1 00:00:02,044 --> 00:00:02,836 - [Narrator] There are over 1,000 types 2 00:00:02,836 --> 00:00:05,631 of cereal on the market today. 3 00:00:05,631 --> 00:00:08,300 - There's oats and rice and wheat, 4 00:00:08,300 --> 00:00:10,719 puffed and frosted and toasted, 5 00:00:10,719 --> 00:00:13,472 sugared and fruity and chocolatey. 6 00:00:13,472 --> 00:00:16,225 - [Narrator] It's a $35 billion industry 7 00:00:16,225 --> 00:00:20,103 that almost single handedly created breakfast 8 00:00:20,103 --> 00:00:22,439 because less than 150 years ago, 9 00:00:22,439 --> 00:00:26,360 cereal and breakfast as we know it didn't exist. 10 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,528 - Breakfast was leftover version of the night before. 11 00:00:28,528 --> 00:00:29,696 You couldn't say, "Oh, 12 00:00:29,696 --> 00:00:31,365 that's what people eat for breakfast." 13 00:00:31,365 --> 00:00:35,160 - [Narrator] Until a happy accident changed everything. 14 00:00:36,912 --> 00:00:38,956 Thanks to a series of visionaries, 15 00:00:38,956 --> 00:00:40,541 over the next few decades, 16 00:00:40,541 --> 00:00:44,169 cereal evolved from a health supplement for adults 17 00:00:44,169 --> 00:00:47,923 to a breakfast staple, starting with corn. 18 00:00:47,923 --> 00:00:49,132 - Well, that's a first. 19 00:00:50,050 --> 00:00:51,301 - [Narrator] Then wheat. 20 00:00:51,301 --> 00:00:54,763 - Wheaties, the Breakfast of Champions. 21 00:00:55,722 --> 00:00:56,598 - [Narrator] Rice. 22 00:00:56,598 --> 00:00:57,933 - Do you hear that? 23 00:00:57,933 --> 00:00:59,226 It's crackling. 24 00:00:59,226 --> 00:01:00,852 - [Announcer 1] Snap, crackle, pop. 25 00:01:00,852 --> 00:01:02,604 - [Narrator] Innovative new shapes. 26 00:01:02,604 --> 00:01:03,563 - [Announcer 2] Cereal, the cereal 27 00:01:03,563 --> 00:01:05,649 that's shaped like a letter O. 28 00:01:05,649 --> 00:01:06,567 - [Narrator] Flavors. 29 00:01:06,567 --> 00:01:08,277 - Trix smelled like candy 30 00:01:08,277 --> 00:01:10,529 and it tasted like nothing else on the market. 31 00:01:10,529 --> 00:01:13,282 - [Narrator] And world-famous mascots. 32 00:01:13,282 --> 00:01:16,785 - Sugar Frosted Flakes are great. 33 00:01:16,785 --> 00:01:19,204 - [Narrator] Becoming some of the biggest brand names 34 00:01:19,204 --> 00:01:20,831 in American history 35 00:01:20,831 --> 00:01:24,876 and creating a beloved new food category. 36 00:01:25,794 --> 00:01:28,338 - Yaba-daba-doo. 37 00:01:28,338 --> 00:01:31,383 [suspenseful music] 38 00:01:36,346 --> 00:01:42,394 [suspenseful music] 39 00:01:49,109 --> 00:01:51,695 [suspenseful music] 40 00:01:51,695 --> 00:01:56,450 - [Narrator] The origins of breakfast cereal begin in 1876. 41 00:01:56,450 --> 00:01:58,243 - Make sure a copy is sent to Dr. Beaumont. 42 00:01:58,243 --> 00:01:59,536 - [Narrator] With a young doctor 43 00:01:59,536 --> 00:02:02,039 who runs a local wellness institute. 44 00:02:02,039 --> 00:02:04,291 His name is John Kellogg 45 00:02:04,291 --> 00:02:08,044 and he's the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. 46 00:02:08,044 --> 00:02:10,088 - People came from all around the world 47 00:02:10,088 --> 00:02:12,174 to the Battle Creek Sanitarium, 48 00:02:12,174 --> 00:02:16,803 Amelia Earhart, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford. 49 00:02:17,971 --> 00:02:19,431 - [Howard] They came to Battle Creek to get well, 50 00:02:19,431 --> 00:02:22,142 - but they also came to see Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, 51 00:02:22,142 --> 00:02:24,645 who was one of the most famous physicians of his day. 52 00:02:24,645 --> 00:02:25,937 - [Narrator] Dr. Kellogg is working 53 00:02:25,937 --> 00:02:27,731 on a totally new medicine 54 00:02:27,731 --> 00:02:30,609 that he believes will prevent nervous disorders, 55 00:02:30,609 --> 00:02:32,986 tooth decay, even cancer. 56 00:02:32,986 --> 00:02:36,490 - The chief complaint of people coming to the sanitarium 57 00:02:36,490 --> 00:02:40,369 was some type of stomach or gastrointestinal problem. 58 00:02:40,369 --> 00:02:43,038 - And so, he had this notion that eating meat 59 00:02:43,038 --> 00:02:44,414 was dangerous to your health 60 00:02:44,414 --> 00:02:47,542 and that a grain and vegetable diet was far better. 61 00:02:48,752 --> 00:02:50,170 - [Narrator] Served as medicinal food, 62 00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:51,922 the product is made of flour, 63 00:02:51,922 --> 00:02:54,675 oatmeal and cornmeal baked into brittle cakes, 64 00:02:54,675 --> 00:02:55,884 then smashed into granules. 65 00:02:55,884 --> 00:03:00,764 [mallet thumping] [granules clinking] 66 00:03:02,140 --> 00:03:04,559 It's unlike anything most Americans have ever seen. 67 00:03:04,559 --> 00:03:07,604 [suspenseful music] 68 00:03:09,523 --> 00:03:11,400 - [Narrator] He calls it "granola." 69 00:03:14,236 --> 00:03:16,279 - [Libby] John Harvey Kellogg believed 70 00:03:16,279 --> 00:03:18,990 that food and medicine were tightly bound 71 00:03:18,990 --> 00:03:22,160 and the right diet was going to be the right answer. 72 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,205 John Harvey said, "No sugar in that granola. 73 00:03:25,205 --> 00:03:26,915 It has to be really healthy." 74 00:03:26,915 --> 00:03:29,543 And he really believed in these whole grains. 75 00:03:29,543 --> 00:03:30,961 They would make you sleep better, 76 00:03:30,961 --> 00:03:32,796 they would make you feel better. 77 00:03:32,796 --> 00:03:34,756 - [Narrator] Kellogg serves his patients granola 78 00:03:34,756 --> 00:03:37,175 shortly after they wake up each day. 79 00:03:37,175 --> 00:03:39,845 But at the time, a dedicated morning meal 80 00:03:39,845 --> 00:03:42,055 is practically unheard of. 81 00:03:42,055 --> 00:03:45,142 - Breakfast wasn't a particularly identifiable meal 82 00:03:45,142 --> 00:03:46,643 in those days. 83 00:03:46,643 --> 00:03:49,271 It didn't have foods all that much associated with it. 84 00:03:49,271 --> 00:03:51,565 Often, it was leftovers from the night before. 85 00:03:51,565 --> 00:03:52,899 You couldn't say, "Oh, 86 00:03:52,899 --> 00:03:55,193 that's what people eat for breakfast." 87 00:03:55,193 --> 00:03:58,280 - It was a major effort and took a ton of time. 88 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,866 It became a huge undertaking. 89 00:04:00,866 --> 00:04:04,119 - [Jon] But the simple meal of breakfast cereal was something 90 00:04:04,119 --> 00:04:06,413 that could be served hot or cold, 91 00:04:06,413 --> 00:04:10,125 and would take a very short amount of time to consume. 92 00:04:10,125 --> 00:04:15,088 [mallet thumping] [gentle music] 93 00:04:16,755 --> 00:04:17,966 - That one's a little overcooked, 94 00:04:17,966 --> 00:04:19,341 but we'll still use it. 95 00:04:19,341 --> 00:04:20,844 - [Narrator] John's right hand man. 96 00:04:20,844 --> 00:04:22,554 - Which one is this from? 97 00:04:22,554 --> 00:04:25,640 - [Narrator] Is a former employee at a broom factory. 98 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,018 It's his younger brother, William. 99 00:04:28,018 --> 00:04:29,478 - [Harvey] It was Will Kellogg 100 00:04:29,478 --> 00:04:33,273 who recognized there are a lot more healthy people 101 00:04:33,273 --> 00:04:36,610 who want a nutritious, easy-to-prepare breakfast 102 00:04:36,610 --> 00:04:41,281 than ill people who need an easy-to-digest breakfast. 103 00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:43,533 Doctors did not advertise. 104 00:04:43,533 --> 00:04:46,703 That was against medical ethics at the time. 105 00:04:48,830 --> 00:04:51,374 - [Narrator] A happy accident will soon change everything 106 00:04:51,374 --> 00:04:54,836 for the Kellogg Brothers and for breakfast. 107 00:04:54,836 --> 00:04:56,254 - [John] Good morning. 108 00:04:56,254 --> 00:04:59,257 - Did you mean to leave that out last night? 109 00:04:59,257 --> 00:05:02,886 - Shoot. [footsteps thumping] 110 00:05:04,179 --> 00:05:05,806 Help me roll this out. 111 00:05:05,806 --> 00:05:07,474 - [Narrator] To try and salvage a batch 112 00:05:07,474 --> 00:05:09,476 of dough left out overnight, 113 00:05:09,476 --> 00:05:11,853 Will decides to roll it out anyway. 114 00:05:14,773 --> 00:05:18,360 The result is a flake. 115 00:05:19,778 --> 00:05:22,239 - Huh, well, that's a first. 116 00:05:25,283 --> 00:05:28,411 - This creation was an accident, an accident. 