Flutie Flakes
The 10th anniversary limited edition box
Nutritional value per 3/4 Cup (31 grams)
28 (9%)
Sugars13 g
Dietary fiber<0 g
0 mg (0%)
Saturated0 mg (0%)
1 g
Other constituentsQuantity
Cholesterol0 mg (0%)
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: [1]

Flutie Flakes is the name of a brand of frosted corn flakes breakfast cereal named for American football quarterback Doug Flutie.

The brand was created in 1998, after Flutie, then the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, saw his popularity soar because of his scrambling, last quarter heroics and his impressive win–loss record. A large portion of the profits made from sales of Flutie Flakes were donated to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, created in honor of Flutie's autistic son.[1] The goal of the foundation is to create awareness of autism and to seek a cure.

PLB Sports and Entertainment (PLBSE) of Pittsburgh was hired to oversee marketing, product development, packaging, and sales. The cereal was originally made by Jasper Foods, a private-label producer.[2] Initially, PLB Sports intended to produce just 50,000 boxes, but wound up selling more than 3 million.[3] When the millionth box came off the production line in December 1998, it was put up for auction online and was sold for over $1,400.[4]

Flutie Flakes remained popular in the region even after Flutie was controversially benched[5] for Rob Johnson.

Four box designs of Flutie Flakes were featured. The first edition is red and features two images of Flutie in blue Bills uniforms. The second edition, released in 1999, is blue with a picture of Flutie in a red jersey similar to what quarterbacks wear in practice but also fitting the team's color palette. The 2000 third edition is white, blue, and red and features Flutie in a white Bills uniform. After Flutie signed with the San Diego Chargers in 2001, the third edition photo was altered to match the Chargers' color scheme and was placed on top of a navy, yellow, and white design. Additionally, the 2001 box reads "Super-Charged" above the Flutie Flakes logo, replacing the "Collector's Box" text that is featured in the three Buffalo editions of the cereal.

In 2008, Flutie Flakes were re-introduced for a limited time commemorating the 10-year anniversary.[1] A 20th anniversary version was re-released in December 2019.[6][7]

A box of Flutie Flakes can be seen on top of the refrigerator in the staff breakroom in Season 6, Episode 11 of ER ("the Domino Heart").

A box of Flutie Flakes is seen on top of the refrigerator in “Everybody Loves Raymond”, Season 3, Episode 21 - “The Getaway” and Season 4, Episode 5 - “The Will.”

Other products

The 1998 and 1999 editions of Flutie Flakes were also complemented by Flutie Flakes Chocolate Bars. The candy bars feature Flutie Flakes cereal inside milk chocolate.[8] After being chosen to the 1999 Pro Bowl, the second edition of the chocolate bar featured a new color scheme and honors the accomplishment by making a special collector's edition of the treat.

Flutie Fruities are a brand of fruit snacks[9] developed during Flutie's 2001 season with the Chargers.[10]

Each edition of the cereal came with product offers on the reverse. Fans could mail in to purchase t-shirts, teddy bears, footballs, ball caps, and even CDs featuring Flutie's own band, The Flutie Gang.

So far, no Flutie Flakes-related products have featured his CFL uniforms from the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, and Toronto Argonauts, in spite of his three Grey Cup victories.[11]

PLB Sports has produced cereal brands for other celebrities, mostly football players (as of 2020, it produces branded cereals featuring JuJu Smith-Schuster, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Tyler Herro, Aaron Jones, and the late The Joy of Painting host Bob Ross, along with a line of mustards endorsed by Ed McCaffrey and sauces endorsed by Stefon Diggs). It previously produced branded cereals for baseball and hockey players.[12] Of the various product lines PLB Sports has released, Flutie Flakes has been the longest-running, with the Allen cereal, Josh's Jaqs (a red-and-blue fruit ring cereal), being the only other to last at least three cycles.[13] PLB founder Ty Ballou, a self-professed Pittsburgh Steelers fan, has acknowledged the debt he has to Bills Mafia for keeping his company solvent.[13]

Controversy

Flutie Flakes became the subject of a minor controversy in January 1999 when Miami Dolphins Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson poured Flutie Flakes on the ground and invited his team to stomp on it after defeating Flutie in a playoff game;[14] as the product was created to help individuals with autism, Flutie was upset that Johnson would use it in such a manner. Johnson issued a public apology.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ex-Pats, BC QB Flutie to re-release Flutie Flakes » Sports » SalemNews.com, Salem, MA". Salemnews.com. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  2. ^ "FLUTIE FLAKES ARE SCORING BIG IN BUFFALO, NEW ENGLAND". Supermarket News. 1998-11-23. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  3. ^ "Cereal sensation Flutie Flakes return for 10th anniversary".
  4. ^ "Flutie Looms Tall as a Fund-Raiser for Children's Charities". Los Angeles Times. 26 January 1999.
  5. ^ steve b. (July 2011). "Worst Moments In Bills History, No. 20: Rob Johnson Over Doug Flutie". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  6. ^ @darrenrovell (December 3, 2019). "Flutie Flakes will be back into the..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "A breakfast renaissance: Flutie Flakes returning after 20 years". ESPN.com. 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  8. ^ "Flutie Flakes Scoreboard: 1 Million Boxes and Counting". 24 December 1998.
  9. ^ a b Jason Plautz (2012-04-11). "11 Athletes Who Had Their Own Cereals". Mental Floss. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  10. ^ Roe, Jim (2012-02-27). "Justin Verlander Aims for Number One in Cereal Sales: A Fan's Take - MLB - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  11. ^ "Canadian Football Hall of Fame - Doug Flutie". Cfhof.ca. 1984-11-23. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  12. ^ PLB Sports & Entertainment retrieved September 12, 2020
  13. ^ a b Veronica, Nick (2022-08-17). "Josh Allen enters rarefied air with third edition of Josh's Jaqs cereal". WROC-TV. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  14. ^ "CNN/SI - 1998-99 AFC Wild Card - Buffalo at Miami - Dolphins hold off Flutie, Bills for 24-17 wild-card win - Saturday January 02, 1999 09:17 PM". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
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