Many of you know the brand of processed cheese called in English "The Laughing Cow".

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![](http://www.steemimg.com/images/2017/01/22/TheLaughingCow6a36d.jpg)
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What you may not know is that the brand is almost 100 years old. It had been created in 1921 in the French city of [Lons-le-Saulnier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lons-le-Saunier) as "La Vache Qui Rit".

In 1908, [Léon Bel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Bel) was the owner of the cheese making company created by his father [Jules](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Bel) in 1865.
During War Wald I, Léon was posted to an army unit for "Fresh Meat Supply" (Ravitaillement en Viande Fraîche). The Army decided to equip each unit with a specific emblem to be affixed on all vehicles, in particular on trucks. To get the best result, a contest was launched, won by [Benjamin Rabier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Rabier). The design that adorned the trucks of "Supply in Fresh Meat" was that of a hilarious cow. The design was nicknamed "Wachkyrie", an allusion to the Valkyries: they were made famous by Richard Wagner and they were emblems on the transport vehicles of German troops.

In 1919, Léon started to make processed cheese. In 1921, remembering the drawing on the trucks that he was driving during the war, he decided to name his processed cheese "La Vache Qui Rit" (The Laughing Cow). 
He then drew a full-length cow, inspired by Rabier's drawing.

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![](http://www.steemimg.com/images/2017/01/22/1921-la-vache-qui-rite94e3.jpg)
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But the poor quality of the illustration compelled him to appeal to Rabier, who modified his original drawing. In particular, Benjamin Rabier added the earrings, as advised by his wife, in order to "feminize" the animal.

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![](http://www.steemimg.com/images/2017/01/22/la-vache-qui-rit-en-1924e4071.jpg)
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Over the years, the design has changed slightly. The current design dates from 1985.

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![](http://www.steemimg.com/images/2017/01/22/la-vache-qui-rit-en-1985d1b95.jpg)
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Today, the maker of The Laughing Cow, the [Bel Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel_Group) sells its products in 120 countries and has factories in 30. Each day, more than 33 million servings of Bel cheese are consumed around the world.

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Because of its success, "la Vache Qui Rit" has been copied numerous times.
In 1926, another cheese maker, also in Lons-le-Saulnier, the brothers Grosjean, started to commercialize another brand of processed cheese under the name "La Vache Sérieuse" (The Serious Cow).

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![](http://www.steemimg.com/images/2017/01/22/La_Vache_Serieuse3c22b.md.jpg)
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Besides having boxes closely resembling The Laughing Cow, the brothers Grosjean launched an aggressive marketing campaign, presenting The Serious Cow as "the cheese found in serious houses". For years, the struggle raged. The Bel Group replied with an advertisement that proudly announced that "laughter is the characteristic of man ... and of the laughing cow". To which Grosjean replies: "laughter is the characteristic of man, the seriousness of the cow".
Finally, in the 1950s, the Bel Group had enough and sued Grosjean. Grosjean was ordered in 1959 to abandon the brand name "La Vache Sérieuse". They then renamed their product to "La Vache Grosjean".

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![](http://www.steemimg.com/images/2017/01/22/La-Vache-Grosjean9a96f.jpg)
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Personally, I remember very well eating processed cheese in the 1950s under the 3 brand names: "La Vache Qui Rit", "La Vache Sérieuse" and "La Vache Grosjean". There was not much difference in taste.

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Images:
[1](https://taste.co.za/sponsored-5-ways-with-the-laughing-cow-cheese-spread/)
[2, 3](http://www.lamaisondelavachequirit.com/site-mobile/lhistoire-de-la-marque.html)
[4](http://www.plurielles.fr/recettes-cuisine/diaporama/decouvrez-la-saga-de-la-vache-qui-rit-en-images-6298202-402-RElBX05VTUVSTyA1.html)
[5](https://www.pinterest.com/saundersaul/la-vache-serieuse/)
[6](http://www.letyrosemiophile.com/boutique.htm)