117 00:05:30,497 --> 00:05:31,706 - [Adam] You stop and you think, 118 00:05:31,706 --> 00:05:33,959 what if they ust disposed of it? 119 00:05:33,959 --> 00:05:36,795 What if they didn't force their way through the crank? 120 00:05:36,795 --> 00:05:40,173 And the thing that I think is so fantastic 121 00:05:40,173 --> 00:05:41,716 is you never know 122 00:05:41,716 --> 00:05:43,885 where that moment of inspiration's gonna strike. 123 00:05:45,428 --> 00:05:48,348 - [Harvey] Flake cereal was very popular. 124 00:05:48,348 --> 00:05:51,476 It was remarkably welcomed by people 125 00:05:51,476 --> 00:05:52,561 who ate at the sanitarium. 126 00:05:52,561 --> 00:05:54,521 It was a eureka-like moment. 127 00:05:54,521 --> 00:05:57,065 - [Narrator] To produce flakes, dough is boiled, 128 00:05:57,065 --> 00:05:59,234 left out to ferment for several hours 129 00:05:59,234 --> 00:06:02,904 and then compressed through rollers into thin sheets. 130 00:06:02,904 --> 00:06:04,239 Those sheets are baked 131 00:06:04,239 --> 00:06:06,366 and naturally flake off when scraped. 132 00:06:08,159 --> 00:06:10,537 Will calls them Corn Flakes. 133 00:06:10,537 --> 00:06:13,540 [suspenseful music] 134 00:06:15,250 --> 00:06:16,835 - [Harvey] He was ready to get out, 135 00:06:16,835 --> 00:06:19,629 so he raised money and took out loans, 136 00:06:19,629 --> 00:06:22,048 and Will Kellogg was off to the races 137 00:06:22,048 --> 00:06:24,175 and he never looked back. 138 00:06:24,175 --> 00:06:26,428 - [Narrator] In 1906, Will Kellogg 139 00:06:26,428 --> 00:06:29,264 releases Kellogg's Corn Flakes 140 00:06:29,264 --> 00:06:32,434 and pours all his money into advertising. 141 00:06:32,434 --> 00:06:35,520 - Will Kellogg, he had all sorts of amazing campaigns. 142 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:37,731 He had these giant billboards, 143 00:06:37,731 --> 00:06:39,232 the largest billboard of his time 144 00:06:39,232 --> 00:06:43,069 that he put up in Times Square, similar things in Chicago. 145 00:06:43,069 --> 00:06:46,239 He had a whole campaign where they suggested to women 146 00:06:46,239 --> 00:06:48,491 that they wink at the grocer 147 00:06:48,491 --> 00:06:52,120 and that'd be a sign to give them the Kellogg Corn Flakes. 148 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,497 So there was also sexual innuendo. 149 00:06:54,497 --> 00:06:58,335 He promoted the hell out of Kellogg's Corn Flakes. 150 00:06:58,335 --> 00:07:03,006 - [Narrator] By 1909, Kellogg's is producing 120,000 cases 151 00:07:03,006 --> 00:07:07,093 of Corn Flakes per day, saturating the American market. 152 00:07:07,093 --> 00:07:08,970 - The introduction of Corn Flakes by the Kellogg brothers 153 00:07:08,970 --> 00:07:11,431 really revolutionized breakfast 154 00:07:11,431 --> 00:07:13,725 by making it accessible to everybody. 155 00:07:13,725 --> 00:07:16,603 In many cases, it was women who woke up early, 156 00:07:16,603 --> 00:07:17,896 spent hours and hour and hours 157 00:07:17,896 --> 00:07:19,939 before the family arose preparing breakfast, 158 00:07:19,939 --> 00:07:22,776 and it enabled them to spend fewer hours in the kitchen 159 00:07:22,776 --> 00:07:23,985 and people to start the day 160 00:07:23,985 --> 00:07:25,612 with a more nutritious beginning. 161 00:07:25,612 --> 00:07:27,197 - [Zlati] It's something that sort of paved the way 162 00:07:27,197 --> 00:07:29,699 for other convenience foods, if you will, 163 00:07:29,699 --> 00:07:31,993 and just the way we start our day now 164 00:07:31,993 --> 00:07:35,955 with that convenient food, we see that idea of time saving 165 00:07:35,955 --> 00:07:39,000 yet nutritious food in every meal of the day now. 166 00:07:40,460 --> 00:07:43,213 - [Narrator] But so successful are Kellogg's Corn Flakes, 167 00:07:43,213 --> 00:07:46,091 that new competitors will soon be inspired 168 00:07:46,091 --> 00:07:48,843 to enter the cereal arena. 169 00:07:48,843 --> 00:07:52,681 [suspenseful music continues] 170 00:07:53,973 --> 00:07:58,103 In 1921, an unexpected challenger does just that. 171 00:07:58,978 --> 00:08:02,524 James Ford Bell is an eager rising executive 172 00:08:02,524 --> 00:08:04,818 at the Washburn-Crosby Flour Mill. 173 00:08:04,818 --> 00:08:06,152 - [Adam] James Ford Bell is the son 174 00:08:06,152 --> 00:08:07,445 of the former president of the mill, 175 00:08:07,445 --> 00:08:08,947 and he's paid his dues, 176 00:08:08,947 --> 00:08:10,865 having worked up from a lowly salesman 177 00:08:10,865 --> 00:08:12,283 all the way to vice president. 178 00:08:12,283 --> 00:08:13,868 - [Narrator] The Washburn-Crosby 179 00:08:13,868 --> 00:08:16,705 is one of the top four flour mills in the world. 180 00:08:16,705 --> 00:08:19,082 - They created the same Gold Medal flour 181 00:08:19,082 --> 00:08:21,668 that you still see in supermarkets today. 182 00:08:21,668 --> 00:08:24,587 - [Narrator] Sales have hit an all-time low. 183 00:08:24,587 --> 00:08:27,882 - Washburn-Crosby is right on the Mississippi River 184 00:08:27,882 --> 00:08:30,468 and it's using initially water power. 185 00:08:30,468 --> 00:08:32,929 - [Joanna] But with the rise of electricity making it possible 186 00:08:32,929 --> 00:08:35,014 to open mills anywhere in the country, 187 00:08:35,014 --> 00:08:37,015 new competitors start springing up. 188 00:08:37,015 --> 00:08:38,893 - [Sarah] And so, James Ford Bell 189 00:08:38,893 --> 00:08:40,937 was really looking for the next big thing. 190 00:08:43,188 --> 00:08:44,816 - [Narrator] Bell hears about a physician 191 00:08:44,816 --> 00:08:49,112 at a local sanitarium who's created his own flaked cereal, 192 00:08:49,112 --> 00:08:50,989 much like Kellogg's, 193 00:08:50,989 --> 00:08:54,743 but it's not made from corn, it's made from wheat. 194 00:08:56,077 --> 00:08:59,330 - [Adam] So usually this was not food you wanted to eat, 195 00:08:59,330 --> 00:09:01,750 it was food you were told to eat, 196 00:09:04,753 --> 00:09:08,214 but he eats one, it's a delicious, crispy flake, 197 00:09:08,214 --> 00:09:11,801 and he realizes this could be something incredibly special. 198 00:09:11,801 --> 00:09:14,471 - Kellogg's Corn Flakes, they're very popular 199 00:09:14,471 --> 00:09:17,515 in large part for their flavor and their texture. 200 00:09:17,515 --> 00:09:20,268 This product is different because that's made out of wheat 201 00:09:20,268 --> 00:09:22,604 and it has a little bit of a different flavor. 202 00:09:24,064 --> 00:09:26,066 - And what did you say that you call these? 203 00:09:26,066 --> 00:09:27,108 - Wheat Flakes. 204 00:09:29,778 --> 00:09:31,988 - [Narrator] James Ford Bell's Wheat Flakes 205 00:09:31,988 --> 00:09:34,949 will one day spearhead the formation of a company 206 00:09:34,949 --> 00:09:38,036 now valued at nearly $27 billion. 207 00:09:40,371 --> 00:09:43,500 But first, the battle for cereal supremacy 208 00:09:43,500 --> 00:09:47,420 will inspire one innovation after the next. 209 00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:49,130 - You might wanna stand back. 210 00:09:50,507 --> 00:09:52,884 - [Narrator] Until cereal dominates mornings 211 00:09:52,884 --> 00:09:55,303 for Americans of all ages. 212 00:09:55,303 --> 00:09:57,931 - Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids. 213 00:09:57,931 --> 00:09:59,099 [suspenseful music] 214 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:04,687 [suspenseful music] 215 00:10:04,687 --> 00:10:06,523 - [Narrator] It's 1921, 216 00:10:06,523 --> 00:10:10,860 and Washburn-Crosby Flour Mill executive James Ford Bell 217 00:10:10,860 --> 00:10:14,364 believes he may have discovered his company's future 218 00:10:14,364 --> 00:10:15,448 in a wheat flake. 219 00:10:17,867 --> 00:10:21,079 - James Ford Bell immediately starts thinking, 220 00:10:21,079 --> 00:10:25,500 how can he leverage this product for Washburn-Crosby? 221 00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:29,045 He sees the possibilities in a wheat flake 222 00:10:29,045 --> 00:10:30,421 for the American market. 223 00:10:30,421 --> 00:10:33,091 - Cereal is immensely popular at the time. 224 00:10:33,091 --> 00:10:35,218 If Bell wants to diversify beyond 225 00:10:35,218 --> 00:10:38,346 simply making wheat flour, a wheat cereal 226 00:10:38,346 --> 00:10:40,431 is a great idea. 227 00:10:40,431 --> 00:10:43,476 - [Narrator] Bell buys the recipe from the physician 228 00:10:43,476 --> 00:10:46,604 and tasks his head miller with refining the recipe 229 00:10:46,604 --> 00:10:49,482 to make it more palatable for the American public. 