Cheerios

On May 1, 1941 General Mills introduced Cheerios.

When Cheerios debuted, they were called Cheerioats.  The name was changed to Cheerios due to a dispute with Quaker Oats over naming rights in 1945.

It was the first oat-based and ready-to-eat without cooking cereal sold in the United States.  Successful marketing and association with The Lone Ranger led General Mills to sell approximately 1.8 million cases of the cereal in its first year alone.  Other icons that have been prominently featured in association with Cheerios include Rocky and Bullwinkle, Scooby Doo, Star Wars characters, and NASCAR drivers.

Cheerios have been made in a variety of flavors including:

• Honey Nut Cheerios (1979)
• Apple Cinnamon Cheerios (1988)
• Multi-Grain Cheerios (1992)
• Frosted Cheerios (1995)
• Team Cheerios (formerly Team USA Cheerios) (1996)
• Purely O's (organic Cheerios, manufactured by General Mills' subsidiary Cascadian Farms) (1999)
• Berry Burst Cheerios (including variations of Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Cherry Vanilla and Triple Berry) (2003)
• Millenios (Cheerios with 2 shaped cereal pieces, no longer available) (2000)
• Yogurt Burst Cheerios (2005) (including variations of Vanilla and Strawberry yogurt)

Cheerios
General Mills