Tall tales, urban legends and folklore often start with nuggets of truth—or in the case of our yarn, ‘bits’ of truth.
In the annals of Mount Clemens history, the name William H. Kibble recalls a curious mix of controversial showmanship, philanthropy, and quite possibly a contribution—in name only—to one of the most famous dog food brand ever.
Our story, and Kibble’s journey to supposed pet food fame, begins after the American Civil War. Traveling entertainment was all the rage, and William Kibble was dazzling crowds as a bareback rider for the Leon Washburn traveling circus.
At the same time, Kibble was also a performer in Al Fields's minstrel shows. While a minstrel show is shockingly out of step with modern sensibilities, it’s important to view Kibble not only through the lens of his era—when even progressive citizens like Kibble were often blind to the harmful effects such performances had on Black communities—but through the lens of what Kibble is best known for (outside of his alleged contribution to pet food): the acclaimed anti-slavery play Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
In 1880, Washburn transitioned from the circus business to show business, starting a road company which performed Uncle Tom's Cabin. Washburn offered Kibble the manager position. Kibble chose to hire a Black actor named Gus Collins for the title role—a very progressive move for the time. The play was a bold, abolitionist statement that captivated audiences across the Midwest.
In the 1890s, Kibble purchased the rights to Uncle Tom’s Cabin and settled in Mount Clemens, which became the home base for the traveling show. Performances were often at the historic Bijou Theater.
For the play’s chase scenes, Kibble mined his history as a bareback rider to create a riotous spectacle involving live ponies and dogs—the epitome of a ‘dog and pony show.’
In Kibble’s era, dog and pony shows were small traveling circuses featuring performing dogs and ponies as their main attractions. Dog and pony shows captured audiences' attention, but were not terribly expensive to produce.
Over time, the term ‘dog and pony show’ has evolved to describe any event that is all flash and no substance. But in the late 1800s, before streaming, gaming, TV or movies, dog and pony shows like Kibble’s were simply what people did for entertainment. In fact, dog and pony shows were already losing audiences to another form of American entertainment taking hold: vaudeville.
Vaudeville was a kaleidoscope of comedy sketches, musical acts, dance routines, magicians, acrobats, and novelty performances. Audiences delighted in the ever-changing whirlwinds of talent and eccentricity, from the slapstick hilarity of clowns to the melodious charm of crooners. It’s likely Kibble incorporated the dog and pony portion of Uncle Tom’s Cabin to compete with vaudeville’s burgeoning popularity.
Training dogs and ponies for the shows required rewarding the animals with treats. While the ponies gobbled up their biscuits, the dogs were a different story: they would only eat the biscuits if they were broken into smaller pieces.
Kibble had neither time nor patience to break down hundreds of biscuits himself. So, in his frequent biscuit orders, the Mount Clemens showman would request that the biscuit factory break the treats down into bite-sized pieces.
The factory workers began to recognize Kibble's specific and unusual orders, referring to the process as ‘kibbling’ the biscuits into little ‘bits.’ Over time, according to legend, the name stuck in the factory.
Kibbles? Bits? It sure sounds like the quirky nomenclature was inspired by William Kibble’s special orders. But was it?
Well, Kibbles 'n Bits' parent company, Post Consumer Holdings, did not reply to repeated requests for comment. So, if you’re looking for verifiable proof of where the name came from, you're not going to find it. But Kibble died in 1928, and t wasn’t until 1982 that Quaker Oats created a dog food called Kibbles ’n Bits. Further, the Oxford English Dictionary records the use of the verb 'kibble,' meaning to grind coarsely or crush into small pieces, as early as 1826, long before William Kibble was born.
Let's just say this: if you’re looking for a heck of an anecdote about Mount Clemens’s history, the name’s origin is entirely and delightfully possible—though not very likely.
When it comes to Kibble, let’s not quibble. Let’s call this a bite-sized fable that we in Mount Clemens will simply consider to be true, because it fits perfectly with our colorful and richly layered history.
We appreciate the Mount Clemens Public Library and Detroit Historical Society for their contributions to this article.