Breakfast Cereals
Where Did Cereal Originally Come From?
Where did it originate?
- The first cereal was believed to come from the Hopi Indians
- James Caleb Jackson invented his cereal in 1863, which was called Granula
- Jackson's cereal had to be soaked in milk overnight in order to eat it
- The cereal Granula had a very bland flavor
How did it change throughout history?
- 1980's- Cornflakes, grape-nuts, and shredded wheat were invented and sold
- 1950's- Chex cereal was known as the 50's cereal
- 1960's- Cartoon characters were added to the sides of cereal boxes
- 1980's- Boxes had popular pop-culture characters on them; such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong
Cereal Boxes Through History
Sugar Crisp in the 1890's
Sugar Crisp in the 1950's
Sugar Crisp in the 1980's
Origin of the Word
The word cereal comes from the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres
How Did Cereal Appeal to Children?
- The post World War 2 baby-boom brought on the first pre-sweetened cereal to the United States
- Pre-sweetened cereal was made to target young children
- Toys added to cereal boxes for children and the words on the box were for moms
How it Became Popular
- After the Civil War, many people started cereal companies
- In 1870, John Harvey Kellogg created the first wheat flakes
- In 1906, Will Keith Kellogg built and owned the Battle Creek Toasted Cornflake Company
- When sugar, prizes, and box mascots were added to cereal, children started to like cereal more than they did