Pep was a brand of whole-wheat

breakfast cereal Cereal, formally termed breakfast cereal (and further categorized as cold cereal or warm cereal), is a traditional breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in ...

produced by the Kellogg Company, and introduced in 1923, which became the first to be fortified with vitamins B and D in 1938. Pep was a long-running rival to Wheaties, and also the sponsor of

Mutual Radio The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...

's '' The Adventures of Superman'' radio series. One of Pep's

advertising slogan Advertising slogans are short phrases used in advertising campaigns to generate publicity and unify a company's marketing strategy. The phrases may be used to attract attention to a distinctive product feature or reinforce a company's brand. Etym ...

s was "the

Sunshine Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...

cereal". Pep became one of the first "

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...

" cereals, with an infusion of vitamins, beginning in the 1930s. Extensive advertising, from print advertisements to sponsorship of '' The Adventures of Superman'' and the television and radio shows of '' Tom Corbett—Space Cadet'' helped keep the brand in the public's (particularly children's) consciousness. Pep was included in "variety packs" of serving-sized boxes of Kellogg's cereals. The cereal's "mildly laxative" property was routinely mentioned in print ads. Pep faded from popularity as public tastes changed, and the brand was discontinued in the late 1970s.

In-package prizes

In 1945, Kellogg inserted a prize in the form of pinback buttons into each box of Pep cereal. Pep pins included U.S. Army squadrons as well as characters from newspaper comics. There were five series of comics characters, with 18 different buttons in each set. This would make 90 buttons in the complete set, but the

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

button appeared in all five sets, because of the close association between Kellogg's Pep and the ''Adventures of Superman'' radio show. This makes a total of 86 unique comic buttons in the set. Mint condition Pep pins, as with prizes from many cereal brands, have become sought-after collectables.

References

Kellog's Pep is shown in The Highwayman.

External links

Kellogg Company History
Products introduced in 1923 1970s disestablishments in the United States Kellogg's cereals {{breakfast-stub