Corn Pops
A sweetened, puffed-corn breakfast cereal brand originating in the United States.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Corn Pops is a sweetened puffed-grain breakfast cereal brand associated with Kellogg's and currently produced by WK Kellogg Co. The cereal was introduced in the United States in 1950 under the name Corn Pops. Its early history was marked by several name changes: in 1951 it became Sugar Corn Pops, later it was marketed as Sugar Pops, and in 1978 it reverted to Sugar Corn Pops. The name Corn Pops returned in 1984, reflecting a broader cereal-industry tendency to remove the word “sugar” from product names for nutritional and marketing reasons. A brief attempt to rename the product Pops in January 2006 was poorly received and was reversed within the same year. The product is made primarily from milled corn that is processed into an expanded, irregular, flattened cereal piece in the United States. Although the name emphasizes corn, the American formula has included wheat starch since 2004, making it technically a multigrain cereal. Coconut oil was also reported in the U.S. ingredient list by 2007. The product’s formulation includes sweeteners, binding agents, and preservatives; historical ingredient information has also noted monoglycerides, diglycerides, and BHT. The cereal has been marketed as trans-fat free under the applicable labeling threshold, despite historical references to partially hydrogenated fats in its ingredients. Corn Pops has differed substantially across national markets. The American cereal has traditionally used smooth, flattened, elliptical pieces, while versions sold in Canada and parts of Europe have consisted of smaller, uniformly spherical, porous pieces. The manufacturer has attributed these differences to local ingredients, regulatory requirements, consumer research, and regional taste preferences. The product’s packaging has also evolved. In the United States, Corn Pops was packaged for many years in a foil-covered paper bag inside the box, a format intended to preserve freshness and reduce clumping caused by the cereal’s processing method. American packaging later shifted toward the standard plastic inner bag used in other markets. Marketing has been central to the brand’s identity. Corn Pops sponsored The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok radio and television program, and its packaging and advertising used a succession of entertainment characters and western-themed mascots. Guy Madison, who played Wild Bill Hickok, appeared on boxes in the 1950s, sometimes alongside the character Jingles. Woody Woodpecker represented the cereal during the early 1960s, followed by Sugar Pop Pete, the Whippersnapper, Big Yella, and Poppy. In the 2000s, the brand introduced the Sweet Toothasaur, a surreal character used in stop-motion advertising, and later featured a live actor in a Corn Pops costume. The brand expanded its product range in the mid-2000s with Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops, its first major line extension in many years, and added Cinnamon Corn Pops in 2012. In the United Kingdom, Corn Pops was introduced in 1993 but was no longer available there by 2004. Its British marketing used a different advertising line and included sponsorship of Take That’s 1994 tour, which was branded The Pops Tour. In 2017, Corn Pops became the subject of a widely discussed criticism of box artwork that depicted a brown-colored anthropomorphic cereal piece as a janitor while other characters engaged in leisure activities. Kellogg's apologized publicly and changed the artwork for later packaging. Corn Pops remains an established cereal brand, although product availability, formulas, package formats, and ownership structures can vary by market and over time.
History
Corn Pops entered the American breakfast-cereal market in 1950. The product’s initial name was Corn Pops, but the brand soon adopted names that emphasized sweetness. In 1951 it became Sugar Corn Pops and was subsequently promoted under the shorter name Sugar Pops. During this period, the cereal developed a strong connection with western and television entertainment. It sponsored The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, and the show’s star Guy Madison appeared on the product’s packaging from 1951 through 1958. Jingles, the program’s sidekick character played by Andy Devine, also appeared occasionally. From 1959 to 1967, Woody Woodpecker served as the cereal’s mascot. The brand then moved through a series of original characters and advertising concepts. Sugar Pop Pete was presented as a cowboy prairie dog, while the Whippersnapper was a live-action, whip-cracking cowboy used from 1968 to 1977. The product name returned to Sugar Corn Pops in 1978. Around 1979 and 1980, Big Yella, a cartoon cowboy dressed almost entirely in yellow, was used in advertising. Poppy, a porcupine carrying a portable breakfast setting, represented the product from 1980 through 1983. In 1984, the cereal returned to the name Corn Pops. The change occurred during a period when many brands reduced or removed the word “sugar” from their names in response to changing consumer expectations and nutritional messaging. The brand retained its sweet flavor profile while presenting a less explicitly sugar-focused identity. In January 2006, the name was shortened again to Pops, but the alteration was not successful and the former Corn Pops name returned after several months. The American cereal is made from milled corn and is processed into expanded pieces. Its U.S. pieces are irregular, smooth, and somewhat flattened, unlike the small spherical pieces sold in Canada and some European markets. The manufacturer has explained that regional versions can differ because of local raw materials, regulation, consumer research, and cultural preferences. The American formulation has included wheat starch since 2004, so the product is not composed solely of corn. By 2007, coconut oil was also listed in the American version. Historical ingredient descriptions mention sweeteners, monoglycerides, diglycerides, and BHT. The product has been labeled trans-fat free when its trans-fat content remained below the applicable per-serving declaration threshold. Packaging was another distinctive feature. For much of its American history, Corn Pops was placed in a foil-covered paper bag inside the carton rather than the conventional plastic cereal liner. This was intended to help preserve freshness and reduce the sticky clumping that could occur because of the cereal’s processing. The Canadian version used a conventional plastic bag earlier, and the American product later adopted that format as well. The brand introduced Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops in mid-2007, representing its first line extension in many years, and launched Cinnamon Corn Pops in 2012. Advertising in the 2000s included the Sweet Toothasaur, a deliberately unusual character featuring an actor’s lower face, a green cap, googly eyes, and red paper horns. Some of the associated stop-motion commercials were made by Screen Novelties. In early 2009, a live performer dressed as a Corn Pops piece became another brand mascot. Outside the United States, Corn Pops has not been completely standardized. Canadian and European versions generally use spherical, porous pieces with a crunchier texture and different flavor characteristics. The cereal reached the United Kingdom in 1993 but was discontinued there by 2004. British advertising used a market-specific slogan, and the product sponsored Take That’s 1994 tour, known as The Pops Tour. In 2017, the brand faced criticism over artwork on the back of a cereal box. The illustration showed anthropomorphic cereal pieces in various settings, but the only brown-colored piece was depicted cleaning a floor. After the image was highlighted publicly by author Saladin Ahmed and attracted widespread online attention, Kellogg's apologized and changed the artwork for subsequent packaging. This episode became the most prominent recent controversy associated with the brand.
