Maypo facts for kids
Marky Maypo, the mascot for Maypo
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| Type | Porridge |
|---|---|
| Course | Breakfast |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Oatmeal |
Maypo is an American brand of hot cereals. The first Maypo product was an oatmeal that tasted like maple. Now, there are many different flavors of Maypo cereals. The Maltex Co. first made Maypo. Today, Homestat Farm, Ltd. owns the brand. Maypo is well-known for its funny television commercials. These ads featured a character named Marky Maypo. He would often shout the famous phrase, "I Want My Maypo!"
The Story of Maypo
Maypo was created by the Maltex Corporation. This company was located in Burlington, Vermont. They had been making cereals from wheat and barley since 1899. Back then, they were called Malted Cereals Company. Maypo was first sold to people in 1951.
In 1956, the Maltex company was sold. It became a part of a larger company called Heublein. By the mid-1960s, Maypo was not selling as much. So, Maltex was sold again to American Home Products. Later, in 2001, Homestat Farm, Ltd. bought Maypo.
Maypo's Famous Commercials
The very first "I Want My Maypo" advertisement was made in 1956. An advertising agency helped create this famous commercial. John Hubley made the animated parts of the ad. This commercial was very popular with children. It helped Maypo sales go up a lot, sometimes by as much as 186%!
Later, Maypo's TV commercials sometimes featured famous athletes. These athletes included Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, and Johnny Unitas. They would all cry out, "I want my Maypo!" in the ads.
Maypo in Pop Culture
In 1982, MTV launched its own famous campaign. It used the slogan "I want my MTV!" This idea was based on the "I want my Maypo!" catchphrase. Both campaigns were created by the same person, George Lois.
A Maypo commercial can be seen in the 1999 animated movie The Iron Giant. In a special version of the movie released in 2015, the Maypo ad was replaced. It was changed to a commercial for Disney's Tomorrowland attraction.
