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In 1877, the American Cereal Company created a cereal made from oats. Later, a man in Quaker garb was used to advertise the cereal. In 1901, the Quaker Oats company replaced the American Cereal Company.
The Kellogg Toasted Corn Flake Company was founded in 1906. Today the Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, commands a 30% share in the global breakfast cereal market, according to Statista.
Today, Wheaties is well known for featuring prominent athletes on its packages and has become a cultural icon in the United States. The first ever athlete depicted on the box was baseball player Lou Gehrig in 1934. Pictured here is tennis champion Serena Williams.
First appearing on American breakfast tables in 1952, Sugar Frosted Flakes became an instant breakfast time treat. In this 1954 advertisement the tagline reads "Out of this world!" But very soon it was replaced, the new buzzword being uttered by a tiger.
In 1983, the word "sugar" was dropped from the cereal's name in a effort to make the brand more appealing to the health conscious. While still marketed as Frosted Flakes in the United States, the cereal is known by other names in different countries. For example, in the United Kingdom it's called Frosties (pictured).
This 1955 advertisement for Kellogg's Corn Flakes features the caption "Good morning...whatever the news!" Incidentally, the tagline was the inspiration behind the Beatles' track 'Good Morning Good Morning' on the 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album after John Lennon saw a television commercial for the cereal.
Still selling well after over 120 years, Kellogg's Corn Flakes remains a favorite and highly versatile morning breakfast cereal choice for millions around the world.
In the United States, shredded wheat is most heavily advertised and marketed by Post Consumer Brands. In the United Kingdom, the Shredded Wheat brand is owned by Cereal Partners, a Nestlé/General Mills company. Made from whole grain and low in fat, shredded wheat has one of the lowest levels of sugar content found in any cereal.
Cheerios breakfast cereal has been around since 1941, originally marketed as CheeriOats. In February 2015, General Mills, the brand's US manufacturer announced that it would be making Cheerios totally gluten-free.
Rice Krispies were introduced to the market in 1928. By 1939, the famous "Snap, Crackle and Pop" slogan was in use (apparently based on the noises the cereal produces after milk is introduced to the bowl). Pictured is a 1954 advertisement for the cereal featuring the familiar cartoon mascots.
Over 90 years after it was introduced, the "talking cereal" still ranks among the top-selling breakfast cereals year after year.
According to Good to Know, Weetabix is the healthiest cereal on the supermarket shelf. Low in sugar and even lower in fat, Weetabix also contains very little salt.
Weetabix is the British version of the original Australian Weet-Bix. Produced in the United Kingdom since 1932, the cereal has long been promoted as especially appetizing on cold winter mornings, as this advertisement from 1955 suggests.
Golden Grahams was introduced in 1976. Consisting of small toasted square-shaped cereal pieces made of whole wheat and corn, the cereal todays contains far less sugar than it did 40-odd years ago.
A cocoa-flavored version of Rice Krispies that contains real chocolate was originally introduced in the United States in 1958.
Kellogg's All-Bran is one of the healthiest cereals out there. Besides the low calorie count, it's crammed full of fiber. An average serving provides you with 44% of your daily recommended fiber.
General Mills is behind children's favorite Cocoa Puffs. This cereal appeared in 1956. The mascot, Sonny the Cuckoo Bird, made his debut in 1962.
Inspired by the bestselling cookie in the United States and launched by Post Cereals in 1997, Oreo O's, a breakfast cereal that consists of Oreo-flavored O-shaped pieces of cereal, has nearly as much sugar content as three Oreo cookies. It's stocked on supermarket shelves worldwide.
Alpen Museli is also up there for its healthy ingredients, a tasty combination of light and crispy wheat flakes, roasted almonds, hazlenuts, and plump juicy raisins.
This 1873 print titled 'Déjeuner à trois' depicts a young woman sitting at a table filled with breakfast food and kept company by a child and her dog.
Created in 1921 and by 1924 being made by General Mills, Wheaties is one of the best-known breakfast cereals in the United States. In 1927, Wheaties began its association with sports, and was taglined as "The Breakfast of Champions," as this early 1930's photograph clearly illustrates.
And how about going back to basics? Porridge as already discussed was created as one of the very first breakfast cereals. Scott's offering (with its unusual spelling of "porage") is packed with fiber and protein, though overall it has a slightly higher fat content.
Any opportunity to associate their product with a celebrity is eagerly grabbed by cereal manufactures, whether by default or by design. Here, Beatle George Harrison sits down to a bowl of cornflakes while being served a cup of tea by his dad, Harold, at Harrison's Liverpool home in 1963.
In fact, raisins are a healthy addition to any breakfast cereal. Kellogg's Raisin Bran is a very popular staple in households all over the United States, in part because of its advertised nutritional value.
We've been eating breakfast of sorts for hundreds of years. Historically, hot porridge (oatmeal) was a staple food in much of the world, and remains so in many countries. Pictured is a 17th-century engraving by Nicolaes de Bruyn (1571-1656) of a man and woman eating porridge.
Did you know that in 1963 the Rolling Stones recorded a short song for a Rice Krispies television advertisement? You can watch it on YouTube.
Tony the Tiger has been the mascot of Frosted Flakes since early in its introduction. The cheerful big cat is known for uttering the cereal's slogan: "They're Gr-r-reat!" Tony and tagline are still used today.
Shredded wheat was invented in 1893 by Ohio lawyer and businessman Henry Perky. Today there are many generic versions and variants by different names of shredded wheat.
Australian actress Jacki Weaver provided Rice Krinkles with a poster girl in the mid-1960s. These days she's internationally known for films like 'Animal Kingdom' (2010) and 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012), both of which earned her nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Sources: (Statista) (Rolling Stone) (The New Yorker) (Mashed) (Kellogg's Nutrition) (Good to Know) (FoodBev Media) (Cereal Guru)
A breakfast cereal is usually the first thing we eat in the morning. In fact, it's a tradition that dates back hundreds of years, when a bowl of porridge was often the meal to go to work on. Today, the choice of cereals is vast, with most eaten as part of a balanced breakfast, or a snack food, at least in Western societies. Many cereals are oat-based and high in fiber while low in fat. But quite a few brands are filled with hidden sugar and other additives.
Click through and wake up to some of the most popular cereals on the breakfast table.
Popular breakfast cereals through the years
What are your favorites?
FOOD Nutrition
A breakfast cereal is usually the first thing we eat in the morning. In fact, it's a tradition that dates back hundreds of years, when a bowl of porridge was often the meal to go to work on. Today, the choice of cereals is vast, with most eaten as part of a balanced breakfast, or a snack food, at least in Western societies. Many cereals are oat-based and high in fiber while low in fat. But quite a few brands are filled with hidden sugar and other additives.
Click through and wake up to some of the most popular cereals on the breakfast table.