Amos. ''And they were using a real low-grade vanilla flavoring, and I always used vanilla extract. By the mid-'80s, Famous Amos was losing money and Amos slowly lost control of his creation. With the company propped up, it sold Famous Amos to President Baking for $61 million in 1992. [1] Eventually, he became the agency's first African American talent agent. Mr. Amos was a rising star. In 1977 – Famous Amos had added two baking and manufacturing facilities and additional stores. If you need help with our store, or would like to talk to someone about anything Wally Amos, please go here. He was quickly sued, citing a breach of his … And with his Keebler deal, Mr. Amos is back on the promotional circuit. Then in March the Keebler Company, the new owner of Famous Amos, offered Mr. Amos a two-year contract to promote his old brand. Neither he nor Keebler would disclose how much the company was paying him to bite into Famous Amos cookies in public and urge people who spot him in airports to buy them. [14], In 1979, Amos married Christine Amos-Harris (née Harris), who later helped him design the early merchandise and packaging for Famous Amos cookies. While Famous Amos soon lived up to its name, thriving for nearly a decade, the company's founder lost control of his business. ''It's a full-circle kind of thing,'' said Mr. Amos, who still flashes the toothy grin shown on cookie packages and television talk shows two decades ago, though his chocolate-colored face is creased with more lines these days. This page was last edited on 8 January 2021, at 07:02. He sought help to save the company, and ultimately himself. 06.18.2014. His company named Famous Amos Company was sold by him and he launched new company i.e. Soon the entrepreneur became a national personality renowned not only for his cookies but for his ebullient and outgoing persona as well. Amos hit a plateau working for the William Morris Agency and decid… ''In quicksand, if you start flailing all about and panicking with each movement you go in deeper, but if you just stay calm and look about, chances are you'll see a twig or something you can reach to pull yourself out. He was reduced to calling his own cookie line Uncle Noname, and the business was struggling. Amos tried again with Uncle Noname Cookies in 1992. Amos appeared in the October 6, 2016 episode of the American television show Shark Tank seeking $50,000 funding for 20% equity of his company "Cookie Kahuna". Wally Amos launched his first cookie company in 1975 before selling it to Kellogg. And he has become somewhat of an E-mail fanatic, sending a network of cherished friends and associates regular morale-boosting messages. He represented musicians such as Diana Ross & the Supremes, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye. With the help of a friend, Mr. Amos eventually got the house back. Several investors stepped in, but Mr. Amos said they took more of his equity stake each time and never stayed long enough to turn the company around. ''People really know the name and so many people still recognize the face.''. the company, and Amos ultimately lost his company because of his own mismanagement. They brought the cookie maker back as the face and spokesperson of the Famous Amos brand. And what I got from the study, was he should have Trademark his name and trade secret his formula first as an individual and then license it to his company. Shortly before graduation, Amos dropped out of high school to join the United States Air Force. ''If you sit around starting to feel sorry for yourself, and blaming everyone else for your position in life, it is like being in quicksand,'' he said. In 1980 – Famous Amos was selling $5 million worth of cookies By then, competition in the high-priced cookie business had intensified, and Uncle Noname could not keep up. After the sale, Amos attempted to start the Chip & Cookie company using his famous recipe, but was sued by Shansby for violating his contract. I shaved my beard and stopped wearing hats.''. Amos has advocated literacy and helped thousands of adults learn to read. Keebler acquired the brand last year, becoming its fifth owner. In 1998, the Keebler Company purchased the Famous Amos brand, and Amos resumed his role as the brand’s spokesperson. Wallace "Wally" Amos, Jr. (born July 1, 1936) is an American TV personality, entrepreneur, and author from Tallahassee, Florida.He is the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate-chip cookie, the Cookie Kahuna, and Aunt Della’s Cookies gourmet cookie brands, and he was the host of the adult reading program, Learn to Read But the heady times would soon end. He later co-founded Uncle Wally's muffins. In addition to getting closer to the original recipe, Keebler also plans to introduce new flavors, like toffee chocolate chip and chocolate chip and walnuts, and to use its vast resources to get the brand before more consumers. As an adult, Amos, an Air Force veteran who worked as a talent agent with the William Morris Agency, would send his home-baked chocolate chip cookies to celebrities to entice them to meet and perhaps … For an entrepreneur who was down on his luck it was almost too good a deal to pass up.

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