Cheerios

Cheerios is a brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills in the United States, 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 Tobys product. It was first manufactured in 1941 as CheeriOats.

Box of Cheerios
Nutrition facts
Serving size 1 cup (28g)
Servings per container 9
Amount per serving
Calories 100Calories from fat 15
% Daily value*
Total fat 2 g3%
   Saturated fat 0.5 g3%
   Trans fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg0%
Sodium 140 mg6%
Potassium 180 mg5%
Total carbohydrate 20 g7%
   Dietary fiber 3 g1%
   Sugars 1 g
Protein 3 g
Vitamin A10%     Vitamin C10%
Calcium10%     Iron45%
*Percent daily values are based on a 2,000‑calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

History

Cheerios was introduced on May 1, 1941, as "CheeriOats". The name was shortened to "Cheerios" in 1945. Its production was based upon the extrusion process invented for Kix in 1937.

In 1976, "Cinnamon Nut Cheerios" was the first departure from the original flavor of Cheerios, over 30 years after the cereal was created; the second was "Honey Nut Cheerios", introduced in 1979.[1] General Mills sold approximately 1.8 million cases of Honey Nut Cheerios in its first year.

Ingredients

In January 2014, General Mills announced that it would halt the use of genetically modified ingredients in original Cheerios.[2] In February 2015, the company announced that it would be making Cheerios totally 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 a Honeybee). Bullwinkle was featured in early 1960s commercials, 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!" Hoppity Hooper was also featured in ads in the mid-1960s; General Mills was the primary sponsor of his animated program.

Cheeri O'Leary

This cartoon character, a cheery young girl, was seen in 1942-43 magazine advertising and in Sunday newspaper's comics sections. These ads were multi-panel cartoons where Cheeri O'Leary interacted with entertainers of the day, including Charlotte Greenwood, Barbara Stanwyck, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Johnny Mack Brown,[3] Betty Hutton,[4] and Claudette Colbert.[5]

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." By the late 1960s, there was a jingle called “Get Yourself Go” (written by Neil Diamond), which played as the two use go power to solve the problem. The character was revived briefly in the late 1980s in similar commercials. In 2012, The Cheerios Kid and sidekick Sue were revived in an internet video that showed how Cheerios "can lower cholesterol."[6][7] 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.

Peanuts

In 1984 and 1985, characters from the comic strip Peanuts were featured in many Cheerios commercials. In the commercials, the characters become tired in the middle of performing an activity (e.g. taking a dance lesson, playing tennis), but then another character tells them that they didn't have a healthy Cheerios breakfast. Then, at the end of the commercial, the character would be energized, 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 Mills and Simon & Schuster. Mini-sized versions of Simon & Schuster children's books are published within the program when the book drive occurs.[8][9] The program also includes a New Author contest; winners' books are published in miniature inside boxes of Cheerios.[10][11]

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.[12][13]

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 lower 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.[14] 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 this – 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 Cheerios commercial, with the refrain "Good goes around and around and around."[15]

Murray the Brave

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, it partnered with Food Banks Canada to do a tribute to food bank workers.[16]

Products
Cereals
  • Cheerios (1941)
  • Cinnamon Nut Cheerios (1976)[17]
  • Honey Nut Cheerios (1979)
  • Apple Cinnamon Cheerios (1988)
  • MultiGrain Cheerios (Original in the UK) (released 1992, relaunched 2009)
  • Frosted Cheerios (1995) (not related to Frosty O's)
  • Yogurt Burst Cheerios (variations include vanilla and strawberry) (2005)
  • Fruity Cheerios (2006) (Cheerios sweetened with fruit juice)
  • Oat Cluster Crunch Cheerios (2007) (sweetened Cheerios with oat clusters)
  • Banana Nut Cheerios (2009) (sweetened Cheerios made with banana puree)
  • Chocolate Cheerios (2010) (Cheerios made with cocoa)
  • Cinnamon Burst Cheerios (2011) (Cheerios made with cinnamon)
  • MultiGrain Peanut Butter Cheerios (2012) (Multigrain Cheerios with sorghum, not wheat, and peanut butter)
  • Multi Grain Cheerios Dark Chocolate Crunch (2013)[18]
  • Cheerios Protein (variations include Oats & Honey and Cinnamon Almond) (2014)
  • Ancient Grain Cheerios (2015) (sweetened Cheerios made with "ancient grains like kamut wheat, spelt, and quinoa")
  • Pumpkin Spice Cheerios (sweetened Cheerios made with pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spices) (2016) (limited edition)
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios (a blend of two types of sweetened Cheerios, one with a cocoa coating, the other with peanut butter) (Limited Edition in 2016, made permanent 2017)
  • Strawberry Cheerios (sweetened Cheerios made with strawberry purée) (2017) (Limited Edition)
  • Very Berry Cheerios (sweetened Cheerios with strawberry, blueberry and raspberry flavors) (2017)
  • Peach Cheerios (sweetened Cheerios made with peach purée) (2018) (Limited Edition)
  • Blueberry Cheerios (with blueberry purée concentrate) (2019)
  • Maple Cheerios (sweetened with maple syrup) (2019)
  • Cinnamon Cheerios (made with cinnamon) (2020)
Snacks
  • Cheerios Snack Mix – Original (2008) (Cheerios, Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, round crackers, pretzels and cracker sticks flavored with garlic and onion)
  • Cheerios Snack Mix – Cheese (2008) (Cheerios, Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, triangle crackers, pretzels and cracker sticks flavored with cheese)
Licensed products
  • Crispy Oats (manufactured by Millville, distributed by ALDI)
  • Purely O's (Organic Cheerios, manufactured by General Mills subsidiary Cascadian Farms) (1999)
  • Oat Cheerios (Republic of Ireland only, manufactured by Cereal Partners Worldwide, sold under the Nestlé brand)

