Cheerios cereal celebrates its 70th birthday

Friday, June 24, 2011

Cheerios is the most popular cereal brand in American grocery stores. The tasty U.S. icon is turning 70 years old this year. (KABC Photo)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (KABC) -- A tasty American icon is turning 70 years old this year.

Cheerios is the most popular cereal brand in American grocery stores. In fact, one out of every eight boxes of cereal sold in the U.S. is some variety of Cheerios.
A plant in Buffalo, New York has been producing the cereal since 1941. More than 10 shapes and sizes were considered before the makers settled on little Os.
Since 1999, the company has focused on promoting the cereal as healthy; it's made from whole-grain oats, with 3 grams of fiber and 1 gram of sugar per serving.
In honor of Cheerios' 70th, Buffalo's Citybration Festival will highlight the cereal, including a June 26 Cheerios breakfast in sight (and smell) of the General Mills facility.
"Cheerios are actually a more iconic food to Buffalo than even the ubiquitous chicken wing," said festival organizer Marti Gorman. (The spicy Buffalo wing came along in 1964.)
Fun facts:

Cheerios are made by heating balls of dough then shooting them out of a puffing gun at 100 mph.

It would take 3,155,524,416 Cheerios to circle the Earth.

General Mills sold 1.8 million cases (each containing 12 boxes) in the first year, 1941.

Four years after their debut, Cheerioats were renamed Cheerios.

In 1979, Honey Nut Cheerios were introduced, followed by Apple Cinnamon Cheerios in 1988, MultiGrain Cheerios in 1992, Frosted Cheerios in 1995, Berry Burst Cheerios in 2001 and Chocolate Cheerios in 2010.