Frosted Flakes in 50 Years

They're Greaaaaaaat

Frosted Flakes were introduced to the United States in 1951, with mascot Tony The Tiger.  Frosted Flakes are a sugar-coated corn flake breakfast cereal produced by Kellogg Company.  Originally called Sugar Frosted Flakes, the name was changed to Frosted Flakes in 1980 to create a more appealing and healthier title for parents who were purchasing breakfast cereals for their children.  Being such an older cereal, commercials advertising Frosted Flakes date back to 1960 and have taken off since then.  Tony the Tiger has become the face of the box and a recognized mascot.  Here is an example of what a Frosted Flakes commercial looked like in 1960. 

1960s Flakes

This commercial that was produced in 1960, features Tony the Tiger and Tony Jr.  Beside the obvious black and white picture, things seem to have changed in commercial making since this was created.  In general, this specific Frosted Flakes commercial seemed to go for a cartoon show like feel.  Each commercial for this cereal that was produced in this era had another story line with Tony the Tiger and his son Jr. almost establishing a sitcom like approach.  Always added to this was, the box which was showed at the end with Tony's face filling the front, and his famous catch line, They'reeeee GREAT.  Most commercials did not feature anything else but these two famous tigers.  Most of the time, Jr. received some super power from eating the Frosted Flakes, that usually ended up with Tony the Tiger shocked and in a messy situation.  In this commercial that was posted earlier, Jr. cracks the safe that contains the secret recipe for Frosted Flakes. Following this Tony, goes to retrieve the recipe and Jr. locks him in the safe.  Finally, like how many of the other commercials end Jr. blows the safe door open leaving Tony injured.  This example reminds me of watching the cartoon show Tom and Jerry as a child where Jerry (mouse) always fooled Tom (cat) into getting hurt.  These type of commercials appeal to children because they first are interested in the story.  They later figure out that its for a food (cereal) and all of a sudden they are hooked on it because they love the mascot and stories.  The advertising of this cereal fell solely on Tony the Tiger and JR.  The hope was to have kids fall in love with these characters and doing so also fall in love with the cereal.

Fast Forward the Flakes

Its 2012 and Frosted Flakes are as popular as ever.  The advertising and commercials have not ended and more and more people are familiar with this cereal.  Tony the Tiger is still the face of the franchise, and THEY'REEE GREAATTT is alive and well.  Somewhere in the middle of all of this success, Jr. Tony's little friend was left behind.  Commercials now a days, feature Just Tony the Tiger and usually kids, playing different sports such as football, soccer, tennis, etc. Along with the famous slogan, put into the commercials are lines that show the nutrition facts for Frosted Flakes.  Unlike the 60s, where the cartoon had a story behind it.  Present day commercials are more for showing off the nutritional facts, and what ingredients are in the cereal.  The pitch for Frosted Flakes is for people of all ages interests.  While, Kelloggs shows it off as a childs cereal.  In most cases, parents are purchasing it for these kids.  When parents buy breakfast cereals for their kids, they want something that their kids like, but they also want something that is a healthy option to start the morning. That is exactly what Frosted Flakes is a nutritious and delicious breakfast.