You probably haven't thought about Wheaties recently -- you haven't thought about the 1984 Olympics either, which was when Wheaties probably peaked. But General Mills is hoping to change all that with today's introduction (at 1 p.m., according to the Facebook page) of Wheaties Fuel -- an athlete-tested, souped-up version of the standard cereal.
Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics and Peyton Manning of the
Indianapolis Colts helped develop three prototypes for the new
variety, which were then beta-tested and voted upon by the readers of
Men's Health. The winning flavor is what's expected to be announced
today.
In light of General Mills' willingness to branch out
from the main brand, Boston Globe columnist Scott Kirsner believes that
Wheaties should go in an entirely different direction with box covers
as well. Kirsner would like to see Wheaties celebrate "achievements of the brain," and immortalize scientists and great minds in collector's boxes.
For a brief time, Kirsner could have acted on his own idea. Cereal Adventure
at the Mall of America offered people the chance to create custom
Wheaties boxes; all they needed was a 4 x 6 photo and $24.95. The interactive exhibit, in which kids could also make their own cereal blends, was open from 2001 to
2003.
And so, the eternal debate between jock and geek will continue on a new battleground -- the breakfast table.
[Image via Flickr: I should be folding laundry]
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