Corn Pops

A box of Corn Pops.

Corn Pops is a breakfast cereal made by Kellogg's, described by the company as "crunchy sweetened popped-up corn cereal." Originally called Sugar Pops, it was introduced in 1951 as the sponsor for "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" radio show. The name was changed to Sugar Corn Pops in 1978, and then to Corn Pops in the 1980s, a time when many cereals dropped the word "Sugar" from their titles. In January 2006, the name of the cereal was changed to Pops, but after a few months of poor reception, was changed back to Corn Pops. Sometimes, this cereal is just referred to as Pops.

In mid 2007, Corn Pops launched its first line extension in many years called "Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops".

Description

A bowl of Corn Pops with milk

Corn Pops are made from milled corn and the American version has a flattened, smooth, bumpy shape. Canadian Corn Pops look very different; they are spherical and have a porous surface, similar to Kix cereal. The taste and texture of the Canadian and American versions of the cereal differ considerably despite sharing the same name and manufacturer. Kellogg's says this is due to raw ingredients and the regulatory agencies that exist in a particular country, and that its cereal differs by country also by virtue of marketing and culture. Research is done in different countries to determine preferences, and the formula for the cereal is changed accordingly, affecting the texture, color, and nutrition. The fat, cholesterol, and protein content is the same.

Unlike the vast majority of breakfast cereals, Corn Pops are packaged in a foil-lined bag. This helps to prevent the Pops from going stale and from secreting a sticky substance that causes the corn pops to stick together (a problem caused by the method by which the cereal is processed).^[1] Honey Smacks, also made by Kellogg's, uses the same bag Corn Pops uses. The Canadian version of Corn Pops is packaged in a standard plastic cereal bag.

Though the name of the cereal is 'Corn' Pops, since 2004, its ingredients have included wheat starch. By 2007, Coconut Oil was added to the US ingredients.^[2]

Marketing

Although the cereal contains partially hydrogenated fats, it is marketed as trans-fat free since the amount of trans fat per serving is less than the threshold 0.5 grams/serving.^[3][4] However, this amount can still contain nickel from processing, and should be avoided by those with nickel allergies.^[5]

Mascots

From day one, Woody Woodpecker was the mascot of Sugar Pops, until from 1959 to 1967, the mascot for the cereal was "Sugar Pops Pete," a prairie dog dressed as a cowboy with two "six-shooters" with red and white spiral-striped barrels. Pete and the other actors in the commercial sang the following jingle: "Oh, the Pops are sweeter and the taste is new. They're shot with sugar, through and through. . . . Sugar Pops are tops!" From 1968 to 1977, the mascot was the "Whippersnapper," a live-action, whip-cracking cowboy. From 1980 to 1986, a female porcupine named "Poppy" represented the cereal. Poppy carried around a yellow suitcase which contained a complete breakfast setting, meeting the by-then industry-standard "part of a complete breakfast" tagline. In early 2009, a live actor dressed up as a Corn Pops puff became the new mascot of Corn Pops. Then, in mid 2009, Kellogg's introduced an alternative mascot named the "Sweet Toothasaur," consisting of the upside down bottom half of an actor's face, with a green felt cap with googly eyes and red paper horns on the actor's chin.

Taglines

• Sugar Pops Are tops! (pre-1980s)
• Gotta get... POPS! (1981–1988)
• Poppin' in my head. (late 1980s, alternating with "Gotta Have My Pops")
• You've gotta catch new Corn Pops! (UK, 1993)
• It's hard to stop when it's pops. (1992–1999)
• Gotta have my pops. (1988–2000, 2007–present)
• Gotta have pops. (2007)
• It's POPnetic! (present in Canada)

Numerous ad campaigns used John Williams' theme from Jaws.

Canada & France

Unlike American Corn Pops, in Canada and France (called Miel Pops) the cereal consists of small, spherical, uniform balls. Both versions are crunchier and have a different taste. Most Canadian television networks still advertise the US version in commercials.

United Kingdom

In the early '90s, Corn Pops were introduced in the United Kingdom, but by the late '90s were no longer available. The tag line used in the UK was different: "You can't stop a corn popper popping more corn." Corn Pops sponsored UK boyband Take That's 1994 tour, known as "The Pops Tour".

References

1. ^ http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfoilbag.html
2. ^ http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC245/333/8015/373716.html?d=dmtICNNews
3. ^ http://www.kelloggs.ca/cgi-bin/klog-canada/product.pl?product=25&company=2
4. ^ http://www2.kelloggs.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?brand=138&product=558&cat=cereal
5. ^ Relationship between nickel allergy and diet. http://www.ijdvl.com/text.asp?2007/73/5/307/35733. 

External links

• 1960s Sugar Pops commercial with Sugar Pops Pete
• Kellogg's