230 00:10:49,482 --> 00:10:50,859 - The problem with whole grains 231 00:10:50,859 --> 00:10:53,361 is they tend to be a little dry and gritty. 232 00:10:54,821 --> 00:10:56,781 - [Narrator] After months of trial and error, 233 00:10:56,781 --> 00:11:00,368 Bell's team presents 36 different recipes. 234 00:11:01,411 --> 00:11:04,539 [suspenseful music] 235 00:11:13,631 --> 00:11:18,720 [flake crunching] - 14, this one, this is it. 236 00:11:20,471 --> 00:11:22,557 - [Joshua] Bill decides that he can be a legitimate competitor 237 00:11:22,557 --> 00:11:24,184 to Kellogg's Corn Flakes. 238 00:11:24,184 --> 00:11:27,187 Now remember, his company has never made a cereal before, 239 00:11:27,187 --> 00:11:28,521 but to him, step one 240 00:11:28,521 --> 00:11:31,649 is taking on the biggest cereal maker in the world. 241 00:11:31,649 --> 00:11:35,361 - [Narrator] In 1923, the Washburn-Crosby company invests 242 00:11:35,361 --> 00:11:38,740 in a factory to put their Wheat Flakes into production. 243 00:11:40,283 --> 00:11:43,995 But back in Battle Creek, Michigan, the king of cereal, 244 00:11:43,995 --> 00:11:48,791 Will Kellogg, is also hard at work trying to keep his crown. 245 00:11:48,791 --> 00:11:51,419 - You don't stay king of the industry by standing still. 246 00:11:51,419 --> 00:11:54,631 Will Kellogg needs to expand beyond cornflakes. 247 00:11:56,507 --> 00:11:59,469 [cereal crunching] 248 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:09,395 - 1923 is one of those kind of interesting years 249 00:12:09,395 --> 00:12:11,981 in cereal development when you have two companies 250 00:12:11,981 --> 00:12:14,484 working on essentially the same product, 251 00:12:14,484 --> 00:12:17,445 but they don't know that the other company is working on it. 252 00:12:17,445 --> 00:12:18,988 - [Narrator] In 1923, 253 00:12:18,988 --> 00:12:21,532 Kellogg's beats Washburn- Crosby to market 254 00:12:21,532 --> 00:12:25,662 with their own wheat cereal, Pep Flakes, 255 00:12:25,662 --> 00:12:28,248 hitting store shelves with a marketing campaign 256 00:12:28,248 --> 00:12:31,292 in magazines and newspapers nationwide. 257 00:12:31,292 --> 00:12:33,920 - Pep was essentially just a wheat-based version 258 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:35,588 of the Corn Flake recipe. 259 00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:38,549 Pep was higher in fiber, but Corn Flakes tasted better. 260 00:12:38,549 --> 00:12:41,052 - [Narrator] Just months later in 1924, 261 00:12:41,052 --> 00:12:44,305 with no choice but to go head-to-head with Kellogg, 262 00:12:44,305 --> 00:12:47,976 Washburn-Crosby Wheat Flakes hits the market. 263 00:12:47,976 --> 00:12:51,729 - That sounds more like a law firm than it does a cereal. 264 00:12:51,729 --> 00:12:53,940 - [Narrator] But sales are dismal. 265 00:12:54,649 --> 00:12:57,193 - [Sarah] I think what Washburn- Crosby had going against them 266 00:12:57,193 --> 00:13:00,738 is they didn't have the same name recognition as Kellogg. 267 00:13:00,738 --> 00:13:02,156 - Pep Flakes is more popular 268 00:13:02,156 --> 00:13:04,117 because Kellogg's name is on the box. 269 00:13:04,117 --> 00:13:06,995 People know and trust the brand already. 270 00:13:06,995 --> 00:13:09,038 - [Narrator] Now, with an unpopular cereal 271 00:13:09,038 --> 00:13:12,792 further weakening the struggling mill, Bell is desperate. 272 00:13:14,085 --> 00:13:16,087 - He thinks it's a better product than Kellogg's, 273 00:13:16,087 --> 00:13:18,548 he thinks it's just a matter of marketing 274 00:13:18,548 --> 00:13:23,636 to get people to try their wheat flakes and be convinced. 275 00:13:23,636 --> 00:13:25,888 - [Narrator] In a Hail Mary move, 276 00:13:25,888 --> 00:13:29,100 Bell decides to rename the flailing cereal. 277 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:30,393 - What does he decide to do? 278 00:13:30,393 --> 00:13:31,811 Open it up to the company. 279 00:13:31,811 --> 00:13:34,689 Let's have a vote on what the best name could be. 280 00:13:36,274 --> 00:13:38,609 - Gold Medal Wheat Flakes? 281 00:13:38,609 --> 00:13:40,611 It's from Paul at Accounting. 282 00:13:40,611 --> 00:13:41,362 - No. 283 00:13:42,488 --> 00:13:44,282 - How about this one, Nutties? 284 00:13:45,658 --> 00:13:46,617 - What, no? 285 00:13:46,617 --> 00:13:49,162 Come on, Nutties is confusing. 286 00:13:51,622 --> 00:13:53,374 - What is it? 287 00:13:54,625 --> 00:13:57,003 - You're not gonna like it. - [James] Why not? 288 00:13:57,003 --> 00:13:59,130 - Because I like it, which means you won't. 289 00:14:00,506 --> 00:14:02,759 [dramatic music] 290 00:14:02,759 --> 00:14:06,471 - Very similar naming convention to a bunch of other stuff 291 00:14:06,471 --> 00:14:08,347 that's happening in the early 20th century, 292 00:14:08,347 --> 00:14:10,892 like Theodore Roosevelt becomes Teddy, 293 00:14:10,892 --> 00:14:13,436 instead of moving pictures, they become movies. 294 00:14:14,312 --> 00:14:15,188 - Wheaties. 295 00:14:15,188 --> 00:14:18,691 [suspenseful music] 296 00:14:18,691 --> 00:14:23,196 - [Narrator] With the Wheaties rebrand, sales skyrocket. 297 00:14:23,196 --> 00:14:25,698 To keep up with the resulting wheat demand, 298 00:14:25,698 --> 00:14:28,534 James Ford Bell leads the formation 299 00:14:28,534 --> 00:14:31,370 of wheat conglomerate General Mills, 300 00:14:33,748 --> 00:14:36,375 but Kellogg's is still number one 301 00:14:36,375 --> 00:14:39,170 and they won't go down without a fight. 302 00:14:39,170 --> 00:14:41,714 - [Sarah] Kellogg starts thinking kind of creatively 303 00:14:41,714 --> 00:14:44,634 and starts expanding into another grain. 304 00:14:44,634 --> 00:14:46,385 - With flake cereals like Wheaties 305 00:14:46,385 --> 00:14:47,804 expanding in the market, 306 00:14:47,804 --> 00:14:49,472 Kellogg wanted to come up with something different 307 00:14:49,472 --> 00:14:52,266 and innovative to stay relevant and on top. 308 00:14:52,266 --> 00:14:53,434 - [Narrator] Kellogg gambles 309 00:14:53,434 --> 00:14:55,603 that he can stay ahead of General Mills 310 00:14:55,603 --> 00:14:59,607 by venturing away from conventional flaked cereal. 311 00:14:59,607 --> 00:15:04,195 - They start producing a cereal made out of rice. 312 00:15:04,195 --> 00:15:06,364 - There have been rice cereals before, 313 00:15:06,364 --> 00:15:07,532 but they're not super popular 314 00:15:07,532 --> 00:15:08,741 because nobody's figured out 315 00:15:08,741 --> 00:15:11,160 how to make a good rice cereal yet. 316 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:12,745 - The recipe that Kellogg came up with 317 00:15:12,745 --> 00:15:15,414 involved cooking the rice in malt syrup, rolling it out 318 00:15:15,414 --> 00:15:18,042 and letting it dry so that the flavors can intensify 319 00:15:18,042 --> 00:15:20,878 and then baking it until it becomes light and crispy. 320 00:15:20,878 --> 00:15:24,590 [rice crackling] 321 00:15:24,590 --> 00:15:27,426 - [Narrator] And the result is something unheard of. 322 00:15:27,426 --> 00:15:28,761 - Do you hear that? 323 00:15:28,761 --> 00:15:30,721 It's crackling. [suspenseful music] 324 00:15:35,685 --> 00:15:36,936 [suspenseful music] 325 00:15:36,936 --> 00:15:38,437 - [Narrator] It's the late 1920s, 326 00:15:38,437 --> 00:15:42,358 and Kellogg's has just developed a new rice-based cereal 327 00:15:43,317 --> 00:15:44,443 that talks. 328 00:15:44,443 --> 00:15:45,820 - Do you hear that? 329 00:15:45,820 --> 00:15:46,696 It's crackling. 330 00:15:47,655 --> 00:15:49,031 - When you pour milk on it, 331 00:15:49,031 --> 00:15:50,616 the milk actually begins 332 00:15:50,616 --> 00:15:53,786 to break down the structural integrity of the walls 333 00:15:53,786 --> 00:15:55,997 of the air pockets within the rice, 334 00:15:55,997 --> 00:16:00,001 and as they collapse, they begin to make certain sounds. 335 00:16:00,001 --> 00:16:02,879 - We'll fix that. - Fix that, are you crazy? 336 00:16:02,879 --> 00:16:04,755 Do you know what we have here, hmm? 337 00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:09,343 We have a cereal that talks. 338 00:16:10,803 --> 00:16:13,806 - [Brooke] The fact that it made sound was totally unintentional. 