Raisin Bran Was Invented In 1925. What Late Night TV Host Did Their Commercials?

Updated April 16, 2024

National Raisin Bran Cereal Day on November 15th pours a bowl of one of the countries’ go-to cereals. Made from toasted oat or wheat flakes with plump raisins added, these cereals have been a staple in many American breakfasts for generations.

• 1863 – 62 years before raisin bran, James Caleb Jackson invents the first cold cereal, Granula.
• 1915 – Bran Flakes are Invented. Post Consumer Brands, introduce bran flakes, a cereal made of flakes, wheat, or oat bran.
• 1918 – For several years, Skinner’s held the exclusive right to the name “raisin bran” but that didn’t stop others from making their own. Skinner’s Manufacturing Co. had been in business since 1918. And as the country’s largest producer of macaroni, they weren’t going to let that go without a fight.
• 1925 – a variety of companies have been producing raisin bran cereal. Those companies include Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, General Mills, Total Raisin Bran, U.S. Mills, and Ralcorp’s Post Raisin Bran. However, the first was U.S. Mills.
• 1925 – Skinner’s Manufacturing Company based out of Omaha, Nebraska introduced the United States to Skinner’s Raisin Bran. Other bran cereals existed. However, Skinner’s debuted the first with raisins included.
  • Skinner’s was purchased from the Lloyd E. Skinner family of Omaha, NE, who created this famous cereal, by U.S. Mills. It was soon known as Uncle Sam Cereal.
• 1944 – In 1944, a U.S. court dissolves Skinner Manufacturing Company’s trademark on the cereal name “Raisin-BRAN” because the name is descriptive of ingredients
• Raisin bran is a good source of dietary fiber.
• Famous TV night time host Johnny Carson made Skinner Raisin Bran commercials during the time Skinner owned this product.
• They took their trademark to court. Despite being the first and trademarking the name, Skinner’s lost on the grounds that the words “raisin bran” are merely ingredients.
• The first cold breakfast cereal, Granula, was invented in the United States in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, operator of Our Home on the Hillside which was later replaced by the Jackson Sanatorium in Dansville, New York.
• Twenty-six percent of Americans snack on cereal during the day; 61 percent of that group is women.
• Kellogg’s was the first company to advertise on the Times Square billboard in New York.
• Forty-eight percent of Americans add chocolate milk to their cereal; 8 percent add juice; 7 percent add water; 4 percent add ice cream; 3 percent add melted chocolate; and 2 percent add another cereal.
• The basic ingredients in most raisin bran cereals include whole grain wheat, raisins, wheat bran, sugar, brown sugar syrup, malt flavor, salt, and added vitamins and minerals.
• Raisin bran tends to be fairly calorie-dense and high in fiber, protein, and added micronutrients.
• A single serving of raisin bran cereal can meet approximately one-sixth of those needs, which primarily come from the wheat and bran ingredients.
• Although raisin bran is a source of several healthy nutrients, it tends to be high in added sugar and refined carbs.
• If laid end to end, the boxes of Kellogg’s cereal eaten since 1906 would reach the moon and back 160 times.
• Forget tigers, frogs, and birds, Kellogg’s raised the bar on cereal mascots in 1966 when it introduced the center of our solar system as the new mascot for their Raisin Bran Cereal. Their sun was a little friendlier than the 4.57 billion year-old white-hot star. It was a smiling animated character named Sunny.
• Kellogg’s Raisin Bran began using its “two scoops of raisins in every box” slogan in the late 1960’s. According to The Science Creative Quarterly, a 15 ounce box of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran contains between 201 and 241 raisins, which leads us to the conclusion that a scoop contains roughly 100 to 120 raisins.
• Thirty-five percent of men say they eat the same breakfast cereal they ate as a kid compared with 30 percent of women.
• Seventy-two percent of those polled say the great taste is the most important factor when choosing a breakfast cereal; 20 percent value nutrition.
• Snap, Crackle & Pop are the longest-running Kellogg’s characters.
• There are 239 Facebook groups dedicated to Rice Krispies.
• Kellogg’s Corn Flakes was the cereal eaten aboard Apollo 11, which made the first lunar landing.
• Saddam Hussein, former Iraqi dictator was a fan of Raisin Bran Cereal during his incarceration in the American Prison
• Raisins contribute to the most weight in every raisin Bran cereal box
• 100 grams of raisins possess 300 calories
• Kellogg’s Raisin Bran mascot was out of the world.  In 1966, they created an animated Sunny with the “No, you’re the sun” catchphrase.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Foodimentary

Mr. Breakfast

Healthline

Professional Roofing

11Points

National Days Today

National Today