National Cereal Day Celebrating America’s top four breakfast cereals Writing
and art by
Sophia Mattioli
In the mid-1800s, James Caleb Jackson, an avid health reformer, invented a breakfast cereal using graham flour dough that dried out so much it had to be soaked in milk overnight. He called it granula. John Harvey Kellogg and his younger brother immediately picked up this idea and used Jackson’s methods to develop cornflakes, the first example of modern cereal. As cereals have evolved, companies find it hard to make their dried-out grains stand out from the others, hence the turn to mascots and catchphrases to stay on top. Every year in early March, we are encouraged to grab a bowl and celebrate National Cereal Day.
Honey Nut Cheerios rank as America’s most popular breakfast cereal. Originally named “Cheerioats,” the brand changed to the iconic Cheerios in 1945. These whole grain “o’s” weren’t always O-shaped; the company tested more than ten shapes and sizes before settling on the O.
America’s second most popular cereal, Frosted Flakes, selected their mascot through a public poll. Tony the Tiger beat Katy the Kangaroo, Elmo the Elephant, and Newt the Gnu to become the face of Frosted Flakes. Tony developed his character even more in the 1970s when he was declared Italian-American and celebrated by magazines Italian GQ and Panorama.
6 HIGHLANDER FUN
