Which US made breakfast cereal was advertised as "The Breakfast of Champions"?

Almost since its beginning as a brand, sports figures—including Olympians—have been associated with the General Mills product, Wheaties. Using a clever marketing strategy instituted by company president James Ford Bell, Wheaties was promoted very early on as a cereal providing a healthy breakfast option through its association with athletics and athletes.

Since 1936, General Mills has been able to hold a trademark on "The Breakfast of Champions" slogan, and since that point in time the trademark has appeared on every bright orange box of Wheaties.

Concerning Wheaties and its association with sports the story goes that General Mills owned a Minneapolis radio station and had a contract to broadcast games played by the Minneapolis Miners, a minor league baseball team. In exchange for broadcasting the games, Wheaties could advertise on the stadium’s billboards.

In 1927, General Mills asked advertising executive Knox Reeves to come up with a new slogan for the billboards. Legend has it Reeves sketched a picture of a Wheaties box, thought for a moment and then wrote, “Wheaties: The Breakfast of Champions”. Since then, that slogan has appeared on every box of the cereal and in numerous ad campaigns.

The cereal’s long association with sports also led to an endorsement deal with baseball star Lou Gehrig. In 1934, Gehrig appeared on the back of the box. At first, Wheaties featured its star athletes on the back of the box rather than the front.