A brief history

  • Humble beginnings

    In 1921, a health clinician spilled wheat gruel on a hot stove and watched it transform into delicious wheat flakes. “Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes” soon became known as “Wheaties”.

  • Better eat your Wheaties

    In the 1930s, testimonials from athletic greats like Lou Gehrig and 46 of the 51 players on the 1939 Major League All-Star team turned the modest wheat flake into something of a legend. It was what you ate if you wanted to be like the professionals. They even revamped the product to match the marketing, truly making it The Breakfast of Champions.

  • The champions

    In the late 1950s, Wheaties began its first of several sponsorship deals with athletic legends, who would appear on the iconic box. Bob Richards was the first spokesperson, succeeded by Bruce Jenner, Mary Lou Retton, Walter Payton, Chris Evert, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Dale Earnhardt, Brett Favre, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Michael Phelps, Mia Hamm, Muhammad Ali and more.

See our champion box gallery