This week marked the 124th anniversary of the invention of Corn Flakes. They were invented on August 8, 1898. I was never a fan or Corn Flakes but I did have a few others I enjoyed.
My earliest memory of cereal is Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger on the box. And who doesn’t remember the box? That’s what you read every morning. There were no phones or tablets and you didn’t care for the newspaper yet and mom would never allow a television on at meal time. You read the box! And smart cereal makers started to realize this and put comics or mysteries on the box for you to solve.
I was trying to remember my childhood cereal days and seem to remember the assorted pack that came in boxes that you could actually open in a certain way so you could add the milk. Did they ever work? I don’t think my mom ever wanted to experiment.
The other thing about those assorted packs was that my brother always seemed to beat me to the best ones. I’d be left with Special K or Raisin Bran! Not the top choices for an 8-year old.
Then I Grew Up
I think I grew out of the cereal habit once I discovered waffles but I was reintroduced to the cereal world when my own children came along. Their favorites were Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Reese’s Puffs. The older me developed a taste for Raisin Bran but I have to admit that my guilty pleasure is Lucky Charms. To be honest, I do love me some Lucky Charms. I was thrilled to learn that my grandson likes Lucky Charms although he seems to only steal the marshmallows. I admit that while I was staying with them I might have had a bowl or two.
Actually it always seemed like I had a bowl-and-a-half of Lucky Charms. You would finish the cereal but still have at least a third of the milk left. So you add a little more cereal, however if you add too much you need more milk. A delicate balancing act here.
I was never a fan of Wheatie’s which is probably why I never became a star athlete or an Olympian. I couldn’t understand why people liked Cap’n Crunch. Too hard. Corn Pops never did anything for me. Cheerios? Nope. Honey Nut Cheerios were another story. I did enjoy some Coco Puffs, especially when the milk turned chocolatey.
The kids went through an Apple Jacks phase which I couldn’t get into but Cookie Crisp was pretty good.
Ah memories!
Most Popular Brands
What’s the number one cereal in America? Well according to Kiplinger, that would be Cheerios! It’s number one in both revenue and boxes sold.
Here’s the Top 10:
- Cheerios
- Honey Nut Cheerios
- Frosted Flakes
- Honey Bunches of Oats
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch
- Lucky Charms
- Froot Loops
- Frosted Mini Wheats
- Life
- Fruity Pebbles
True confession: Not a fan of Life or Fruity Pebbles.
According to the article, Americans consumed $8.5 billion worth of cereal over the past year. Sales are down 1.4% but there is growing interest in cereal as a snack among younger consumers.
This all has made me think that maybe it’s time for a trip down memory lane. Some Lucky Charms tomorrow? Frosted Flakes? Knowing me I’ll have a bowl, maybe two, and then the box will sit on a shelf for months before we toss it.
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