Frosted Flakes
Encyclopedia
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes is a breakfast cereal
first introduced by the Kellogg Company
. It consists of corn flakes
"frosted" or coated with sugar
. The "Frosted Flakes" name is used by Kellogg's in United States
and Canada
. The cereal was first introduced in 1951 as Sugar Frosted Flakes. The word "sugar" was dropped from the product in the 1980s during a time when many cereals dropped "sugar" from their titles.
"Frosted Flakes", by itself, is purely a description of the product. As a result, that term cannot be trademark
ed and can be used by any company making a similar product. By contrast, "Kellogg's Frosted Flakes" and "Frosties" are registered trademarks in their respective markets.
has been the mascot of Frosted Flakes since its introduction. Tony is known for uttering the cereal's slogan: "They're Gr-r-reat!". Tony the Tiger was originally voiced internationally by Thurl Ravenscroft
, who continued until his death in 2005. The character is currently voiced in the USA by the former professional play-by-play announcer, Jim Van Horne
, who also played Tony the Tiger in a television commercial in 1997. In the UK Tom Hill voiced Tony after Ravenscroft death. He can be seen wearing a red ascot on all frosted flakes cereal boxes.
Another character, Katy the Kangaroo, was on the Frosted Flakes box for a short time.
during the spring and summer of 2006, stemming from an advertisement aired on British
and Irish
television stations in spring 2006 in which the viewer is repeatedly told that "They're gonna taste great". Rumors in Internet blogs and Internet forums that the actor had committed suicide were soon noted by snopes.com when they investigated this meme. Questions about the Frosties Kid are still raised, with perhaps the most compelling rumor being that he is actually a CGI
creation, a rumor which Snopes described as 'one of the more interesting theories', but never ruled out.
, they used to have variations of Frosties in the cereal franchise, until they were all recalled or discontinued.
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
first introduced by the Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
. It consists of corn flakes
Corn flakes
Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kellogg's through the treatment of maize. A patent for the product was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896.-History:...
"frosted" or coated with sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
. The "Frosted Flakes" name is used by Kellogg's in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The cereal was first introduced in 1951 as Sugar Frosted Flakes. The word "sugar" was dropped from the product in the 1980s during a time when many cereals dropped "sugar" from their titles.
"Frosted Flakes", by itself, is purely a description of the product. As a result, that term cannot be trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
ed and can be used by any company making a similar product. By contrast, "Kellogg's Frosted Flakes" and "Frosties" are registered trademarks in their respective markets.
International names
- Frosties (UK, most CommonwealthCommonwealth of NationsThe Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
nations and EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Middle East countries) - Zucaritas in Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
(the word roughly translates as "Sugaries") - Sucrilhos in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- Corn Frosties (コーンフロスティ) in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- Corn Frost in South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
Related products
- In 2003, Kellogg's launched Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers. The slogan was "They're Gr-r-reat 'Till They're Gone." This cereal was discontinued by Kellogg's in 2007 due to poor sales.
- In 2005, Whole Grain Tiger Power (or simply Tiger Power) was introduced. The product was known for having protein, fiber, and calcium growing children need. It was discontinued after one year.
- In 2008, Kellogg's introduced Frosted Flakes Gold. It is flavored with honey and claims to provide longer lasting energy than original Frosted Flakes.
- In 2011, Kellogg's brought back Frosted Flakes Chocolate. It is chocolate flavored and only back for a limited time at Walmart.
Mascots
Tony the TigerTony the Tiger
Tony the Tiger is the advertising cartoon mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising. More recently, Tony has also become the mascot for Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power...
has been the mascot of Frosted Flakes since its introduction. Tony is known for uttering the cereal's slogan: "They're Gr-r-reat!". Tony the Tiger was originally voiced internationally by Thurl Ravenscroft
Thurl Ravenscroft
Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft was an American voice actor and singer best known as the deep voice behind Tony the Tiger's "They're grrreat!" in Frosted Flakes television commercials for more than five decades. Ravenscroft was also known, however uncredited, as the vocalist for the song "You're a Mean...
, who continued until his death in 2005. The character is currently voiced in the USA by the former professional play-by-play announcer, Jim Van Horne
Jim Van Horne
Jim Van Horne is a Canadian sports anchor.Van Horne began his broadcasting career on CKMP in Midland, Ontario, in 1971. From 1972 to 1980, Van Horne was one of the top disc jockeys in Canada at 1050 CHUM in Toronto. He was named Billboard Magazine's Disc Jockey of the year in 1972, the only...
, who also played Tony the Tiger in a television commercial in 1997. In the UK Tom Hill voiced Tony after Ravenscroft death. He can be seen wearing a red ascot on all frosted flakes cereal boxes.
Another character, Katy the Kangaroo, was on the Frosted Flakes box for a short time.
Taglines
This cereal has had numerous taglines, but the classic, "They're Gr-r-reat!" has always been used. The "Gr-r-reat" has been punned in different slogans as well.- They're more than good, They're great!
- They're gonna taste great!
- Gr-r-reat 'till it's gone! (Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers)
- Bring out the tiger in you! (1980s)
- The taste adults have grown to love. (1980s - 1990s)
- Hey Tony
- Gr-r-reat for growth! (Whole Grain Tiger Power)
- Earn your stripes!
- Never let the tiger catch you!
- Put a tiger on your team!
- Pass it on!
- Scientifically proven better than branflakes and other cereals
- It's Gr-r-reat!
- Super-de-duper!
- A Gr-r-reat Taste
Sponsorship
- Kellogg's was a major sponsor of Adventures of SupermanAdventures of Superman (TV series)Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
throughout most of the 1950s. Many of the Frosted Flakes commercials featuring the show's star George ReevesGeorge ReevesGeorge Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....
are considered classics and are available on the DVD release of the series' first season. - Most of the commercials were based on popular sports with Tony helping his friends train with the slogan "Eye of the Tiger" including a Volleyball commercial starring Lois and Clark star Dean CainDean CainDean Cain is an American actor. He is most widely known for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the popular American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
. - Frosties are now a sponsor of Challenger Sports British Soccer Camps.http://www.challengersports.com/pages/frosties.aspx
The Frosties Kid
The Frosties Kid was an Internet memeMeme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
during the spring and summer of 2006, stemming from an advertisement aired on British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
television stations in spring 2006 in which the viewer is repeatedly told that "They're gonna taste great". Rumors in Internet blogs and Internet forums that the actor had committed suicide were soon noted by snopes.com when they investigated this meme. Questions about the Frosties Kid are still raised, with perhaps the most compelling rumor being that he is actually a CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
creation, a rumor which Snopes described as 'one of the more interesting theories', but never ruled out.
Varieties
In the UK and IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, they used to have variations of Frosties in the cereal franchise, until they were all recalled or discontinued.
- Toffee flavoured Frosties - Frosted Flakes with the taste of Toffee (Tony - New Kelloggs Toffee flavoured Frosties, an explosion of Toffee taste, for a limited time only, they're Great! (limited time only))
- Frosties Chocolate - Frosted Flakes with the taste of Chocolate (Tony - New Kelloggs Frosties Chocolate, discover the dark side! (discontinued)
- Frosties Stripes - Flakes in the shape of lightning bolt stripes (discontinued)
- Reduced Sugar Frosties - Frosted Flakes with a third less sugar than normal Frosties (discontinued)