339 00:16:13,806 --> 00:16:16,434 But Will Kellogg saw this as an opportunity 340 00:16:16,434 --> 00:16:17,685 to have the cereal stand out 341 00:16:17,685 --> 00:16:19,270 from everything else that was on the market. 342 00:16:19,270 --> 00:16:20,771 - He recognized that he had an opportunity 343 00:16:20,771 --> 00:16:22,315 to turn breakfast cereal 344 00:16:22,315 --> 00:16:25,610 to something it had never been before, which is fun. 345 00:16:25,610 --> 00:16:27,445 - [Narrator] Kellogg's Rice Krispies 346 00:16:27,445 --> 00:16:29,697 hits the shelves in 1928. 347 00:16:29,697 --> 00:16:33,117 Playing on the recent rise of talkies at the movie theaters, 348 00:16:33,117 --> 00:16:35,912 it's marketed as the talking cereal. 349 00:16:35,912 --> 00:16:38,372 - It makes noise when you pour the milk on it, 350 00:16:38,372 --> 00:16:42,293 and it really, for that reason, appeals to children 351 00:16:42,293 --> 00:16:44,712 in a way that some of the other major cereals 352 00:16:44,712 --> 00:16:46,255 at the time did not. 353 00:16:46,255 --> 00:16:48,382 - [Narrator] Capitalizing on its popularity with kids, 354 00:16:48,382 --> 00:16:52,428 Kellogg's sponsors America's first children's radio program, 355 00:16:52,428 --> 00:16:56,057 The Singing Lady, and releases their own radio jingle 356 00:16:56,057 --> 00:16:59,060 for Rice Krispies, featuring the phrase. 357 00:16:59,060 --> 00:17:00,728 - [Announcer 1] Snap, crackle, pop. 358 00:17:01,562 --> 00:17:03,606 - So a South Dakota illustrator 359 00:17:03,606 --> 00:17:06,442 was listening to a radio advertisement 360 00:17:06,442 --> 00:17:08,778 and he heard that, "Snap, crackle and pop," 361 00:17:08,778 --> 00:17:10,529 and he was inspired. 362 00:17:10,529 --> 00:17:13,574 So he created these three elf-like characters 363 00:17:13,574 --> 00:17:16,202 and he sent them blindly unsolicited 364 00:17:16,202 --> 00:17:18,537 to the Kellogg's ad agency. 365 00:17:18,537 --> 00:17:21,165 - From some cartoonist named Vernon Grant, 366 00:17:21,165 --> 00:17:22,415 submitted them on spec. 367 00:17:24,042 --> 00:17:26,921 [paper rustling] 368 00:17:30,424 --> 00:17:33,219 - Ask him what he wants for these and pay it. 369 00:17:33,219 --> 00:17:37,098 - [Narrator] Named Mr. Snap, Mr. Crackle and Mr. Pop, 370 00:17:37,098 --> 00:17:40,810 the three mascots make their debut in 1933, 371 00:17:40,810 --> 00:17:44,814 appearing in ads and on the cereal boxes themselves. 372 00:17:44,814 --> 00:17:46,440 - They were all charming. 373 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:51,028 They are the OG progenitors of this incredible characters 374 00:17:52,196 --> 00:17:53,823 that you associate with your favorite cereal. 375 00:17:53,823 --> 00:17:57,493 - So the fun thing about the Rice Krispies characters 376 00:17:57,493 --> 00:18:01,455 is of course Snap, Crackle and Pop are onomatopoeias, right? 377 00:18:01,455 --> 00:18:04,250 They're words that sound like the noises they make. 378 00:18:04,250 --> 00:18:07,503 So when they start to market it in other countries, 379 00:18:07,503 --> 00:18:11,465 they adopt onomatopoeias for those same sounds 380 00:18:11,465 --> 00:18:13,092 in those other languages. 381 00:18:13,092 --> 00:18:15,803 In Finnish, it's Riks, Raks, Poks. 382 00:18:15,803 --> 00:18:18,472 - Piff, Paff, Puff in Swedish. 383 00:18:18,472 --> 00:18:20,933 Pim, Pum, Pam in Spanish. 384 00:18:20,933 --> 00:18:23,769 - Polls actually tell us that more Americans 385 00:18:23,769 --> 00:18:25,938 can identify Snap, Crackle and Pop 386 00:18:25,938 --> 00:18:28,691 than can identify a single Supreme Court justice. 387 00:18:31,193 --> 00:18:33,779 - [Narrator] In 1934, as Kellogg continues 388 00:18:33,779 --> 00:18:36,407 to devour General Mills' market share, 389 00:18:36,407 --> 00:18:40,161 James Ford Bell is determined not to fall behind, 390 00:18:40,161 --> 00:18:43,998 creating his own mascots with real-life inspirations. 391 00:18:44,957 --> 00:18:50,129 [suspenseful music] 392 00:18:55,551 --> 00:18:57,970 - Americans have always looked up to athletes, 393 00:18:57,970 --> 00:18:59,639 real life superheroes. 394 00:18:59,639 --> 00:19:00,973 General Mills knew this. 395 00:19:00,973 --> 00:19:03,559 By putting these athletes on Wheaties boxes, 396 00:19:03,559 --> 00:19:05,436 they could capitalize on their fame. 397 00:19:07,229 --> 00:19:10,566 - Wheaties, the Breakfast of Champions. 398 00:19:12,610 --> 00:19:14,987 - The first ever athletes be featured on the Wheaties box 399 00:19:14,987 --> 00:19:18,157 was actually Lou Gehrig, the Yankees baseball player, 400 00:19:18,157 --> 00:19:19,700 it's a pretty big deal. 401 00:19:19,700 --> 00:19:24,163 - So the message that they are saying to kids is, "Look, 402 00:19:24,163 --> 00:19:25,873 Lou Gehrig must eat Wheaties. 403 00:19:25,873 --> 00:19:27,750 And if you want to grow up big and strong 404 00:19:27,750 --> 00:19:30,086 and a great baseball player like Lou Gehrig, 405 00:19:30,086 --> 00:19:31,545 you got to eat Wheaties." 406 00:19:31,545 --> 00:19:33,881 - [Narrator] The Breakfast of Champions campaign 407 00:19:33,881 --> 00:19:38,886 sparks a surge in sales and creates a lasting brand legacy. 408 00:19:39,011 --> 00:19:40,805 - You know you've made it 409 00:19:40,805 --> 00:19:42,723 when your face is on the Wheaties box. 410 00:19:42,723 --> 00:19:44,934 Who doesn't want their face on a Wheaties box? 411 00:19:44,934 --> 00:19:46,811 I want my face on the Wheaties box. 412 00:19:46,811 --> 00:19:48,688 I don't think that's happening. 413 00:19:48,688 --> 00:19:50,231 - [Narrator] By the mid-1930s, 414 00:19:50,231 --> 00:19:52,817 with the Great Depression in full swing, 415 00:19:52,817 --> 00:19:56,070 access to healthy foods for many is limited, 416 00:19:56,070 --> 00:20:00,282 causing a rise in diseases like rickets and pellagra. 417 00:20:00,282 --> 00:20:02,451 - So these were incredibly serious diseases 418 00:20:02,451 --> 00:20:05,746 that were disabling and, in some cases, killing people 419 00:20:05,746 --> 00:20:07,998 who weren't getting the nutrients they needed. 420 00:20:07,998 --> 00:20:09,959 - [Narrator] The culprit is a diet lacking 421 00:20:09,959 --> 00:20:14,463 in a kind of nutrient only recently identified, vitamins. 422 00:20:15,756 --> 00:20:20,678 - It seems shocking, but vitamins A, B, C, and D 423 00:20:20,678 --> 00:20:24,348 were all discovered between 1910 and the 1940s. 424 00:20:24,348 --> 00:20:25,933 - Scientists start to realize 425 00:20:25,933 --> 00:20:29,353 that pellagra is by a deficiency in vitamin B 426 00:20:29,353 --> 00:20:32,148 and Rickets by a deficiency in vitamin D. 427 00:20:32,148 --> 00:20:34,191 - [Narrator] In an effort to eradicate Rickets, 428 00:20:34,191 --> 00:20:37,153 scientists across the country raced to develop 429 00:20:37,153 --> 00:20:40,531 and patent methods of fortifying milk with vitamin D. 430 00:20:40,531 --> 00:20:43,534 - Milk was chosen as the ideal food to fortify 431 00:20:43,534 --> 00:20:46,412 because it was cheap, it was readily available 432 00:20:46,412 --> 00:20:48,122 and it was already enjoyed 433 00:20:48,122 --> 00:20:50,249 by millions of children nationwide. 434 00:20:50,249 --> 00:20:52,918 - [Yohuru] A team in Chicago actually patents a process 435 00:20:52,918 --> 00:20:54,587 using an electrical charge, 436 00:20:54,587 --> 00:20:58,257 which turns fungal cells in milk into vitamin D. 437 00:20:59,216 --> 00:21:00,342 - [Narrator] And James Ford Bell, 438 00:21:00,342 --> 00:21:02,219 president of General Mills, 439 00:21:02,219 --> 00:21:04,597 wants to get a piece of the action. 440 00:21:04,597 --> 00:21:05,973 - Bell figures there's no reason 441 00:21:05,973 --> 00:21:07,933 to mess with the Wheaties brand, 442 00:21:07,933 --> 00:21:11,312 I mean, it's a gold mine, so why not create something new? 443 00:21:11,312 --> 00:21:14,732 - [Narrator] And he surveys the public for inspiration. 444 00:21:14,732 --> 00:21:16,484 - All right, I'll have to call you back. 445 00:21:16,484 --> 00:21:20,654 No, Don just walked in. [receiver thumping] 446 00:21:20,654 --> 00:21:22,490 - The market research you asked for. 447 00:21:24,575 --> 00:21:26,035 - [Adam] Bell conducts a study 448 00:21:26,035 --> 00:21:27,995 to find out what the public thinks about cereal 449 00:21:27,995 --> 00:21:30,122 and what it wants from the product in the future. 