The Great American Cereal Book Brings Back Wonderful Memories Cereals have contributed greatly to popular culture since their introduction in the late 19th century and grew exponentially larger with the introduction of sugary cereals in the middle of the 20th century. Indeed, when the major brands, including Post, General Mills and Kelloggs, catered to younger consumers, cereal became a pop culture phenomenon. Those products include Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops and Capn Crunch, and many arrived with a mascot, such as Tony the Tiger (Frosted Flakes), DigEm (Smacks) and the Monsters Cereals (Franken Berry Boo Berry and Count Chocula). Many of those classic cereals are still produced today, although not all of them are sugar based. More healthy cereal options, such as Cheerios, Shredded Wheat, Grape Nuts and Fiber One, are also discussed in the 2012 effort The Great American Cereal Book (Abrams Image) by Marty Gitlin and Topher Ellis. The authors trace the history of cereal in the United Sta...