Maypo is an American brand of hot cereals. The original product was

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flavored oatmeal but there are now a variety of flavors sold under the Maypo brand name. It was originally manufactured by Maltex Co. and is now owned by Homestat Farm, Ltd. It was best known for its television commercials with the catchphrase, " I Want My Maypo" by Marky Maypo.

History

Maypo was developed by the Maltex Corporation in Burlington, Vermont, a company that had been manufacturing wheat and barley cereal since 1899 under the name Malted Cereals Company. Maypo was first marketed in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

. Shortly after the development of Maypo, Maltex was sold in 1956 and became a division of

Heublein Heublein Inc. (also known as Heublein Spirits) was an American producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages and food throughout the 20th century. During the 1960s and 1970s its stock was regarded as one of the most stable financial investments ...

. By the mid-1960s its market share had declined and Maltex was sold to

American Home Products Wyeth, LLC was an American pharmaceutical company. The company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1860 as ''John Wyeth and Brother''. It was later known, in the early 1930s, as American Home Products, before being renamed to Wyeth i ...

. In 2001 Homestat Farm, Ltd. purchased Maypo.

Advertising

The original "I Want My Maypo" ad was developed in 1956 by the Fletcher, Richards, Calkins & Holden Advertising Agency. The animation was created by

John Hubley John Kirkham Hubley (May 21, 1914 – February 21, 1977) was an American animation director, art director, producer and writer known for his work with the United Productions of America (UPA) and his own independent studio, Storyboard, Inc. (late ...

. The commercial, which appealed to children, increased sales on average 78%, with some markets increasing sales by 186%. Maypo's later television ads sometimes featured athletes—including

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

and Johnny Unitas—crying "I want my Maypo!"

In popular culture

MTV's "I want my MTV!" image and branding campaign in 1982 was based on the "I want my Maypo!" catchphrase; both were developed by George Lois. A Maypo commercial is seen on a television screen in the 1999 animated film ''

The Iron Giant ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and directed by Brad Bird in his directorial debut. It is based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was publis ...

''. In the 2015 ''Signature Edition'', it was replaced with a commercial advertising Disney's

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...

attraction.

References

External links

History of the Maypo brand
Breakfast cereals Porridges Oats {{Breakfast-stub

History

Advertising

In popular culture

See also

References

External links