Discontinued products
  • Cheerios and X's[19] (1993)
  • Team Cheerios[20][21] (formerly Team USA Cheerios) (1996-2003)
  • Millenios[22] (Cheerios with "2"-shaped cereal pieces) (1999–2000)
  • Berry Burst Cheerios[23] (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)[24]

2009 FDA demand

In May 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter[25] to General Mills indicating that Cheerios was being sold as an unapproved new drug, due to labeling 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 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.[26]

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.[27]

See also

References
  1. Elliott, Stuart (June 27, 2011). "7 Agencies Will Tell You This Cereal Is No. 1". The New York.
  2. Walsh, Bryan (January 20, 2014). "Cheerios has ditched GMOs. Does it matter?". Time. 183 (2): 15. The whole-grain oats that are the main ingredient of Cheerios have always been GMO-free, but General Mills is now ensuring that the sugar and cornstarch used in the cereal come from non-GMO sources.
  3. "Johnny Mack Brown Meets Cheeri O'Leary." Philadelphia Inquirer, 16 August 1942.
  4. "Cheeri O'Leary Learns How Betty Huttton Won Stardom Almost Overnight." Philadelphia Inquirer, 11 July 1943.
  5. "Cheeri O'Leary Visits Lovely Claudette Colbert, Brightest Star in Hollywood." Philadelphia Inquirer, 5 September 1943.
  6. Schultz, E.J. (September 17, 2012). "General Mills Brings Back Green Giant, Cheerios Kid In Nostalgic Appeal". Advertising Age.
  7. 1950s-1970s Cheerios Commercials (The Cheerios Kid). YouTube. November 28, 2010.
  8. "Cheerios – Spoonsfuls of Stories". Simon and Schuster. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  9. Beder, Sharon. "Sponsorship and Donations – Book Donations". Business Managed Democracy. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  10. "The Lost (and Found) Balloon by Celeste Jenkins, Maria Bogade". GoodReads.com. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  11. "Cheerios – Spoonsfuls of Stories – New Author Contest". Simon and Schuster. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  12. "Front sports briefs". Dubuque Telegraph Herald. The Associated Press. December 14, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015 – via HighBeam.
  13. "Special Promotions – Shawn Johnson Cheerios Box". Hy-Vee.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011.
  14. Harris, Aisha (May 31, 2013). "Cheerios Ad Brings Out the Racists". Slate. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  15. Bodden, Shawn; Chakrabarti, Meghna (June 23, 2017). "Latrell James, Boston-Based Rapper, Makes Good Go Around". wbur.org. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  16. Lombardo, Christopher (May 6, 2020). "Cheerios pivots its Olympic platform to 'cheer' on food bank workers". Strategy. The General Mills brand is using the ad space originally slated for Olympic-themed creative to showcase Murray, an animated everyman based on an actual food bank volunteer meant to personify workers everywhere. With pastel hues, 'Murray the Brave' is shown boxing up food for those in need in a 30-second spot, including Cheerios
  17. "Cinnamon Nut Cheerios". MrBreakfast.com.
  18. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. "COMPANY NEWS: Cheerios and X's; How to Play With Cereal, But Without the Milk". The New York Times. June 23, 1993.
  20. Tatum, Kevin (May 29, 1997). "Breakfast With Northampton's Champs. 1996 Softball Squad Depicted On Cereal Box". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  21. Schevitz, Tanya (February 25, 1998). "Cereal Toasts De La Salle / Football team lauded on Cheerios box for victory record". San Francisco Chronicle.
  22. Hoye, Sue (December 28, 1999). "Marketing 2000 as the millennium". CNN.
  23. "Cheerios cereal celebrates its 70th birthday". KABC-TV Los Angeles, CA. June 24, 2011. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  24. Cheerios [@cheerios] (March 1, 2016). "@NumberEighty3 unfortunately, Banana Nut Cheerios have been discontinued :( So sorry for any inconvenience! ^C" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. "Warning Letters - General Mills, Inc. 5/5/09". Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  26. "Popular cereal is a drug, US food watchdog says". AFP News. May 12, 2009. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009.
  27. "Letter to General Mills Concerning Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal Labeling". Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine. U.S. FDA. May 3, 2012.
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