- 2017
Packaging artwork changed after criticism
[1]Kellogg's apologized for controversial artwork and changed it on future packaging.
- 2012
Cinnamon Corn Pops launched
[1]A cinnamon-flavored variation joined the product range.
- 2007
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops launched
[1]The brand introduced a chocolate-and-peanut-butter line extension.
- 2006
Short-lived Pops renaming
[1]The name Pops was tested briefly before the Corn Pops name was restored.
- 2004
Wheat starch included in the American formula
[1]The U.S. ingredient list began including wheat starch, making the cereal multigrain in composition.
- 1993
United Kingdom launch
[1]Corn Pops was introduced in the United Kingdom.
- 1984
Corn Pops name restored
[1]The product returned to the shorter Corn Pops name.
- 1978
Name returns to Sugar Corn Pops
[1]The cereal reverted from Sugar Pops to Sugar Corn Pops.
- 1959
Woody Woodpecker becomes mascot
[1]Woody Woodpecker represented the cereal during a major period of its mid-century advertising.
- 1951
Name changed to Sugar Corn Pops
[1]The brand adopted the Sugar Corn Pops name and began its association with The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok.
Products and positioning
A sweet, crunchy, family-oriented breakfast cereal built around puffed corn, playful mascots, nostalgic advertising, and a distinctive American cereal texture.
Breakfast cereal · 1950
Corn Pops
The core product is a sweetened puffed-corn cereal. In the United States it has traditionally consisted of irregular, flattened, smooth elliptical pieces made from milled corn, while Canadian and European versions have generally used smaller, spherical, porous pieces. The differences reflect regional ingredients, processing, regulations, and consumer preferences.
Flavored breakfast cereal · 2007
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops
Introduced in 2007, this was a chocolate-and-peanut-butter extension of the Corn Pops concept. It represented the brand’s first reported line extension in many years.
Flavored breakfast cereal · 2012
Cinnamon Corn Pops
A cinnamon-flavored variation introduced in 2012 as an additional expression of the Corn Pops brand.
Controversies
2017
Controversial Corn Pops box illustration
A box illustration was criticized because the only brown-colored anthropomorphic cereal piece appeared to be working as a janitor while other cereal characters were shown in recreational activities. Kellogg's apologized publicly and changed the artwork.
Marketing campaigns
- 2007Sweet Toothasaur advertising
United States
The brand introduced the Sweet Toothasaur, an eccentric character used in commercials involving stop-motion Corn Pops characters. Screen Novelties produced some of the stop-motion work.
Outcome. Extended the brand’s mascot-based advertising into surreal and character-driven animation.
- 1994The Pops Tour sponsorship
United Kingdom
Corn Pops sponsored Take That’s 1994 tour in the United Kingdom, which was known as The Pops Tour.
Outcome. Linked the cereal to a major contemporary pop-music property in the British market.
- 1951The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok sponsorship
United States
Corn Pops sponsored the Wild Bill Hickok radio and television program. Guy Madison, the show’s star, appeared on cereal packaging, with Jingles also appearing at times.
Outcome. Established an early entertainment-led identity for the cereal.
Brand decisions
2007
Expand into Chocolate Peanut Butter PopsProduct launchBackground
The brand had not introduced a major line extension for many years.
Action taken
A chocolate-and-peanut-butter variant was launched.
Aftermath
The launch broadened the brand beyond its original sweetened-corn format.
2006
Briefly rename the cereal PopsStrategyBackground
The company tested a shorter product name in January 2006.
Action taken
Corn Pops was renamed Pops for several months.
Aftermath
Poor consumer reception led to restoration of the Corn Pops name later in 2006.
1984
Restore the Corn Pops nameStrategyBackground
The cereal had been marketed under Sugar Corn Pops and Sugar Pops during earlier decades, while the industry was increasingly moving away from sugar-focused product names.
Action taken
The brand returned to the shorter Corn Pops name.
Aftermath
Corn Pops became the enduring primary name, apart from the brief Pops experiment in 2006.
Recent events
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