– Product Details:
– Type: Breakfast cereal
– Owner: Quaker Oats
– Country: U.S.
– Introduced: 1968
– Discontinued: 2019
– Nutritional Information:
– High vitamin and iron content
– 6 grams of sugar per serving
– Contrasted with other cereals like Cap’n Crunch and Lucky Charms
– Focused on health benefits
– Marketed as a healthier breakfast option
– Marketing and Mascots:
– Animated by Jay Ward Productions
– Featured characters like King Vitaman, Sir Laffitup, Sir Cravenleigh
– Adversaries included the Blue Baron and the Not-So-Bright Knight
– Transitioned from animated to jingle-based commercials
– Actor George Mann portrayed King Vitaman until 1977
– Evolution of Branding:
– Quaker Oats reintroduced an illustrated character in 2000
– Various mascot changes over the years
– Emphasis on maintaining brand recognition
– Adaptations to appeal to modern consumers
– Shifts in marketing strategies
– Related Topics:
– Quaker Oats
– List of breakfast cereal advertising characters
– Further reading on Jay Ward’s Animated Cereal Capers
– References to King Vitaman’s discontinuation
– Links to other food and beverage brands like KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell
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King Vitaman was an American brand of breakfast cereal produced by Quaker Oats and sold in the United States. The cereal was introduced in 1968, and changed mascots several times. The cereal was discontinued in 2019.
 | |
| Product type | Breakfast cereal |
|---|---|
| Owner | Quaker Oats |
| Country | U.S. |
| Introduced | 1968 |
| Discontinued | 2019 |
King Vitaman Cereal boasted high vitamin and iron content, in addition to a more modest amount of sugar (6 grams per serving) than many more popular breakfast cereals, such as Cap'n Crunch and Lucky Charms (which contain 13 grams or more). The early television commercials for the cereal were animated by Jay Ward Productions, the creators of Rocky and Bullwinkle. The advertising featured King Vitaman (voiced by character actor Joe Flynn) and his knights, Sir Laffitup (voiced by Paul Frees) and Sir Cravenleigh (voiced by Bill Scott), and their foes the Blue Baron (voiced by Daws Butler) and the Not-So-Bright Knight. The earlier commercials had King Vitaman tell his dimwitted knight to pour the milk over King Vitaman cereal, but instead the milk is poured over the king, prompting the king to say, angrily: "Not me, you dingaling, the cereal!" Subsequent non-animated advertisements ended with a jingle inviting children to "Have Breakfast with the King."
From 1971 until his death in 1977, actor George Mann, an ex-vaudevillian in the comedic dance act Barto and Mann, depicted King Vitaman on the cereal box and in television commercials. In 2000, Quaker Oats returned to an illustrated character on their King Vitaman cereal boxes.