Cheerios is a
brandThe American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of
breakfast cerealA breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
by
General MillsGeneral Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
introduced on May 1, 1941 as the first
oatThe common oat is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name . While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed...
-based, ready-to-eat cold cereal. Originally named CheeriOats, the name was changed to Cheerios in 1945 because of a trade name dispute with Quaker Oats. The name fit the "O" shape of the cereal pieces. In some other countries, including the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it is sold by
Cereal PartnersCereal Partners Worldwide S.A. is a joint venture between General Mills and Nestlé, established in 1991 to produce breakfast cereals. The company is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and markets cereals in more than 130 countries Cereal Partners Worldwide S.A. is a joint venture between...
under the
NestléNestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
brand. This was also the case until mid-2009 in Australia and New Zealand, but Cheerios are now branded as an
Uncle TobysUncle Tobys is an Australian brand of breakfast cereals and other breakfast food products. The brand has a lot of history and is mentioned in a 1892 newspaper...
product. In 2008, Cheerios released a line of Snack Mix, in Original and Cheese flavors. All Cheerios shipped to the east coast of the United States are manufactured in the General Mills plant in
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. In 2009, a dispute developed regarding the FDA considering Cheerios an "unapproved new drug" because of its marketing and health claims.
Advertising
Many of the television commercials for Cheerios have targeted children and have included animated characters (such as an animated Honeybee). Also,
Hoppity HooperHoppity Hooper is a 1964 animated television series produced by Jay Ward, originally broadcast on ABC and co-sponsored by General Mills and Topper Toys.-Series premise:...
was featured in ads briefly during the mid-1960s, as General Mills was the primary sponsor of his animated program.
The Cheerios Kid
Beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing through the early 1960's, "The Cheerios Kid" was a mainstay in their commercials, ranking alongside most of the characters created for rival Kellogg's cereals. At first, the Kid was a clumsy, absent-minded tinkerer much to the annoyance of his girlfriend, Sue, but was able to find his footing after eating Cheerios.
In later years, In numerous commercials, the Kid and Sue (more often just Sue) would get into trouble (at which point Sue would nonchalantly shout "Help, Kid...") and the Cheerios Kid, after eating his cereal to "power up", would quickly deal with the problem, often in a rather creative way.
The Cheerios Kid was revived briefly in the late 1980's with similar commercials.
"Just Cheeri-yodel"
In the late 1970s, Cheerios released a series of commercials that featured an animated "stick-man" chasing a yodeling cereal box with the word "Cheerios" written on the side. The box kept zooming by the stick-man singing "Cheerio-ee-oh-ee-ohs" and "Yummy Oaty-oh-ee-oh-ee-ohs". The man would try unsuccessfully to catch the elusive box before attempting the Cheeri-yodel himself, at which point the box would land by his side. Later commercials would be of stick-y would be back at their peak.
The Peanuts Gang
During the 1980s, a popular series of Cheerios commercials surfaced featuring the
PeanutsPeanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
gang and a new slogan, "You're on your toes with Cheerios". Some of them included:
- Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
in a baseball game having trouble pitching until LucyLucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip :Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the main bully and the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is a crabby and cynical eight-year old girl, and often bullies the other characters in the strip,...
gives him breakfast with Cheerios, at which point Charlie Brown was actually pitching strikes saying "All I ever needed was a manager".
- Schroeder
Schroeder is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. He is distinguished by his precocious skill at playing the toy piano, as well as by his love of classical music and the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in particular...
, wearily playing "Chopsticks""Chopsticks" is a simple, extremely well known waltz for the piano. It was written in 1877 by the British composer Euphemia Allen under the pseudonym Arthur de Lulli...
on his piano, is treated to a similar breakfast by Lucy. Afterwards he's back to his old musical self with Lucy remarking "Supporting the arts is so gratifying."
- Charlie Brown teaches a run-down Franklin
Franklin is a character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. Introduced on July 31, 1968, Franklin was the first African-American character in the strip. He goes to school with Peppermint Patty and Marcie. In his first story arc, he met Charlie Brown when they were...
how to surf at the beach. After Franklin is treated to a Cheerios breakfast, he quickly learns to surf like a pro and zooms by Charlie Brown, splashing him. Charlie Brown wipes the spray off his face and mutters, "Beginners Luck".
