History of Frosted Flakes

You’ve no doubt been waiting with bated breath to learn of the history of frosted flakes, haven’t you? I used to think you were waiting with baited breath and it made no sense at all to me but I’ve just looked it up. Now I’m worried because I now know you’re waiting with abated breath and I wouldn’t want you to wait without breathing given that there’s a very good chance I’ll get side tracked.

Mars, Heinz and Kellogg seem such British institutions that Brits have been known to brag of them to Yanks without realising that Frankin Mars, Henry Heinz and William Kellogg were Americans and started their global empires in the U.S, although their family names originate in Europe, Heinz from Germany, Mars possibly from Britain (from Marsh) but more likely French and Kellogg from Chelioc, or Kulliag (Cornish British), a cock, coileach, in Gaelic, and ceiliog, in Welsh, the C having the sound of K. Do you think that’s why the modern icon for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes is a cockerel, or is it cos a cock is prominent in a morning or a bit of both?

Kellogg's was founded as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company in 1906 by Will Keith Kellogg as a spin off of his work with his brother Dr John Harvey Kellogg at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. The company produced and marketed the highly successful Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes and was renamed the Kellogg Company in 1922. Frosted Flakes, as they are known in North America (but Frosties virtually everywhere else) is a cereal similar to Corn Flakes, but coated with frosted sugar. Sugar Frosted Flakes were introduced in 1952 but the word "sugar" was dropped in the mid-1970‘s. Since inception Tony the Tiger has been the mascot as part of an expensive long term marketing campaign and if it weren’t for the huge packaging, distribution and marketing costs Frosties would only cost a few cents/pence, cheap at half the price

Now most of you are probably thinking that that expression would make a lot more sense if it was cheap at twice the price and it would, but it would be a dull and pointless expression. Cheap, at half the price started as a cheeky barrow boy market trader claim and the emphasis was on cheap. I’ve been a market trader and if you shout cheap you’ve got their attention and you can follow it with anything. “Cheap, but completely worthless tat you wouldn’t want to give house room to” if delivered cheekily, would probably work as an effective sales pitch.

What I intended to bring you was a poem about solving a jigsaw puzzle so here goes

A beautiful blonde called her boyfriend and said,

"I have the hardest jigsaw you'll see

I just can't get it started,

Please come and help me".

Her boyfriend sighed and said

"What's it supposed to be ?"

"Well, according to the box picture,

It's a tiger" said she

She let him in, and showed him the puzzle

He studied the pieces, then said "I fear

We'll never make a tiger

From all these pieces, dear

.
So why don't you put your feet up

Take off your shoes and maybe your socks

And relax, while I put all the pieces

Back in the Frosties box"

Jon Bratton 2007

(based on a joke by Author Unknown)

Well, we all know they’re Grrreat

but absolllutely hopppeless as a jigsaw puzzle

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