Wheaties

For decades, Wheaties has been an all-time-favorite breakfast food. It is marketed as the "Breakfast of Champions," one of the most celebrated of all advertising slogans. Since the 1930s, it has been linked to athletics and accomplishment. It seems that whenever an athlete with a likable personality wins a gold medal at the Olympics (see entry under 1900s—Sports and Games in volume 1) or tosses touchdowns in the Super Bowl, he or she is featured on Wheaties packaging. In fact, the line "He didn't eat his Wheaties today" has long been used to describe youngsters who fall short on the ball field.

The cereal's beginnings date to 1921, when a Minnesota health care professional accidentally spilled some bran gruel on a hot stove, transforming the mixture into a crispy flake. He brought the flake to the Washburn Crosby Company, the precursor of General Mills, which currently produces and markets Wheaties. The Washburn Crosby Company saw the potential of transforming the flake into a mass-market breakfast food. Before the final product debuted in 1924, thirty-six variations of the flake were tested. It was named "Wheaties" in a national contest. Among the almost-successful entries: Nutties and Gold Medal Wheat Flakes.

Wheaties is famed for printing the photos of top athletes on its packaging, a marketing ploy meant to appeal to children. The implication is that, if you eat your Wheaties, you too may grow up to be big and strong enough to become a professional athlete. In 1934, Lou Gehrig (1903–1941), the legendary New York Yankees first baseman, became the first athlete featured on a Wheaties box. Over the years, a variety of athletes have graced the cover of the Wheaties box: baseball star Jimmie Foxx (1907–1967), sports heroine Babe Didrikson (1914–1956; see entry under 1930s—Sports and Games in volume 2), Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton (1954–1999), Baltimore Orioles iron-man Cal Ripken Jr. (1960–), Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton (1968–), and golf star Tiger Woods (1975–; see entry under 1990s—Sports and Games in volume 5). Basketball legend Michael Jordan (1963–; see entry under 1990s—Sports and Games in volume 5) has been the Wheaties cover boy a record seventeen times, first appearing in 1988. The older and most popular Wheaties boxes are highly valued by memorabilia buffs and collectors.

—Rob Edelman

For More Information

General Mills. Wheaties Home Page.http://www.wheaties.com (accessed January 23, 2002).