Who Was The First Ever Cereal Mascot?
Food mascots are something that, for all of us, have been around throughout our entire lives. In fact, some of the most iconic of these may predate our great-grandparents; Mr. Peanut, for instance, was 104 years old at the time Planters had him killed off in a tragic 2020 accident (and then reborn as the unpopular Baby Nut). Many cereal mascots, too, are a lot older than you realize. For example, Snap, Crackle, and Pop are Kellogg's most senior mascots, dating back to 1933, but these nonagenarians are mere youngsters when compared to the venerable Quaker Oats Man.
The man in the broad-brimmed wide-awake hat actually holds the distinction of being the first-ever breakfast cereal trademark, registered by the U.S. Patent Office in 1877. Although, the manufacturers didn't obtain full rights to the Quaker brand name until purchasing the Quaker Mill in Ravenna, Ohio, some four years later. The following year, an ad for Quaker Oats, complete with an earnest-looking Quaker gentleman, would be the first cereal promotion to feature in a national magazine. By 1915, the mascot was adorning familiar-looking cylindrical oatmeal canisters.
The Quaker Oats Man has undergone quite a few changes
The first Quaker Oats canisters featured the Quaker Oats Man from head to toe, but by 1922 — while his head and shoulders remained part of the brand logo — his knees and toes were no longer visible. In fact, the 1922 Quaker Oats Man would be instantly recognizable to present-day cereal shoppers. However, the product packaging was far less wordy than the current one as it lacked any blurbs about the product's heart-healthiness or cholesterol-reducing properties.
Various artists have had their way with the Quaker Oats Man over the years, although none of them appear to have changed him too much — well, apart from a somewhat abstract (and apparently short-lived) blue-and-white '70s version. More recently, a 2012 makeover saw the Quaker Oats Man's face slim down a bit, while company spokespersons also revealed that he has a name. Believe it or not, they call him Larry, even though we at Mashed see him as more of an Ebenezer or a Jedediah.
Even then, Quaker wasn't done tweaking, as in 2019 the company made his face even thinner and more youthful-looking. The biggest change was to his scarf, though. While once it was neatly tucked in, it now sits at a rakish angle. While it's nice to know Larry's capable of loosening up after all of these years, we're glad he's never come in for the 2020 Toucan Sam treatment when this cereal mascot's new look turned him into a very disturbing bird.