Why Nabisco Renamed Fig Newtons To Just 'Newtons'

In 2012, Nabisco — now part of Mondelēz International — removed the "fig" from Fig Newtons, rebranding them simply as Newtons. The decision was intentional, part of a broader effort to refresh the brand and keep it relevant in a changing market. As The New York Times reported, figs had begun to feel outdated (more associated with health food than excitement) and Nabisco wanted the flexibility to expand beyond one flavor.

The cookie has been part of American shelves for generations and is a snack that's been around for over a century. Newtons originated in 1891, when Philadelphia baker Charles Roser patented a machine that piped fig paste into pastry dough. The Kennedy Biscuit Company in Massachusetts bought his recipe, named the treat after the nearby town of Newton, and helped turn it into one of America's first mass-produced cookies. After merging into Nabisco, Fig Newtons became a household staple that blurred the line between dessert and nostalgia. The brand has never been afraid to tweak its image. In the 1970s, Fig Newtons introduced the Big Fig, a dancing mascot that made Newtons a pop-culture staple. Later came subtler shifts — from "cakes" to "chewy cookies" — but losing the fig was the boldest change yet.

When Nabisco reintroduced Newtons in 2012, the name change marked a deliberate attempt to pull the cookie into the present. Sales had slowed, and figs just were not pulling people in the way they used to. Figs ranked closer to prunes than pomegranates on the trend scale — not exactly what younger snackers were craving. The rebrand aimed to modernize the cookie's image and remind shoppers that Newtons were not tied to just one flavor anymore.

To make that shift, Nabisco expanded its lineup and reworked its messaging. The brand leaned into fruit varieties, spotlighting flavors like strawberry, blueberry, and apple cinnamon to give the brand a fresher feel. As one Kraft specialist told The New York Times, the goal was to "change the core of the brand to fruit," appealing to longtime fans while pulling in new audiences who didn't grow up on fig filling.

Even with the new name and brighter flavors, the original cookie's reputation lingers. For many, it will always be a fig cookie — the one tucked into lunchboxes or found in grandparents' pantries. When it comes to Fig Newton facts, maybe the biggest surprise is that after more than a century, a simple name change helped Newtons stay familiar while subtly reinventing what they stand for.