If fortunes had shifted slightly, you might have heard of a Strietmann elf or a Herkmann elf.

Back in the pre-Civil War days, bakeries were, by necessity, local businesses. A horse and buggy could only go so far with baked goods before they became stale. This all changed, however, with the advent of the automobile.

In 1927, several bakeries decided to join forces to distribute baked goods on a regional level. The United Biscuit Company of America featured the products of several bakers, including Strietmann of Cincinnati, Ohio, Herkmann of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Godfrey Keebler, who had opened his Philadelphia bake shop in 1853.

By 1944, there were 16 bakeries in the United Biscuit network, stretching from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Salt Lake City, Utah, marketing cookies and crackers under a variety of brand names.

To avoid confusion, the network decided to adopt one brand for all its products. Keebler's name was chosen. The Keebler elves, created by a Chicago advertising Jim in 1968, helped to make the Keebler company one of the top sellers of cookies and crackers in the country.

What is the name of the chief Keebler elf?
Answer: Ernie.