General Mills introduced Kix in 1937. The cereal was developed during the Great Depression as part of the company’s then-president James Ford Bells’s effort to avoid cutting employee wages by instead introducing new products. Kix was the first-ever puffed corn cereal. The unique puffed texture was achieved in part because the Quaker-owned patent on Alexander Anderson’s wheat and rice puffing process expired. General Mills engineer Thomas R. James learned from it and then developed his own “puffing gun” that created batches of round, puffed corn pellets. (Interestingly, the process later used for making Cheerios was based on James’s method.) Kix was also designed to cater to consumer tastes. General Mills had run a study in the 1920s to discover what consumers wanted most out of their cereal. The verdict? More vitamins and a product that didn’t turn soggy in milk. In a 1938 ad for Kix, General Mills claimed: “it doesn't get all soaked in milk or cream as flat flake cereals do. Scientific tests prove that.” The cereal was also coated with vitamins B and D, calcium, and phosphorus and marketed as a healthful option. In the 1950s, a Kix TV ad even claimed that the cereal was “food for action” and had “83% energy.” In 1979, Kix adopted the now-famous slogan, “Kid-tested. Mother-approved.” The brand still uses a very similar slogan today: “Kid-tested. Parent-approved." (The minor change was made back in 2018.) Notably, Kix has stood the test of time and been around for far longer than most other cereals on store shelves. Known for its relatively “boring” box, it’s still a favorite of kids and parents alike, perhaps because it is indeed one of the healthier cereals on the market with just 3.3 grams of sugar per serving. As for its popularity among kids, that may be due in part to Kix’s longstanding tradition of including toys and prizes in or on cereal boxes, a tradition that began back in 1933. In the 1940s, Kix allowed kids to exchange cereal box tops for various prizes related to the then-popular Lone Ranger radio series. Prizes included Lone Ranger safety belts, silver bullet compasses, weather rings, and even a glow-in-the-dark Lone Ranger atomic-bomb ring, which could be had in 1947 for 15 cents and a box top. Unlike many other cereals, however, Kix never had a noteworthy mascot. Over the years, several sister products have been released, including Berry Berry Kix and Honey Kix. Today, Kix remains a stalwart on grocery store shelves all around the country in a testament to its quiet popularity and longevity.