Foofa
"Heinz 57" is a synecdoche of the historical advertising slogan "57 Varieties of Pickles" by the H. J. Heinz Company (or where all John Kerry's money comes from).
Anonymous
This is how it started - While riding a train in New York City in 1896, Henry Heinz saw a sign advertising 21 styles of shoes, which he thought was clever. Although Heinz was manufacturing more than 60 products at the time, Henry thought 57 was a lucky number. So, he began using the slogan "57 Varieties" in all his advertising.
?
Its an accidental marketing ploy that went well. ;-)
Patricia
It's pretty common knowledge that the number represents the variety of products Heinz has; although, it is a little known fact that in the beginning, Henry Heinz simply used 57 because he thought it was a lucky number. Since then, the slogan '57 varieties' has stuck.
Anonymous
Heinz, the makers, used to produce 57 varieties of foodstuffs.