The Breakfast of Champions

I love Wheaties.  I have since I was a child.  It was one of the few cereals that my mom bought because it was not loaded with sugar and healthy.  I was not then...and am not now a big breakfast eater....but I will eat Wheaties.  Frank preached a sermon today and used this reference to the Wheaties slogan.  It impacted me so much that I had to share it with you all today.  Did you know that Wheaties is a genuine American icon. The familiar orange box and the slogan "The Breakfast of Champions" have become more than just advertising symbols. They have become a metaphor for sports greatness and success. Many athletes, at the pinnacle of their success, have shared their childhood dreams about someday joining the legends who have had their picture on a Wheaties box. And, indeed, Wheaties is a delicious, healthy product that has helped fuel and inspire many a champion. But the legend and lore of this famous orange box - and the many champions it has featured over the years - is a story in itself. Like many great inventions, Wheaties was discovered by accident. In 1921, a health clinician in Minneapolis was mixing a batch of bran gruel for his patients when he spilled some of the mix on a hot stove. The gruel crackled and sizzled into a crisp flake. Tasting the very first Wheaties prototype, he decided this delicious accident had promise. He took the crisped gruel to the people at the Washburn Crosby Company. The head miller, George Cormack, took on the task of trying to strengthen the flakes to keep them from turning to dust inside a cereal box. Cormack tested 36 varieties of wheat before he developed the perfect flake. A company wide contest was held to name the new cereal. The winner was Jane Bausman, the wife of the export manager. Wheaties was chosen over numerous other entries, including Nutties and Gold Medal Wheat Flakes. Wheaties'association with sports began in 1933, nine years after the cereal was introduced, with the sponsorship of baseball broadcasts. One of the most popular slogans in advertising history was penned later that same year. General Mills' contract for sponsorship of the broadcasts of Minneapolis Millers games on WCCO radio included a large advertising signboard at the ball park. Knox Reeves, an advertising executive for Wheaties' Minneapolis-based agency, was asked what should be printed on the sign. He took out a pad and pencil, sketched a Wheaties box, thought for a moment, and then printed "Wheaties - The Breakfast of Champions."  Happy Sunday!