Why KFC stopped calling itself Kentucky Fried Chicken — and the myths that still won’t die

Kentucky Fried Chicken officially shortened its name to KFC in 1991, and the reason behind the rebranding has fueled rumors ever since.

One persistent myth falsely claims the Commonwealth of Kentucky trademarked the state’s name and forced the company to pay licensing fees.

Another urban legend alleged KFC was breeding extra-large, “genetically modified organisms” with extra legs, so they couldn’t technically call their signature dish “chicken” anymore.

THE KFC MENU ITEM COLONEL SANDERS HATED BECAME ONE OF THE CHAIN’S BIGGEST STAPLES

The reason behind KFC’s name change in 1991 has sparked many rumors and urban legends. (iStock)

The mutant chicken rumors resulted in Chinese courts finding several companies liable for spreading false claims that damaged KFC’s reputation. KFC China won a defamation lawsuit that resulted in three tech firms being fined for damaging KFC’s brand, Reuters reported in 2016.

Another theory is that the updated name was intended to distance the restaurant chain from unhealthy connotations with fried food, according to The Takeout.

Kentucky Fried Chicken was “struggling with declining earnings, higher prices and an evil word in its name — fried” when it changed its name, reported the Lexington Herald Leader. Around the same period, the chain also introduced skinless fried chicken, first called “Lite’n Crispy,” and later sold as “Skinfree Crispy.”

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“Fried chicken on the bone is not growing as fast as the entire poultry segment,” Kyle T. Craig, president of Kentucky Fried Chicken USA, said in a 1991 interview with United Press International.

“We want to position KFC to a more contemporary image,” he said, adding, “Fried is not a contemporary image.”

KFC’s website includes company history that says its founder, Harland Sanders, opened a roadside service station in 1930 and began serving his southern-style chicken.

According to the company website, KFC has the widest global footprint of any quick-service restaurant brand with more than 30,000 restaurants worldwide. (iStock)

Colonel Sanders’ original establishment was called Sanders Court & Cafe, according to the Sanders Cafe and Museum, located in Corbin, “the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken.”

“Originally established in 1937 as a gas station along U.S. Route 25, Sanders Court eventually expanded to include a motel and café where the Colonel offered guests a hot meal and a place to rest along their journey,” the museum website says.

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KFC website’s timeline does not extend beyond 1980, but notes its founder’s legacy “lives on through his Original Recipe chicken, and the company logo adapts over the years, with the Colonel’s face remaining at the forefront of the design.”

KFC’s name change happened in an era when other big companies were taking branding and logos very seriously, Ken Albala, professor of history at the University of the Pacific, told Fox News Digital. It was around that time that Coca-Cola increasingly marketed itself as Coke, he said.

One theory on why KFC changed its name is that the company wanted to distance itself from unhealthy connotations with fried food. (iStock)

“Many companies were redesigning logos and having a deep think into how the character of the font face and the logo and the actual name of the company would attract younger audiences and be immediately recognizable, even to people who didn’t know English,” Albala said.

KFC was trying to save space in advertising and make a bigger impression on people, Albala suggested.

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“‘Kentucky Fried Chicken’ takes up a whole lot of space on a sign and with a logo, and especially online,” he said.

“If you see an ad, and you have to read through it, it takes you that millisecond longer than just lettering. [KFC is] trying to get people [from off] the highway and in a city among all sorts of other urban noise. And if you can recognize those letters, you’ve got a customer.”

Kentucky Fried Chicken officially rebranded the company as KFC in 1991. (iStock)

According to the company website, KFC has “the widest global footprint of any quick-service restaurant brand with 30,000-plus restaurants in 150 countries and is one of the world’s fastest-growing retail brands.”

The chain is rolling out a brand overhaul that includes an expanded menu and restaurant design, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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The brand’s recognizable bucket will be “refreshed with new energy alongside a subtle evolution of the Colonel himself, ensuring the brand’s legacy remains front and center,” KFC said.

Fox News Digital reached out to KFC for comment.