450 00:21:30,122 --> 00:21:31,499 He's looking for clues 451 00:21:31,499 --> 00:21:34,418 on how to improve an already popular product. 452 00:21:34,418 --> 00:21:37,296 - There is one complaint that kept popping up. 453 00:21:38,506 --> 00:21:40,090 They want a cereal that doesn't get soggy. 454 00:21:40,090 --> 00:21:41,675 - All cereals get soggy. 455 00:21:42,927 --> 00:21:47,097 - Well, ah, not all cereals. 456 00:21:47,097 --> 00:21:49,141 - [Narrator] A turn-of-the-century invention 457 00:21:49,141 --> 00:21:52,520 may be the key to creating a new type of cereal 458 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,648 that can be fortified and won't get soggy. 459 00:21:55,648 --> 00:21:59,026 - There is a botanist named Alexander Anderson. 460 00:21:59,026 --> 00:22:00,736 He has something called a puffing gun, 461 00:22:00,736 --> 00:22:02,488 which is something that he's using 462 00:22:02,488 --> 00:22:04,490 in experiments with grain. 463 00:22:04,490 --> 00:22:05,616 - [Jason] Now, he's got these 464 00:22:05,616 --> 00:22:07,785 sealed test tubes with wheat flour 465 00:22:07,785 --> 00:22:10,246 and he's putting them into this vacuum-sealed chamber 466 00:22:10,246 --> 00:22:12,706 and heating them up to 500 degrees 467 00:22:12,706 --> 00:22:15,459 and he realizes when he hits that chamber with a hammer, 468 00:22:15,459 --> 00:22:17,503 the fluid that's in there like explodes out. 469 00:22:17,503 --> 00:22:20,214 And what you get is this really interesting result, 470 00:22:20,214 --> 00:22:24,093 you get this very nicely textured piece of puffed wheat. 471 00:22:24,093 --> 00:22:27,471 - [Ali] So General Mills said, "That's it. 472 00:22:27,471 --> 00:22:29,557 That is how we make a cereal 473 00:22:29,557 --> 00:22:32,351 that's going to be impervious to the sog. 474 00:22:32,351 --> 00:22:35,479 Let's make a cereal that's gonna retain its texture, 475 00:22:35,479 --> 00:22:38,691 even if it's in any kind of milk." 476 00:22:38,691 --> 00:22:41,861 - [Narrator] General Mills' engineers and physicists design 477 00:22:41,861 --> 00:22:44,446 and construct a puffing gun of their own. 478 00:22:44,446 --> 00:22:46,407 - [Jason] So General Mills starts to develop 479 00:22:46,407 --> 00:22:48,200 a product with corn, 480 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,326 but they're not doing it 481 00:22:49,326 --> 00:22:51,871 in sort of the traditional staid way 482 00:22:51,871 --> 00:22:53,706 that everybody else has been doing it before. 483 00:22:53,706 --> 00:22:56,000 They're just trying to keep it more interesting, 484 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:57,459 you know, a little more cutting edge. 485 00:22:57,459 --> 00:22:59,211 - If they can pull it off, 486 00:22:59,211 --> 00:23:01,213 Bell is hoping that a vitamin-fortified 487 00:23:01,213 --> 00:23:04,174 puffed corn cereal is gonna be their next big hit. 488 00:23:04,174 --> 00:23:05,843 - [Narrator] But the puffing gun technology 489 00:23:05,843 --> 00:23:07,678 is potentially dangerous. 490 00:23:07,678 --> 00:23:09,263 - For the puffing gun to work, 491 00:23:09,263 --> 00:23:13,601 it requires a vacuum sealed chamber and a violent explosion. 492 00:23:13,601 --> 00:23:15,269 - You might wanna stand back. 493 00:23:15,269 --> 00:23:18,272 [suspenseful music] 494 00:23:29,909 --> 00:23:32,745 - [Narrator] In 1937, engineers at General Mills 495 00:23:32,745 --> 00:23:35,289 develop an experimental puffing gun. 496 00:23:36,582 --> 00:23:38,042 - You might wanna stand back. 497 00:23:39,752 --> 00:23:42,254 - [Narrator] Attempting to invent a new type of cereal 498 00:23:42,254 --> 00:23:44,882 unlike anything they've ever done before. 499 00:23:44,882 --> 00:23:49,845 [suspenseful music continues] [cereal exploding] 500 00:23:52,765 --> 00:23:55,434 - So they take cornmeal 501 00:23:55,434 --> 00:23:57,853 and they essentially fire it out of a cannon. 502 00:23:59,355 --> 00:24:02,858 - Oh. [footsteps crunching] 503 00:24:05,986 --> 00:24:07,947 - [Jason] So he gets this very nicely textured 504 00:24:07,947 --> 00:24:09,490 piece of puffed corn 505 00:24:09,490 --> 00:24:11,408 and it's something no one's ever done before, 506 00:24:11,408 --> 00:24:13,077 and it's pretty amazing. 507 00:24:14,912 --> 00:24:18,457 - [Narrator] The result is corn cereal reimagined. 508 00:24:18,457 --> 00:24:21,961 - A puffing gun created a whole different category. 509 00:24:21,961 --> 00:24:25,589 You had spheres that were crispy 510 00:24:25,589 --> 00:24:27,967 and just totally changed the cereal game. 511 00:24:27,967 --> 00:24:29,760 - [Narrator] They then sprayed the puffed corn 512 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:33,722 with a lightly sweetened mixture of vitamins B and D, 513 00:24:33,722 --> 00:24:37,017 creating the first vitamin-fortified cereal 514 00:24:37,017 --> 00:24:39,603 with a name that packs a punch. 515 00:24:39,603 --> 00:24:41,563 - General Mills names the cereal Kix 516 00:24:41,563 --> 00:24:44,483 because it wasn't just like any regular cereal, 517 00:24:44,483 --> 00:24:45,776 it had a boost of vitamins, 518 00:24:45,776 --> 00:24:47,403 which means it had a kick to it. 519 00:24:47,403 --> 00:24:50,280 - Even if you look at the nomenclature, 520 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:52,032 the naming of the cereals, 521 00:24:52,032 --> 00:24:54,410 it was all about the grain and the healthfulness. 522 00:24:54,410 --> 00:24:58,998 So it was Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes and Wheaties. 523 00:24:58,998 --> 00:25:02,459 - So it has a fun name, but unlike most cereals at the time, 524 00:25:02,459 --> 00:25:04,294 which took their name from their ingredients, 525 00:25:04,294 --> 00:25:06,255 you introduced a cereal called Kix, 526 00:25:06,255 --> 00:25:08,257 that's a little risky, right? 527 00:25:08,257 --> 00:25:12,177 - [Narrator] In 1937, general Mills debuts Kix 528 00:25:12,177 --> 00:25:14,722 with an ad campaign declaring their new cereal 529 00:25:14,722 --> 00:25:18,058 is taking America by storm. 530 00:25:18,058 --> 00:25:20,394 - In their advertising, General Mills says 531 00:25:20,394 --> 00:25:22,354 that their cereal will be much better for you 532 00:25:22,354 --> 00:25:25,024 than another well-known corn cereal, 533 00:25:25,024 --> 00:25:26,608 which of course is Corn Flakes. 534 00:25:26,608 --> 00:25:29,778 [suspenseful music] 535 00:25:31,155 --> 00:25:34,366 - [Narrator] By 1941, sales of Kix are booming, 536 00:25:34,366 --> 00:25:36,827 earning James Bell another promotion, 537 00:25:36,827 --> 00:25:39,204 this time to chairman. 538 00:25:39,204 --> 00:25:42,374 Succeeding him as president is his top lieutenant, 539 00:25:42,374 --> 00:25:45,627 Donald Davis, who's determined to make his mark 540 00:25:45,627 --> 00:25:49,256 by spearheading his own groundbreaking new cereal. 541 00:25:49,256 --> 00:25:51,383 - [Adam] Donald Davis has been in Bell's shadow 542 00:25:51,383 --> 00:25:53,886 throughout the creation of Wheaties and Kix. 543 00:25:53,886 --> 00:25:56,764 And so, he wants something that'll create his own legacy 544 00:25:56,764 --> 00:25:58,724 in the cereal industry. 545 00:25:58,724 --> 00:26:01,351 [footsteps thumping] 546 00:26:01,351 --> 00:26:03,312 - Everyone loves oatmeal, 547 00:26:03,312 --> 00:26:05,898 but no one has figured out how to serve it cold. 548 00:26:07,274 --> 00:26:09,526 - [Narrator] Hot oats or oatmeal 549 00:26:09,526 --> 00:26:13,655 has been enjoyed by Americans since 1877. 550 00:26:13,655 --> 00:26:17,326 By 1941, Quaker Oats is making an average 551 00:26:17,326 --> 00:26:19,578 of $15 million a year 552 00:26:19,578 --> 00:26:23,373 with a cereal you make by simply adding boiling water. 553 00:26:23,373 --> 00:26:26,085 - People were perfectly content with hot oatmeal. 554 00:26:26,085 --> 00:26:29,880 It was super successful and you know, at the time, 555 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,966 making it cold, that was pretty weird, it's crazy. 556 00:26:32,966 --> 00:26:34,510 - But that puffing gun that they had 557 00:26:34,510 --> 00:26:36,929 brought about new ideas and opportunities. 558 00:26:36,929 --> 00:26:38,388 - [Narrator] The team experiments 559 00:26:38,388 --> 00:26:41,892 with over 500 different puffed oat recipes. 560 00:26:41,892 --> 00:26:44,770 - So the recipe that they landed on was really simple. 