Buzz
Every day, millions around the world start their mornings with a satisfying bowl of crispy flakes or creamy oats paired with milk. Cereal has become a quintessential American breakfast staple, evident from its prominent presence in TV commercials, catchy jingles, and the endless array of textures, shapes, and flavors available, often requiring an entire grocery store aisle dedicated to its variety.
From Tony the Tiger’s enthusiastic declaration that Frosted Flakes are “G-R-R-REAT” to the enchanting allure of Lucky Charms, many of us have grown up with these iconic cereals. Yet, few have delved into the intriguing origins of how these beloved breakfast options came to be. Here, we explore ten cereals with captivating and unusual histories that are sure to pique your curiosity.
10. Corn Flakes
In 1894, following the success of granola, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, a physician at a Battle Creek, Michigan sanitarium, began experimenting with a new type of cereal. Concerned about his patients' excessive meat consumption at breakfast, Kellogg, a devout Seventh-day Adventist, aimed to promote a vegetarian diet aligned with his church’s principles. Additionally, the Adventists of that era believed that certain behaviors, like masturbation, could lead to illness or exacerbate existing health conditions, further motivating Kellogg’s dietary innovations.
Kellogg believed that consuming too many “irritating” foods like meat heightened sexual desire and that a simple, grain-based diet would not only ease digestion but also curb these impulses and alleviate stomach issues. While attempting to make bread, Kellogg accidentally left boiled wheat out for several hours. Reluctant to waste it, he rolled and toasted the wheat, resulting in crispy flakes. When served to his patients, they became an instant success, marking the birth of Corn Flakes.
9. Wheaties
Wheaties, another beloved cereal, was also created by chance. In 1921, a clinician at a sanitarium accidentally spilled wheat gruel onto a hot stovetop, which dried into flakes. This caught the attention of the Washburn Crosby Company. Drawing inspiration from the Corn Flakes process, George Cormack, the head miller, and his team experimented extensively, testing 36 wheat varieties over 14 attempts to perfect the blend of wheat, salt, sugar, and malt syrup.
The final product, initially named “Washburn’s Gold Medal Wheat Flakes,” was later rebranded as “Wheaties.” Its popularity soared thanks to innovative advertising, including the first-ever radio jingle. In 1928, Washburn Crosby merged with three other wheat mills to form the company now known as General Mills.
8. Rice Krispies
The origins of Rice Krispies trace back to 1901, when botanist Alexander Pierre Anderson became fascinated with the effects of high heat on starch granules. He hypothesized that the water inside the granules would vaporize, causing tiny explosions that would puff up the starch. His experiments confirmed this theory. To streamline the process, Anderson ingeniously crafted a gun-like device using a gas pipe and a sledgehammer.
After showcasing his invention at the 1904 World’s Fair, Anderson caught the attention of the Quaker Oats company. They began packaging and selling the puffed rice as a cereal, cleverly marketed as “food shot from guns.” This innovative approach contributed to its popularity. Later, Kellogg’s adopted the same rice-puffing technology to create their version, Rice Krispies.
7. Shredded Wheat
In 1890, Henry Perky, a grain enthusiast, conceived the idea for Shredded Wheat after observing a hotel diner mix wheat with cream. Suffering from digestive problems, Perky was inspired to collaborate with inventor William Henry Ford. Together, they engineered a machine that transformed wheat into strips, weaving them into pillow-shaped biscuits. Perky strategically targeted vegetarian restaurants, believing the biscuits would excel as soup croutons.
John Harvey Kellogg, a prominent cereal maker, respected Perky's innovative process but found the taste unappealing, leading him to reject the patent offer. This decision proved costly. Perky established a factory in Niagara Falls and founded the Natural Foods Company, which evolved into the Shredded Wheat Company and eventually became part of Nabisco.
6. Cheerios
During the late 1930s and early 1940s, puffed cereals like Puffed Rice, Puffed Wheat, and Kix gained immense popularity. General Mills aimed to innovate with an oat-based puffed cereal. Lester Borchardt, a food science pioneer at General Mills, assembled a team to experiment with oat recipes and develop cutting tools for various shapes. They evaluated over 500 formulas and numerous shapes, including spheres, stars, doughnuts, dumbbells, spirals, and squares. The torus-shaped doughnut emerged as the ideal choice due to its packaging efficiency.
General Mills refined and introduced the cereal in 1941 under the name 'CheeriOats.' However, Quaker Oats contested the use of 'oats,' leading to a lawsuit. By 1945, the cereal was rebranded as 'Cheerios,' and it has remained a best-selling cereal in the U.S. ever since.
