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Trix (cereal)
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Trix is a brand of cereal made by General Mills for the North American and by Nestlé for the European, South American and Asian markets. The cereal consists of fruit-flavored, sweetened, ground-corn pieces. These were originally round cereal pieces, but were later changed to puffed fruit-shaped pieces. In January 2007, Trix Cereal company General Mills returned Trix cereal to their original shape.
cereal was first introduced to stores in 1954.
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Encyclopedia
Trix is a brand of cereal made by General Mills for the North American and by Nestlé for the European, South American and Asian markets. The cereal consists of fruit-flavored, sweetened, ground-corn pieces. These were originally round cereal pieces, but were later changed to puffed fruit-shaped pieces. In January 2007, Trix Cereal company General Mills returned Trix cereal to their original shape.
Overview
The cereal was first introduced to stores in 1954. Joe Harris created the Trix Rabbit, an anthropomorphic cartoon rabbit character; in Trix animated television commercials, this rabbit (voiced by Mort Marshall and later Russell Horton) would keep trying to trick kids into giving him a bowl of Trix cereal, but he would be discovered every time, and the kids would say, "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!" After the success of the first commercial, the Trix brand soon became one of General Mills' best sellers. Much like Warner Brothers' Wile E. Coyote, the Trix Rabbit's constant struggle to obtain the unobtainable elicits a degree of sympathy from many viewers. Little did Harris know that what began as a simple marketing ploy became a revolution in how cereal was marketed.
General Mills' Yoplait division produces a Trix-branded yogurt also marketed to children with sweetened fruit flavors such as "Watermelon Burst".
Ad campaigns
The earliest known successful attempt of the Trix Rabbit to obtain the cereal was in 1969. A national vote was held with ballots distributed on the back of Trix boxes, allowing kids to vote on whether to let the Trix Rabbit have some Trix. According to this campaign, he had already consumed two spoonfuls before the kids caught him. Nonetheless, it continued to be part of the advertising that the Trix Rabbit never had Trix. In two commercials he successfully tricked the children again into giving him Trix, but they were apparently cross about it.
In 1991, one of Trix's television ads ended in a cliffhanger accompanied by a write-in survey asking children whether the Trix Rabbit should be able to finally get a taste of Trix. The commercial consisted of the Trix rabbit competing in a triathlon, in which the prize was Trix. The Rabbit then got the prize of Trix, however it was taken away from him on the basis that "it is for kids", whereas other kids said because he won the race he deserved his prize of Trix. The commercial ended by encouraging kids to vote on whether or not the Rabbit should have Trix and mail-in ballots were included in cereal boxes. America's children responded with an overwhelming "yes", and a subsequent television ad depicted the rabbit finally getting to eat a bowl of Trix cereal. While he is known to have previously enjoyed a bowl in 1976, following this public intervention in 1991 he has not succeeded in gaining access to Trix again. However, in one commercial in the early to mid-1990s, the rabbit (disguised as a police officer on a motorcycle) managed to eat a spoonful of Trix given to him by two children on bikes, but he was so happy he went a little crazy and the costume fell off as usual.
Generally, the commercials begin with the rabbit having successfully managed to snatch the cereal, only to have the kids confuse him long enough for them to take it back. In some commercials, the rabbit successfully gets the cereal and makes a getaway, leaving the kids to ask the viewer for help.
In a live-action Got Milk? commercial ad, the rabbit is disguised as a man (played by Harland Williams) in a supermarket. He buys a box of Trix, and the cashier says to him, "Trix? Trix are for kids." The rabbit returns to his home mumbling the phrase "Trix are for kids". Excited, he pours himself a bowl, yelling "Today, they're for rabbits!" and laughing maniacally, but when he is about to add milk, he discovers there's no milk left in the carton. The commercial ends with the Got Milk? screen.
In a Nintendo DS Chair commercial on television, the Trix rabbit is sitting in a Nintendo DS Chair, about to open a box of Trix, but a pesky kid comes up, holding a DS, and boots him out of the chair, along with stealing his box of Trix cereal. He then states, "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!".
In 2006, the phrase "Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids" ended up #59 on TVland's 100 greatest quotes and catch phrases.
Ironically, when the children give Trix to the rabbit willingly, he is disguised as a man, but when his identity is revealed, they assert that Trix are for kids.
Stages of Innovation
In 1992 Trix replaced the original round ball shape with fruit-shaped pieces. Four new fruit shapes and colors were added over the years: Grapity purple (1985-1995) , Lime green (1991), Wildberry blue (1998-2006), and Watermelon (1999). In 1995, the cereal pieces were given a brighter and more colorful look. In 2007, Trix returned to the original round ball shape.
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