561 00:26:44,770 --> 00:26:47,689 It was oats, water and a little bit of sugar. 562 00:26:47,689 --> 00:26:50,400 - They just needed to decide on a shape. 563 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:51,985 They don't want it to be confused with Kix 564 00:26:51,985 --> 00:26:53,695 in that unique sphere. 565 00:26:53,695 --> 00:26:55,906 So they needed to come up with a new shape. 566 00:26:55,906 --> 00:26:57,699 - They tried a bunch of different ones, 567 00:26:57,699 --> 00:27:01,286 squares, stars, dumbbells, 568 00:27:01,286 --> 00:27:05,207 until they finally landed on the O. 569 00:27:05,207 --> 00:27:06,792 - The O Shape worked perfectly 570 00:27:06,792 --> 00:27:08,752 because it didn't get as crushed 571 00:27:08,752 --> 00:27:10,796 when you put it in packaging for shipping 572 00:27:10,796 --> 00:27:12,798 and it still had a unique shape. 573 00:27:12,798 --> 00:27:17,553 - The first ready-to-eat puffed oat cereal. 574 00:27:18,470 --> 00:27:19,555 - You got a name? 575 00:27:20,514 --> 00:27:21,932 - [Narrator] The cold oat cereal 576 00:27:21,932 --> 00:27:24,810 known for its iconic O shape 577 00:27:24,810 --> 00:27:28,230 will one day become the best-selling cereal brand 578 00:27:28,230 --> 00:27:29,106 in America. 579 00:27:30,774 --> 00:27:31,859 - Cheeri Oats. 580 00:27:35,362 --> 00:27:38,240 - [Narrator] On May 1st, 1941, 581 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:41,201 General Mills' Cheeri Oats debuts 582 00:27:41,201 --> 00:27:44,705 as the first ready-to-eat puffed oat cereal. 583 00:27:44,705 --> 00:27:47,165 - Cheeri Oats has a musical sound to it. 584 00:27:47,165 --> 00:27:50,752 - [Nilou] General Mills decided to name the cereal Cheeri Oats. 585 00:27:50,752 --> 00:27:53,922 Cheeri Oats, it's both food and fun. 586 00:27:53,922 --> 00:27:55,299 - [Narrator] In its first year alone, 587 00:27:55,299 --> 00:27:59,469 Cheeri Oats sells over 21 million boxes. 588 00:27:59,469 --> 00:28:02,014 - Who would've thought that a cold oat cereal 589 00:28:02,014 --> 00:28:03,682 would be the mega hit that it was? 590 00:28:03,682 --> 00:28:05,809 Now you didn't have to spend half an hour 591 00:28:05,809 --> 00:28:08,645 laboring over the stove cooking oatmeal, it's ready to eat. 592 00:28:08,645 --> 00:28:11,315 And just like Kix, it's vitamin fortified. 593 00:28:11,315 --> 00:28:13,400 - [Narrator] And along with Wheaties and Kix, 594 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,068 the success of Cheeri Oats 595 00:28:15,068 --> 00:28:18,155 further weakens Kellogg's grip on the cereal market. 596 00:28:19,239 --> 00:28:21,617 But victory is short-lived. 597 00:28:21,617 --> 00:28:24,745 [suspenseful music] 598 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:29,791 [paper rustling] 599 00:28:33,045 --> 00:28:33,962 - What is this? 600 00:28:33,962 --> 00:28:35,422 - It's a cease and desist. 601 00:28:36,673 --> 00:28:39,593 We're being sued by Quaker Oats. 602 00:28:39,593 --> 00:28:42,387 [suspenseful music continues] 603 00:28:47,392 --> 00:28:48,602 - [Narrator] It's 1945, 604 00:28:48,977 --> 00:28:51,188 and General Mills has just been served a cease-and-desist 605 00:28:51,188 --> 00:28:55,025 over the name of their new cereal, Cheeri Oats. 606 00:28:56,318 --> 00:28:58,320 The Quaker Oats Company is asserting 607 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:02,199 that it holds commercial rights to the word "oats." 608 00:29:02,199 --> 00:29:04,534 - Quaker felt it was an infringement on their brand, 609 00:29:04,534 --> 00:29:06,578 which is a pretty wild claim 610 00:29:06,578 --> 00:29:08,830 considering that oats are part of the recipe. 611 00:29:08,830 --> 00:29:10,832 - [Brooke] Quaker had to be jealous of General Mills. 612 00:29:10,832 --> 00:29:13,669 They've released a successful cereal using oats, 613 00:29:13,669 --> 00:29:16,129 which is Quaker's bread and butter. 614 00:29:16,129 --> 00:29:18,548 - [Narrator] General Mills Chairman James Ford Bell 615 00:29:18,548 --> 00:29:20,801 is forced to make the difficult decision 616 00:29:20,801 --> 00:29:22,886 to rename the brand. 617 00:29:22,886 --> 00:29:25,973 [suspenseful music] 618 00:29:27,683 --> 00:29:30,352 - So instead of trying to fight it, 619 00:29:30,352 --> 00:29:35,107 General Mills decides to just drop the oat part of it. 620 00:29:35,107 --> 00:29:36,650 ♪ Cheerios 621 00:29:36,650 --> 00:29:38,026 - [Announcer 4] Yes, Cheerios, 622 00:29:38,026 --> 00:29:40,362 the cereal that shaped like a little letter O. 623 00:29:40,362 --> 00:29:42,698 - They have a little disclaimer in the box that just said, 624 00:29:42,698 --> 00:29:43,907 "Formerly known as Cheeri Oats." 625 00:29:43,907 --> 00:29:46,576 It's very simple, very elegant, 626 00:29:46,576 --> 00:29:48,161 got the message across to consumers, 627 00:29:48,161 --> 00:29:49,788 there was no confusion. 628 00:29:49,788 --> 00:29:52,666 - [Narrator] Sales soar under the new name, 629 00:29:52,666 --> 00:29:55,252 climbing past Kix and Wheaties, 630 00:29:55,252 --> 00:29:58,672 to become General Mills' best selling cereal, 631 00:29:58,672 --> 00:30:00,090 and for the first time, 632 00:30:00,090 --> 00:30:02,801 Kellogg's Corn Flakes is dethroned 633 00:30:02,801 --> 00:30:06,722 as the number one cereal in America by Cheerios. 634 00:30:06,722 --> 00:30:08,890 - [Romi] Will Kellogg was the king of cereal 635 00:30:10,767 --> 00:30:14,062 and to lose that title must have been infuriating. 636 00:30:15,814 --> 00:30:17,065 - [Narrator] Despite the setback, 637 00:30:17,065 --> 00:30:18,900 Will Kellogg is determined 638 00:30:18,900 --> 00:30:22,571 to regain his hold on the cereal marketplace. 639 00:30:22,571 --> 00:30:25,240 He sees a path to redemption 640 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,243 that will forever change the face of cereal. 641 00:30:28,243 --> 00:30:30,162 - It's called the baby boom. 642 00:30:30,162 --> 00:30:31,788 - [Yohuru] After the war, 643 00:30:31,788 --> 00:30:34,416 there are record four million babies born every year 644 00:30:34,416 --> 00:30:37,377 and the kids' market was becoming an untapped gold mine. 645 00:30:37,377 --> 00:30:39,963 - These baby boom kids, they want sugar this, sugar that, 646 00:30:39,963 --> 00:30:43,008 sugar is king in the 1950s and that's all that they want. 647 00:30:43,008 --> 00:30:44,176 - [Narrator] Thanks in part 648 00:30:44,176 --> 00:30:46,470 to the sugar industry's PR campaign 649 00:30:46,470 --> 00:30:48,472 to portray sugar as healthy. 650 00:30:48,472 --> 00:30:50,724 - Sugar was being marketed and pushed. 651 00:30:50,724 --> 00:30:52,267 It was viewed as a positive thing. 652 00:30:52,267 --> 00:30:55,228 Not only was it a legitimate hook to get kids to eat it 653 00:30:55,228 --> 00:30:56,730 because kids love sweet, 654 00:30:56,730 --> 00:30:58,565 sugar at that time was viewed 655 00:30:58,565 --> 00:31:01,693 as a great way to get kids to be energized. 656 00:31:01,693 --> 00:31:04,404 I mean, the sugar rush was seen 657 00:31:04,404 --> 00:31:07,532 as a good thing in the 1950s. 658 00:31:07,532 --> 00:31:09,659 - You can't underestimate the irony 659 00:31:09,659 --> 00:31:12,788 that cereal started out as a health food, 660 00:31:12,788 --> 00:31:16,416 something that was supposed to make you strong and vigorous 661 00:31:16,416 --> 00:31:19,878 and athletic and also regular, 662 00:31:19,878 --> 00:31:21,880 and then next thing you know, 663 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:23,507 all we're looking down the barrel of 664 00:31:23,507 --> 00:31:25,050 is sugar, sugar, sugar. 665 00:31:25,050 --> 00:31:26,134 - [Narrator] In a desperate move 666 00:31:26,134 --> 00:31:28,428 to outmaneuver James Ford Bell, 667 00:31:28,428 --> 00:31:31,932 Will Kellogg begins reformulating the very recipe 668 00:31:31,932 --> 00:31:34,101 that made him the king of cereal. 669 00:31:34,101 --> 00:31:37,729 - Will Kellogg thought that by adding sugar to Corn Flakes, 670 00:31:37,729 --> 00:31:40,524 their original product, their flagship brand 671 00:31:40,524 --> 00:31:43,276 was a way to interest kids, 672 00:31:43,276 --> 00:31:45,320 and this would be a way to finally 673 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:46,988 bring Cheerios down a peg 674 00:31:46,988 --> 00:31:49,491 and become the number one cereal once again. 