Cheerios is an American brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills, consisting of pulverized oats in the shape of a solid torus. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Cheerios is marketed by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand; in Australia and New Zealand, Cheerios is sold as an Uncle Toby's product. It was first manufactured in 1941 and was originally called CheeriOats.
Video Cheerios
History
Cheerios was introduced on May 1, 1941, as CheeriOats, but the name was changed to Cheerios in 1945. Cinnamon Nut Cheerios was the first departure from original Cheerios in mid-1976, while the second was Honey Nut Cheerios, introduced in 1979. Highly effective marketing led to the cereal's great success for General Mills, which sold approximately 1.8 million cases of Honey Nut Cheerios in its first year alone.
Maps Cheerios
Manufacturing
In January 2014, General Mills announced that it would halt the use of genetically modified ingredients in original Cheerios. In February 2015, the company announced they would be making Cheerios gluten-free by removing the traces of wheat, rye, and barley that usually come into contact with the oat supply used to make Cheerios during transportation to the General Mills plant in Buffalo, New York along Lake Erie.
Advertising
Many television commercials for Cheerios have targeted children featuring animated characters (such as an animated Honeybee). Bullwinkle was featured in early 1960s commercials, being his usual likably klutzy self with the tag line at the end of the ad being "Go with Cheerios!" followed by Bullwinkle, usually worse for wear due to his Cheerios-inspired bravery somewhat backfiring, saying "...but watch where you're going!" Also, Hoppity Hooper was featured in ads in 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 1960s, "The Cheerios Kid" was a mainstay in Cheerios commercials. The Kid, after eating Cheerios, quickly dealt with whatever problem presented in the commercial, using oat-produced "Big-G, little-o" "Go-power". The character was revived briefly in the late 1980s in similar commercials. In 2012, The Cheerios Kid and sidekick Sue were revived in an online internet video that showed how Cheerios "can lower cholesterol". Video clips of "the Kid" and Sue are part of a montage included in a 2014 TV commercial, along with clips of the Honey Nut Cheerios bee's early commercials. Mill Creek Entertainment has the DVD of The Cheerios Kid and Sue Commercials in 2018.
Peanuts
In 1984 and 1985, characters from the comic strip Peanuts were featured in many Cheerios commercials. In the commercials, the characters become tired at the middle of something (e.g. a dance lesson, playing tennis), but then another character tells them that they didn't have a healthy breakfast, a Cheerios breakfast. Then at the end of the commercial, the character would have lots of energy, followed by children singing "You're on your toes with Cheerios!".
Spoonfuls of Stories
The Spoonfuls of Stories program, begun in 2002, is sponsored by Cheerios and a 50/50 joint venture of General Hills and Simon & Schuster. Mini-size versions of Simon & Schuster children's books are published within the program when the book drive occurs. The program also includes a New Author contest; winners' books are published in miniature, in boxes of Cheerios.
Shawn Johnson
In 2009, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion gymnast Shawn Johnson became the first athlete to have her photo featured on the front of the Cheerios box. The limited edition was distributed in the Midwestern region of the United States by the Hy-Vee grocery store chain.
Just Checking
In 2013, a Cheerios commercial aired, titled "Just Checking," showcasing an interracial family in which a daughter asks her mother (white) if Cheerios is good for the heart, as her father (black) mentioned. The mother says the cereal is good according to the box which states that the whole grain oats lowers cholesterol. The next scene features the father waking up as a pile of Cheerios spill down his chest, which the daughter placed there having taken her father's words literally. The commercial received unintentional notoriety due to the racist anger at the commercial showing a biracial family. This was so extreme that General Mills disabled further comments on the video. In 2014, General Mills released a Super Bowl ad titled "Gracie", featuring the same family: in the commercial, the father, using Cheerios to illustrate his meaning, tells the daughter that a new baby is coming, that her mother is pregnant, and the daughter accepts - as long as they also get a puppy and the father agrees while the mother looks a little surprised.
Vortexx
To promote the premiere of the Vortexx Saturday morning block on The CW Television Network in August 2012, special boxes of Cheerios were branded as "Vortexx O's", complete with the schedule on the back, and the wordmark plastered on one of the Vortexx promotional backgrounds. Toys were also included in the box, featuring John Cena, Iron man, and the Pink Power Ranger
Good Goes Around
In 2017, Latrell James was hired to sing a song for a new Cherrios commercial. The commercial is easily recognised by the refrain "Good goes around and around and around, good goes around and around."
Products
Discontinued products
- Cheerios and X's (1993)
- Team Cheerios (formerly Team USA Cheerios) (1996)
- Millenios (Cheerios with "2"-shaped cereal pieces) (1999-2000)
- Berry Burst Cheerios (including variations of Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Cherry Vanilla and Triple Berry) (2003)
- Dulce de Leche Cheerios (2012) (sweetened Cheerios made with caramel)
- Banana Nut Cheerios (2015-2016) (sweetened Cheerios made with banana puree)
2009 FDA demand
In May 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to General Mills indicating that Cheerios was being sold as an unapproved new drug, due to labeling which read in part:
o "You can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks"
o "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 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 claims about lowering cholesterol had been featured on the box for two years.
In 2012, the FDA followed up with a letter approving the Cheerios labeling and declaring that the matter was moot and required no further action.
See also
- Cheerios effect
- Cruncheroos
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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