Classic Breakfast Cereal Timeline

Those of us who grew up in the 1960s or 70s think of many iconic breakfast cereal brands as being a part of our childhood. What we sometimes don’t realize is that many of the most time-tested cereals were around even in our parents’ or grandparents’ time. You may be surprised at how old some of them are when you check out the popular cereal brand timeline below.

Many favorite cereals from your youth disappeared, only to reemerge at later dates, sometimes on a limited basis, such as seasonally. In addition to the fondly remembered Quisp cereal below, you can still purchase some of your favorites, such as, perhaps, General Mills French Toast Crunch, or their Monster Cereals — Count Chocula, Frankberry, and Booberry.

This timeline is for classic, time-tested cereals. There are many forgotten cereals that you may remember from your youth, but which do not appear on this timeline.

• • 1894
    • Corn Flakes
  • 1897
    • Grape Nuts (Post)
  • 1898
    • Corn Flakes (Kellog’s) Originally called Sanitas Toasted Corn Flakes.
  • 1912
    • Kellog’s Shredded Wheat
  • 1916
    • All-Bran (Kellog’s)
  • 1921
    • Wheaties (Washburn Crosby Company/General Mills)
  • 1922
    • Pep Cereal (Kellog’s)
  • 1928
    • Rice Krispies (Kellog’s)
  • 1928
    • Nabisco Shredded Wheat (Nabisco bought the original Shredded Wheat Company begun by Henry Perky. Shredded Wheat originated in 1892.)
  • 1932
    • Grape-Nuts Flakes (Post)

• 1935
  • Chex Cereal (Ralston Purina ) Originally called Shredded Ralston
• 1937
  • Kix (General Mills)
• 1941
  • Cheerios (General Mills) was originally Cheerioats, but changed to Cheerios in 1946.
• 1942
  • Post Raisin Bran (Skinner’s Raisin Bran was the first, in 1928)
  • Kellog’s Raisin Bran
• 1949
  • Super Sugar Crisp (Post) Originally called Happy Jax (1948) and changed to Sugar Crisp in 1949, to Super Sugar Crisp late 60s, to Super Golden Crisp in 1985, then to Golden Crisp around 1986.
• 1950
  • Corn Pops (Kellog’s) Originally called Sugar Pops; changed to Sugar Corn Pops in 1978, then to just Corn Pops in 1984.
• 1952
  • Frosted Flakes (Kellog’s)
• 1953
  • Honey Smacks (Kellog’s) Originally called Sugar Smacks, changed to Honey Smacks in 1980s, to just Smacks in the early 90s, and back to Honey Smacks in 2004.
  • Jets (General Mills) Began as Sugar Smiles, a mix of sugar-coated Kix-like cereal and wheat flakes, changed to Sugar Jets after the wheat flakes were removed, and then finally to Jets.
• 1954
  • Trix (General Mills)
• 1955
  • Special K (Kellog’s)
• 1958
  • Cocoa Puffs (General Mills)
  • Alpha Bits (Post)
  • Cocoa Krispies (Kellog’s)
• 1961
  • Life Cereal (Quaker Oats)
  • Total (General Mills)
• 1963
  • Cap’n Crunch (Quaker Oats)
  • Team Flakes (Nabisco)
• 1964
  • Lucky Charms (General Mills)
• 1965
  • Apple Jacks (Kellogg’s) First introduced as Apple O’s and changed to Apple Jacks in 1971.
  • Honeycomb Cereal (Post)
  • Quake Cereal (Quaker Oats) Partner to Quisp cereal, listed below.

• 1966
  • Product 19 (Kellog’s)
• 1967
  • Cap’n Crunch Crunch Berries (Quaker Oats)
  • Quisp (Quaker Oats) Yes, you can still buy Quisp cereal!
• 1968
  • Weetabix (Weetabix Ltd.)
• 1969
  • Frosted Mini-Wheats (Kellog’s)
  • Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch (Quaker Oats)
  • Fruity Pebbles (Post) A Flinstone Cereal, originally called just Pebbles
• 1970
  • Cocoa Pebbles (Post) A Flinstone Cereal
• 1971
  • Count Chocula (General Mills)
  • Franken Berry (General Mills)
• 1973
  • Boo-Berry (General Mills)
• 1975
  • Golden Grahams (General Mills)
• 1977
  • Crazy Cow Strawberry (General Mills) Turned you milk strawberry-flavored!
  • Crazy Cow Chocolate (General Mills) Turned your milk chocolate-flavored!
  • Cookie Crisp (Ralston/General Mills)
  • Cracklin’ Oat Bran (Kellog’s) Originally called Cracklin’ Bran

• 1978
  • Cinnamon Life (Quaker Oats)
• 1979
  • Honey Nut Cheerios (General Mills)
  • Crispy Wheats ‘n Raisins (General Mills)
• 1987
  • Oatmeal Raisin Crisp (General Mills)
  • Raisin Nut Bran (General Mills)
• 1989
  • Apple Cinnamon Cheerios (General Mills)
  • Total Raisin Bran (General Mills)

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