675 00:31:49,491 --> 00:31:52,119 - [Narrator] Kellogg adds a thick sugary glaze 676 00:31:52,119 --> 00:31:54,704 onto his iconic Corn Flakes. 677 00:31:54,704 --> 00:31:55,872 - [Jason] Kellogg's Corn Flakes 678 00:31:55,872 --> 00:31:57,290 was one of the most popular cereals 679 00:31:57,290 --> 00:31:59,334 in America, had been for decades. 680 00:31:59,334 --> 00:32:03,130 And in introducing a sugared version of that, 681 00:32:03,130 --> 00:32:05,048 it's a potentially risky move 682 00:32:05,048 --> 00:32:06,967 in harming all that you've built. 683 00:32:06,967 --> 00:32:09,594 It's not dissimilar to introducing new Coke 684 00:32:09,594 --> 00:32:12,722 when everyone loves the old Coke that you had, right? 685 00:32:12,722 --> 00:32:15,976 - [Narrator] In 1952, Kellogg's Sugarcoated Cereal 686 00:32:15,976 --> 00:32:19,896 hits the market with the word "sugar" directly in the name. 687 00:32:21,398 --> 00:32:25,402 - Sugar Frosted Flakes, there is nothing subtle about it. 688 00:32:25,402 --> 00:32:28,321 - [Narrator] To target kids, Kellogg's ad agency 689 00:32:28,321 --> 00:32:30,031 creates a cartoon character 690 00:32:30,031 --> 00:32:34,661 to appear in America's hottest new medium, television. 691 00:32:34,661 --> 00:32:38,081 - Sugar Frosted Flakes are great. 692 00:32:38,081 --> 00:32:40,375 - [Narrator] His name is Tony the Tiger. 693 00:32:40,375 --> 00:32:42,752 - [Sarah] They have another mascot 694 00:32:42,752 --> 00:32:45,005 to go along with Snap, Crackle and Pop. 695 00:32:45,005 --> 00:32:46,715 They invent Tony the Tiger, 696 00:32:46,715 --> 00:32:50,260 "They're great," is the slogan they use, 697 00:32:50,260 --> 00:32:54,389 and they are really marketing directly toward children 698 00:32:54,389 --> 00:32:55,724 with these mascots. 699 00:32:55,724 --> 00:32:57,225 - Kellogg's goes all in, 700 00:32:57,225 --> 00:33:00,020 spending over a hundred million dollars on TV ads. 701 00:33:00,020 --> 00:33:02,230 That's more than a billion dollars today. 702 00:33:02,230 --> 00:33:03,815 - Since the '50s, 703 00:33:03,815 --> 00:33:06,401 you've got 20 million American kids watching Howdy Doody, 704 00:33:06,401 --> 00:33:09,613 all these cartoons, it was a brilliant piece of marketing. 705 00:33:09,613 --> 00:33:12,616 - [Narrator] In 1952, Sugar Frosted Flakes 706 00:33:12,616 --> 00:33:16,328 flies off the shelves, but fails to overtake Cheerios 707 00:33:16,328 --> 00:33:18,371 as America's bestselling cereal. 708 00:33:18,371 --> 00:33:21,333 - Will Kellogg is a super successful entrepreneur. 709 00:33:21,333 --> 00:33:24,586 However, a lot of entrepreneurs are like athletes 710 00:33:24,586 --> 00:33:27,964 where sometimes their loss hurts more than their wins, 711 00:33:27,964 --> 00:33:30,926 and losing the title of king of cereal to Cheerios 712 00:33:30,926 --> 00:33:32,969 is something he was never okay with. 713 00:33:35,138 --> 00:33:37,140 - [Narrator] And to add insult to injury, 714 00:33:37,140 --> 00:33:40,352 James Ford Bell has one last trick up his sleeve. 715 00:33:41,394 --> 00:33:43,521 - Bell uses the puffing gun technology 716 00:33:43,521 --> 00:33:45,440 to create a brand new cereal 717 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:47,442 unlike any other that's out there. 718 00:33:47,442 --> 00:33:50,403 It's the first colorful fruit-flavored cereal. 719 00:33:50,403 --> 00:33:53,114 - So Kellogg's was just adding sugar to Corn Flakes. 720 00:33:53,114 --> 00:33:56,409 General Mills created a whole new cereal. 721 00:33:56,409 --> 00:33:58,078 - [Narrator] In 1954, 722 00:33:58,078 --> 00:34:02,123 General Mills' eye-catching sugary cereal hit store shelves, 723 00:34:02,123 --> 00:34:03,792 called Trix. 724 00:34:03,792 --> 00:34:05,835 - It was probably weird at first to see a fruity cereal, 725 00:34:05,835 --> 00:34:08,170 but Trix was exciting because it was colorful, 726 00:34:08,170 --> 00:34:09,714 it smelled like candy 727 00:34:09,714 --> 00:34:11,800 and it tasted like nothing else on the market. 728 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:14,177 - [Narrator] And unveils a new cartoon mascot 729 00:34:14,177 --> 00:34:17,847 to rival Tony the Tiger, the Trix Rabbit. 730 00:34:17,847 --> 00:34:20,934 - The first Trix Rabbit appeared on children's programming 731 00:34:20,934 --> 00:34:23,270 like Rocky and His Friends, and Captain Kangaroo, 732 00:34:23,270 --> 00:34:26,815 and he was always trying to steal cereal from kids. 733 00:34:26,815 --> 00:34:29,275 - Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids. 734 00:34:29,275 --> 00:34:30,694 - Making it crystal clear 735 00:34:30,694 --> 00:34:32,779 to all the millions of children watching 736 00:34:32,779 --> 00:34:34,989 that this cereal was for them. 737 00:34:34,989 --> 00:34:36,241 - The intense rivalry 738 00:34:36,241 --> 00:34:39,202 between Will Kellogg and James Ford Bell 739 00:34:39,202 --> 00:34:41,454 changes the cereal industry as we know it. 740 00:34:41,454 --> 00:34:45,292 - A tectonic shift in cereal happened 741 00:34:45,292 --> 00:34:46,876 throughout the 1950s, 742 00:34:46,876 --> 00:34:51,755 when cereal went from a health product for adults 743 00:34:51,755 --> 00:34:54,884 to new products aimed at kids. 744 00:34:54,884 --> 00:34:56,428 - [Narrator] Over the next decade, 745 00:34:56,428 --> 00:34:59,973 sugary cereals become a breakfast mainstay, 746 00:34:59,973 --> 00:35:03,184 with Kellogg's responding to General Mills' Trix 747 00:35:03,184 --> 00:35:05,562 with their own fruit-flavored cereal. 748 00:35:07,147 --> 00:35:08,648 - They weren't different flavors, 749 00:35:08,648 --> 00:35:11,026 but they were different colors, very cool, very exciting, 750 00:35:11,026 --> 00:35:14,195 unlike anything that Kellogg's had ever had before. 751 00:35:15,614 --> 00:35:17,991 - Froot Loops. 752 00:35:17,991 --> 00:35:20,201 - [Narrator] Froot Loops will one day sell more 753 00:35:20,201 --> 00:35:24,873 than 90 million boxes a year, but before it does, 754 00:35:24,873 --> 00:35:29,294 a longtime Kellogg's rival will take a bold new step 755 00:35:29,294 --> 00:35:30,795 in the evolution of cereal, 756 00:35:32,005 --> 00:35:34,841 making a run at sugary cereal dominance. 757 00:35:40,930 --> 00:35:42,015 [suspenseful music] 758 00:35:42,390 --> 00:35:45,602 - [Narrator] In 1964 in Tarrytown, New York, 759 00:35:46,728 --> 00:35:49,481 Post Food technician Stan Reesman 760 00:35:49,481 --> 00:35:52,776 is looking for a new competitive product. 761 00:35:54,319 --> 00:35:57,238 Post has been in the cereal business as long as Kellogg's 762 00:35:58,531 --> 00:36:00,742 when their founder C.W. Post 763 00:36:02,619 --> 00:36:04,913 was inspired by the granola made 764 00:36:04,913 --> 00:36:09,167 in Kellogg's sanitarium back in the 1890s. 765 00:36:09,167 --> 00:36:11,586 - You're a good worker, Mr. Post. 766 00:36:11,586 --> 00:36:12,754 - Thank you, Will. 767 00:36:12,754 --> 00:36:14,964 [suspenseful music] 768 00:36:14,964 --> 00:36:17,926 - For C.W. Post to see what the Kellogg brothers are up to, 769 00:36:17,926 --> 00:36:21,888 then take it back when he leaves and form his own cereal, 770 00:36:21,888 --> 00:36:23,932 I mean, some would call it thievery, 771 00:36:23,932 --> 00:36:27,727 others would call it smart American ingenuity and business. 772 00:36:28,937 --> 00:36:32,065 - [Narrator] Sales of Post's cereal Grape-Nuts 773 00:36:32,065 --> 00:36:35,068 have remained steady over the years, 774 00:36:35,068 --> 00:36:39,406 but now in the 1960s, they're looking for something new. 775 00:36:39,406 --> 00:36:41,199 - [Jason] So Stan Reesman is trying to figure out 776 00:36:41,199 --> 00:36:43,993 what else can we do to stick it to Kellogg's? 777 00:36:43,993 --> 00:36:45,412 I think it was Einstein who said, you know, 778 00:36:45,412 --> 00:36:46,955 "Inspiration is everywhere." 779 00:36:49,624 --> 00:36:53,128 So Reesman, he's looking at their Post Rice Krinkles cereal 780 00:36:53,128 --> 00:36:54,713 and thinking, what can we do 781 00:36:54,713 --> 00:36:56,131 with these products we already have? 782 00:36:56,131 --> 00:36:57,924 And they're looking at Froot Loops, right, 783 00:36:57,924 --> 00:37:01,094 a Kellogg's product, and it's like, hmm, interesting. 