5. Chex
Chex was developed by Ralston Purina, a company originally focused on pet food, led by William Danforth. Danforth collaborated with Webster Edgerly, a self-help author and founder of Ralstonism, a rigid social movement advocating whole grain consumption. Edgerly's beliefs extended beyond diet, encompassing controversial ideas like mind control and racial superiority, including extreme views on nonwhite individuals and unfounded claims about watermelons. His movement emphasized strict dietary practices, prompting the creation of a unique whole-grain product for his followers.
Danforth and Edgerly introduced Shredded Ralston, a cereal featuring small, square-shaped shredded wheat pieces. Due to its popularity, the cereal was renamed Chex in 1950, inspired by Ralston Purina’s checkerboard logo. Eventually, the company divided, with Danforth focusing on pet food under Purina, while Chex was acquired by General Mills, which continues to produce it today.
4. Alpha-Bits
The history of Alpha-Bits is fascinating, with some disagreement over its origin. The most popular account involves Thomas Quigley, a Post Cereals employee in the 1950s, who was tasked with creating a new cereal for children. As a father of seven, Quigley understood kids' preferences and envisioned a cereal shaped like letters, combining fun and education in a single breakfast option.
Another version credits Al Clausi, the head of product development at the time, with the idea. Clausi, an Italian American, drew inspiration from the diverse shapes of pasta. He suggested using a macaroni-cutting machine to shape the cereal mixture before puffing it. The concept was well-received by executives, leading to the creation of Alpha-Bits.
3. Cap’n Crunch
During the 1960s, cereals were heavily marketed to children, with sugary options dominating sales. Following the success of Post's Kix, the first puffed corn cereal, research indicated that kids preferred cereals that remained crunchy and floated in milk rather than turning soggy. Quaker responded by developing a blend of corn and oat cereal, molded into small, yellow squares.
The breakthrough for the cereal came from flavorist Pamela Low, who drew inspiration from her grandmother’s brown sugar and butter sauce served over rice. Low recreated and adapted this recipe into a coating for the new Quaker cereal, giving it a distinctive quality she called “want-more-ishness.” This innovation also marked one of the first uses of oil in cereal coatings, necessitating a unique baking process developed by Quaker.
Quaker’s marketing head collaborated with renowned animator Jay Ward to design “Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch,” or simply Cap’n Crunch, a nautical mascot aimed at captivating children and emphasizing the cereal’s crunchiness. Launched in 1963, the cereal was an instant success, ranking as the second-best-selling cereal that year, trailing only Frosted Flakes.
2. Honey Bunches of Oats
Honey Bunches of Oats was introduced in 1989, thanks to Vernon J. Herzing, a longtime Post employee. Inspired by Post’s flake cereals—Toasties, Grape-Nuts Flakes, and Sugar Sparkle Flakes—Herzing envisioned blending them into a single product. With his daughter Kimberly, he experimented with various combinations, aiming to create a cereal that would make her smile. They discovered that adding granola clusters provided a perfect balance of texture and crunch.
Post executives enthusiastically embraced the idea, but naming the cereal proved challenging. Initially, they considered “Battle Creek Cereal,” but while the mixed-blend concept resonated with the public, the name did not. Eva Page, Post’s brand manager at the time, tasted the cereal and remarked, “It’s exactly what it looks like—granola and flakes.” After another bite, she suggested, “To make it more appealing, add honey to the granola. And since the granola is oat-based, why not call it Honey Bunches of Oats and Flakes?”
Following Eva’s suggestion, honey was incorporated into the granola, and the cereal launched in 1989. It became the pioneer of flake-and-cluster cereals, inspiring other brands to create similar products like Cheerios Hearty Oat Crunch and Shreddies Granola Almond Crunch. Its success set a new trend in the cereal industry.
1. Lucky Charms
In 1964, General Mills tasked employees with creating a novel cereal using the production methods of Cheerios and Wheaties. John Holahan, a product developer, found inspiration during a grocery store visit, deciding to mix marshmallow circus peanuts with Cheerios. The executives loved the idea, and the marketing team capitalized on the charm bracelet trend popular among kids and teens in the 1960s.
The marshmallows, called “marbits,” originally featured pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers. When sales lagged, the oat pieces were reshaped into bells, fish, arrowheads, clovers, and crosses, and coated with sugar. Lucky Charms became a cultural staple, inspiring cereals like General Mills’s “Monster Cereals” and various media-themed variations.
