Opening a store that exclusively sells chocolate chip cookies, or even just cookies in general, is not a special thing in 2025. Mrs. Fields, Insomnia Cookies, Levain Bakery, Chip City—the list of cookie stores across America is long. In March of 1975, however, when my dad, Wally Amos, opened the first Famous Amos store in Hollywood, the idea of a store that exclusively sold chocolate chip cookies seemed insane.
It was the type of idea that seemed so harebrained that only a down-on-his-luck talent agent with an at-home hobby of baking chocolate chip cookies would even think of it.
At the time, Wally had two things going for him. The first was his famous friends. Singers like Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy became initial investors in the company, while his hefty Rolodex from years in the entertainment business provided a customer base full of social influencers. The second was a combination of charm and hustle that would help create more press opportunities for the fledgling brand than he ever thought possible.
With the help of his oldest friends and PR team, John and Marilyn Rosica, Wally set out on a multiyear, nonstop promo push for Famous Amos that made both him and his cookies household names. The vibes of the early Famous Amos years scream ’70s fever dream. He was hanging out with Quincy Jones and Sidney Poitier. Doing interviews with an up-and-coming reporter named Oprah Winfrey. Riding kangaroo floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and donating his trademark panama hat and Indian gauze V-neck shirt to the Smithsonian. And that always-on mentality really worked. Famous Amos became an overnight business sensation. It expanded across the country and became a part of American culture.
Of course, while my dad had created the perfect American success story on the surface, that didn’t mean that his business—or his personal life—was built on an actually solid foundation. Eventually, the realities of running a business caught up with my dad in a pretty real way, conveniently right around the time I was born. Because I was around for the fall, but not the rise, of Wally “Famous” Amos, I always breezed past the truly incredible set of circumstances that led to the creation of this indelible American brand. Turns out, it’s a journey worth taking, even if things are bound to get rough ahead.
To hear episodes three and four of Tough Cookie: The Wally “Famous” Amos Story, listen here or wherever you download your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.