784 00:37:01,094 --> 00:37:04,139 [suspenseful music] 785 00:37:08,852 --> 00:37:10,061 - [Jason] He's like, wait a second, 786 00:37:10,061 --> 00:37:12,021 we could take this hit product 787 00:37:12,021 --> 00:37:14,607 and our currently not-a-hit product 788 00:37:14,607 --> 00:37:16,526 and they seem like they're a match made in heaven. 789 00:37:16,526 --> 00:37:19,654 [suspenseful music] 790 00:37:25,034 --> 00:37:27,203 - [Narrator] Within weeks, Stan Reesman 791 00:37:27,203 --> 00:37:29,956 has transformed Post's Rice Krinkles 792 00:37:29,956 --> 00:37:32,584 into a colorful, fruit-flavored cereal. 793 00:37:35,003 --> 00:37:37,505 - He created this thing that feels brand new, 794 00:37:37,505 --> 00:37:40,175 even though it's sort of just from the ingredients 795 00:37:40,175 --> 00:37:41,760 that he already had sitting around. 796 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:44,721 [cereal crunching] 797 00:37:50,435 --> 00:37:52,353 - What do we call them? 798 00:37:52,353 --> 00:37:53,521 - What do they look like? 799 00:37:56,149 --> 00:37:57,025 - Chips. 800 00:37:58,693 --> 00:37:59,944 - Pebbles. 801 00:37:59,944 --> 00:38:03,490 [suspenseful music] 802 00:38:03,490 --> 00:38:04,491 - [Taster] Pebbles. 803 00:38:06,075 --> 00:38:08,578 - [Narrator] They named the small, colorful rice flakes 804 00:38:09,412 --> 00:38:11,039 Fruity Pebbles. 805 00:38:11,039 --> 00:38:13,792 - Nice job, Stan. [Stan chuckling] 806 00:38:13,792 --> 00:38:15,710 - I think we got it. - [Taster] Nice job. 807 00:38:18,254 --> 00:38:19,672 - [Narrator] After months in development, 808 00:38:19,672 --> 00:38:21,216 Post is nearly ready 809 00:38:21,216 --> 00:38:24,052 to unleash their brand new Fruity Pebbles cereal. 810 00:38:24,052 --> 00:38:27,180 And like all other kids cereals, they need a mascot. 811 00:38:27,180 --> 00:38:32,018 - It's always vital to have an exciting, lively mascot 812 00:38:32,018 --> 00:38:34,562 you want to interact with kids and have this image. 813 00:38:34,562 --> 00:38:38,191 - [Adam] But the market is really getting jammed. 814 00:38:38,191 --> 00:38:39,984 Mascots are everywhere. 815 00:38:39,984 --> 00:38:43,613 Dig'em the frog, the Trix Rabbit, Tony the Tiger. 816 00:38:43,613 --> 00:38:47,075 So they had to figure out a way to stand out 817 00:38:47,075 --> 00:38:49,536 from other similar products in the marketplace. 818 00:38:49,536 --> 00:38:50,703 - [Narrator] While LaMothe at Kellogg's 819 00:38:50,703 --> 00:38:53,081 is the king of original mascots, 820 00:38:53,081 --> 00:38:56,584 Post wants to up the ante and do something bigger. 821 00:38:57,794 --> 00:39:00,338 - Any mascot that already has some familiarity 822 00:39:00,338 --> 00:39:01,923 with the general public, 823 00:39:01,923 --> 00:39:03,758 people are just going to gravitate to that 824 00:39:03,758 --> 00:39:05,885 before a brand new character. 825 00:39:05,885 --> 00:39:07,220 - [Jason] So they tie it together 826 00:39:07,220 --> 00:39:10,515 with one of the biggest sitcom hits 827 00:39:10,515 --> 00:39:12,600 that happened to be animated in the '60s. 828 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:13,601 - Yaba-daba-doo! 829 00:39:14,853 --> 00:39:17,522 - Yaba-daba-do not count out Post. 830 00:39:17,522 --> 00:39:19,482 - Spokesman were big back then, 831 00:39:19,482 --> 00:39:20,900 they would've celebrities being spoke, 832 00:39:20,900 --> 00:39:22,360 but they said, "Okay, we're gonna get Fred Flintstone, 833 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:23,361 put him on the cereal." 834 00:39:23,361 --> 00:39:25,738 And boy, they made magic. 835 00:39:25,738 --> 00:39:28,700 - Fred the Flintstones' new Fruity Pebbles. 836 00:39:28,700 --> 00:39:30,201 - [Narrator] Inspired by the character 837 00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:32,370 of Pebbles Flintstone, Fruity Pebbles 838 00:39:32,370 --> 00:39:35,540 is the first Posts cereal to join forces 839 00:39:35,540 --> 00:39:37,083 with a television series. 840 00:39:37,083 --> 00:39:39,794 - Most companies that are beginning with a mascot 841 00:39:39,794 --> 00:39:41,170 have to have some kind of origin story. 842 00:39:41,170 --> 00:39:43,798 They've gotta invest children emotionally. 843 00:39:43,798 --> 00:39:45,633 Kids know Fred Flintstone. 844 00:39:45,633 --> 00:39:48,219 - [Yohuru] So we've got somebody who's easily recognizable, 845 00:39:48,219 --> 00:39:52,765 slap him on the box and voila, built-in target audience. 846 00:39:52,765 --> 00:39:54,601 - As a kid looking at the Flintstones, 847 00:39:54,601 --> 00:39:56,603 you're obsessed with the world they live in, right? 848 00:39:56,603 --> 00:39:58,897 Fruity Pebbles does look like a cereal 849 00:39:58,897 --> 00:40:00,899 that you could have found in Bedrock. 850 00:40:00,899 --> 00:40:02,984 - [Narrator] in October of 1971, 851 00:40:02,984 --> 00:40:05,987 this novel partnership gives both the new cereal 852 00:40:05,987 --> 00:40:10,450 and the syndicated cartoon a big boost in popularity. 853 00:40:10,450 --> 00:40:11,826 - By the time they're coming up with this, 854 00:40:11,826 --> 00:40:13,328 The Flintstones is almost off the air, 855 00:40:13,328 --> 00:40:16,789 but after this partnership, it's in syndication nonstop. 856 00:40:16,789 --> 00:40:19,000 So Fruity Pebbles is a hit out of the gate. 857 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:20,293 That's a big one. 858 00:40:20,293 --> 00:40:22,045 I'm sure Kellogg's is like, whoa, you know, 859 00:40:22,045 --> 00:40:24,505 that one, we didn't expect that coming from these guys. 860 00:40:24,505 --> 00:40:25,840 It was a big shot. 861 00:40:26,966 --> 00:40:28,301 - [Narrator] With Fruity Pebbles 862 00:40:28,301 --> 00:40:31,054 becoming the favorite debut cereal of 1971, 863 00:40:32,347 --> 00:40:35,683 Post launches a chocolatey spinoff, Cocoa Pebbles. 864 00:40:37,477 --> 00:40:39,812 - [Children] Yeah. - To Cocoa Pebbles. 865 00:40:39,812 --> 00:40:41,481 - [Narrator] And that's a hit too. 866 00:40:41,481 --> 00:40:42,815 - Chocolatey good. 867 00:40:42,815 --> 00:40:45,193 - Cocoa Pebbles give you chocolate milk in the end. 868 00:40:45,193 --> 00:40:46,194 You gotta love that. 869 00:40:47,528 --> 00:40:50,073 - [Narrator] To this day, despite other innovations 870 00:40:50,073 --> 00:40:55,119 and reinventions of breakfast, cereal still reigns supreme. 871 00:40:56,454 --> 00:41:01,334 - Kellogg's not only became the first word and first name 872 00:41:02,585 --> 00:41:05,254 in terms of the American breakfast table, 873 00:41:05,254 --> 00:41:07,548 they redefined breakfast in America 874 00:41:07,548 --> 00:41:09,217 and maybe the world as we know it. 875 00:41:11,260 --> 00:41:14,305 - For a long time, breakfast was frankly very boring. 876 00:41:14,305 --> 00:41:15,765 And then suddenly, 877 00:41:15,765 --> 00:41:18,643 there was this sort of explosion of joy in the morning, 878 00:41:18,643 --> 00:41:20,937 this idea that you could have fun 879 00:41:20,937 --> 00:41:22,855 with something that came out of a box. 880 00:41:22,855 --> 00:41:26,109 - One thing a lot of people from other countries 881 00:41:26,109 --> 00:41:28,319 often comment about the United States 882 00:41:28,319 --> 00:41:31,572 is the insane number of breakfast cereals 883 00:41:31,572 --> 00:41:32,949 that are available. 884 00:41:32,949 --> 00:41:36,744 That is in large part due to the competition 885 00:41:36,744 --> 00:41:40,248 that existed between these big companies. 886 00:41:40,248 --> 00:41:41,874 - There's something about cereal 887 00:41:41,874 --> 00:41:45,628 that makes the kid in all of us kind of feel cozy 888 00:41:45,628 --> 00:41:49,007 and taken care of and like things are simpler. 889 00:41:49,007 --> 00:41:52,093 - It's amazing how these cereals that were invented 70, 890 00:41:52,093 --> 00:41:55,888 80 years ago are still the best sellers on the market today. 891 00:41:55,888 --> 00:41:59,058 [suspenseful music] 892 00:42:00,518 --> 00:42:02,186 - There's still something magical though 893 00:42:02,186 --> 00:42:06,024 about like the ice cold milk, of the crunch of cereal. 894 00:42:06,024 --> 00:42:07,900 How could you not love this? 895 00:42:07,900 --> 00:42:10,945 I just want to salute every teacher 896 00:42:12,196 --> 00:42:14,449 that had to contend with a room full of kids 897 00:42:14,449 --> 00:42:17,660 that just consumed bowls of cereal like this. 898 00:42:17,660 --> 00:42:22,165 This had to be rocket fuel in the system of a first grader.