- Peppermint Patty
Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. A freckle-faced auburn/brunette, she is one of a small group in the strip who lives across town from Charlie Brown and his school friends...
is running out of steam pedaling a tandem bike with MarcieMarcie is a bespectacled fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. She serves as comedic foil and best friend to tomboy Peppermint Patty, plays a supporting role in some of Snoopy's heroic fantasies, and displays a romantic interest in Charlie Brown, who seems to love...
until Cheerios. Afterwards, Patty is chugging away on the pedals saying "We make a great team, huh, Marcie?" Marcie, lounging away in her seat replies, "Indeed we do, Sir."
Shawn Johnson
In 2009, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion gymnast
Shawn JohnsonShawn Machel Johnson is an American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and all-around, and floor exercise silver medalist, the 2007 all-around World Champion, and the 2007 and 2008 U.S. all-around champion...
became the first athlete featured on the cover of the Cheerios box. The limited edition cereal box was distributed primarily throughout the Midwestern region of the United States exclusively by the
Hy-VeeHy-Vee is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets located in the Midwestern United States. Over 100 of its supermarkets are located in Iowa, with additional stores in Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and now Madison, Wisconsin...
grocery store chain.
UK 2009
In the UK, a new slogan, "Give those O's a go", is now used, with ads featuring Stop-Motion/CGI characters.
Varieties and flavors
From the late 1970s until the present, General Mills has introduced a succession of cereals that are versions of the original Cheerios. In Europe, unlike America (In which is made of oats and rice.) the cereal is separated into four wholegrain, corn, oat, rice and wheat.
Cinnamon Nut Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios
Cinnamon Nut Cheerios was the first departure from regular Cheerios in mid 1976. Second was Honey Nut Cheerios which was introduced in 1979 geared towards adults as well as children. It is sweeter than the original, with a
honeyHoney is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
and
almondThe almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
flavor.
Cinnamon Nut Cheerios was only out briefly in 1976 and 1977 and was not successful.
Currently on Market
- Cheerios (1941)
- Honey Nut Cheerios
Honey Nut Cheerios is a variation of Cheerios breakfast cereal, introduced in 1979 by the General Mills cereal company. This is the second variation from Original Cheerios, it is sweeter than the original, with a honey and almond flavor...
(1979) (see above)
- Apple Cinnamon Cheerios (1988)
- MultiGrain Cheerios (original 1992, relaunched 2009–2010)
- Frosted Cheerios (1995)
- Yogurt Burst Cheerios (2005)
- Fruity Cheerios (2006) (Cheerios sweetened with real fruit juice.)
- Oat Cluster Crunch Cheerios (2007) (sweetened Cheerios with oat clusters)
- Banana Nut Cheerios (2009)
- Chocolate Cheerios (2010) (Cheerios made with real cocoa)
- Cinnamon Burst Cheerios (2011) (Cheerios made with real cinnamon)
Snack based Products
- Cheerios Snack Mix – Original (2008) (Cheerios, Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, round crackers, pretzels and cracker sticks in a garlic and onion flavor powder)
- Cheerios Snack Mix – Cheese (2008) (Cheerios, Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, triangle crackers, pretzels and cracker sticks in a cheese flavor powder)
Non General Mills derivatives
- Purely O's (Organic Cheerios, manufactured by General Mills subsidiary Cascadian Farms) (1999)
- Oat Cheerios (UK ONLY, Manufactured by Cereal Partners Worldwide
Cereal Partners Worldwide S.A. is a joint venture between General Mills and Nestlé, established in 1991 to produce breakfast cereals. The company is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and markets cereals in more than 130 countries Cereal Partners Worldwide S.A. is a joint venture between...
, sold under NestléNestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
brand)
Discontinued
- Cheerios and X's (no longer available) (1993)
- Team Cheerios (formerly Team USA Cheerios, no longer available) (1996)
- Millenios (Cheerios with "2"-shaped cereal pieces, no longer available) (1999–2000)
- Berry Burst Cheerios (including variations of Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Cherry Vanilla and Triple Berry, no longer available) (2003)
Labeling controversy
In May 2009, The U.S.
Food and Drug AdministrationThe Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
sent a letter to General Mills indicating that in their view Cheerios was being sold as an unapproved new drug. This was in response to the labeling of the Cheerios box, which read in part:
• "You can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks" "
• "Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is ... clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that eating two 1½ cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol."
The FDA letter indicated that General Mills needed to either change the way it marketed Cheerios or apply for federal approval to sell Cheerios as a drug. General Mills responded with a statement that their claim of soluble fiber content had been approved by the FDA, and that the claims about lowering cholesterol had been featured on the box for two years.
External links