Product type | Breakfast cereal |
---|---|
Owner | WK Kellogg Co (US, Canada, Caribbean) Kellanova (rest of world) |
Country | U.S. |
Introduced | 1963 |
Previous owners | Kellogg's (1963–2023) |
Website | frootloops.com |
Froot Loops is a sweetened, fruit-flavored breakfast cereal produced by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canadian, and Caribbean markets and Kellanova for the rest of the world. The brand was solely owned by the original Kellogg Company before it spun off its North American cereal division as WK Kellogg Co in late 2023.[1] The fruit-flavored cereal pieces are ring-shaped, with a variety of bright colors.
History
Nutritional value per 1 cup (30 grams) | |
---|---|
Energy | 462 kJ (110 kcal) |
25 (83%) | |
Sugars | 12 g (40%) |
Dietary fiber | 3 g (10%) |
1 g (3%) | |
Saturated | 0.5 g (2%) |
1 g (3%) | |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Iron | 24% 3.1 mg |
Other constituents | Quantity |
Calories from fat | 42 kJ (10 kcal) |
Cholesterol | 0 mg (0%) |
Values may be different outside US market. | |
| |
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: Kellogg's |
Kellogg's introduced Froot Loops in 1963.[2] Originally, there were only red, orange and yellow loops; green, blue and purple loops were added during the 1990s, with blue being introduced last in 1996.
The loops all share the same fruit-blend flavor.[3][4] Different production methods are used in the UK, where the company misleadingly sold the idea that each individual loop color was a different flavor.
Mascot
Toucan Sam has been the mascot of Froot Loops since its first appearance. Toucan Sam is a blue anthropomorphic toucan; the colors of his bill correspond to the three original Froot Loop colors.[5] He is portrayed as having an uncanny ability to smell Froot Loops from great distances and locates a concealed bowl of the cereal while intoning "Follow my nose! It always knows!"[6] or "Follow my nose! For the fruity taste that shows!"
Toucan Sam was first voiced by voice actor Mel Blanc, originally with an "American accent" and later by Maurice LaMarche, changing to a "British accent".[7]
Varieties
Kellogg's made several varieties of snack foods, including snack bags called Snack Ums. Snack Ums were similar to the cereal but larger. Their slogan was "Super-sized bites with deliciously intense natural fruit flavors" and "Flavor Bursting!"[8] Froot Loops-branding by Kellogg's was also used with the Froot Loops cereal bar,[9] and in 2021 Froot Loops Pop-Tarts.
In 2012, Kellogg's introduced Froot Loops to the UK market for a limited time with only the secondary colors (orange, green, and purple), as natural color substitutes for red, yellow, and blue could not be found. The recipe also differed from the US version. Kellogg's stated that "due to European legislation we have been unable to produce Froot Loops to the same specifications as the US product. The formulations are different, including sugar and salt levels and the UK version has been produced with natural food additives and flavorings which will account for the differences in appearance and taste between the two products." The UK Froot Loops are also larger in size compared with their American counterparts, and due to the different method of formulation, are a much coarser cereal. In September 2015, Kellogg's removed Froot Loops from the UK market due to a lack of demand for the cereal, although in 2017, a special Unicorn Froot Loops limited edition was released in the UK.[10] As of 2019, special limited edition Unicorn Froot Loops, Mermaid Froot Loops, and Baby Shark Froot Loops cereals have been made available.
Froot Loops Black Beak Saga
From around 2005 to 2009, a promotion featured Toucan Sam and his three nephews discovering a map leading to the treasure of Black Beak the pirate. Each commercial continued the storyline, either showing the crew sailing to a new island, fighting some creature that was after their Froot Loops, or learning more about Black Beak himself. Some of these commercials led to new flavors of Froot Loops being introduced as the story progressed, including Froot Loops Golden Berry,[11] Colossal Froot Loops,[12] Froot Loops Starberries,[13] Froot Loops Smoothie,[14] Froot Loops Darkberries,[15] Froot Loops Double Lemony Loot,[16] and Froot Loops Fruity Golden Bars.[17] The promotion ended with Sam and his nephews finding Black Beak's treasure and Black Beak himself, whom they defeated and with whom they subsequently shared a bowl of Froot Loops.
References
- ↑ "Kellogg's® Froot Loops® cereal". Kellogg's. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012.
- ↑ Ungar, Peter S. (2007). Evolution of the Human Diet: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 9780195183467. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Are the different colors of Froot Loops different flavors?". The Straight Dope. September 17, 1999. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ↑ Locker, Melissa (January 21, 2014). "Breaking Breakfast News: Froot Loops Are All the Same Flavor". Time.
- ↑ "The Evolution of Froot Loops' Toucan Sam: From 1960s Black and White to 2013 in 3D". www.trustcollective.com. August 27, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- ↑ Top 10 Greatest Breakfast Cereal Mascots of All Time. Babble Top (informative). May 6, 2020. Event occurs at 4:24-4:26. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ↑ Top 10 Greatest Breakfast Cereal Mascots of All Time. Babble Top (informative). May 6, 2020. Event occurs at 4:39-4:55. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ↑ "Snack Ums Froot Loops". taquitos.net.
- ↑ "Froot Loops Cereal & Milk Bars". taquitos.net.
- ↑ "Kellog's just launched unicorn fruit loops in the uK". independent.co.uk. September 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Retro Junk".
- ↑ "Retro Junk".
- ↑ "Retro Junk".
- ↑ "Retro Junk".
- ↑ "Retro Junk".
- ↑ "Retro Junk".
- ↑ "Retro Junk".
External links
- Official website
- Kellogg's corporate Froot Loops site: includes package information and nutrition facts.