Year 2000 Cereal Hits Shelves

MINNEAPOLIS, Posted 9:26 a.m. September 9, 1999 -- Forget Cheerios, try Millenios.

General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, has gotten into the millennium spirit by creating a new cereal.

It will feature brown-sugar sweetened, whole grain oat and corn cereal in the shapes of 2s and 0s. It was unveiled Wednesday in New York.

If you are wondering how this idea came about, Mark Addicks, vice president, Cheerios Cereal Division, says it was the perfect way for General Mills to share in the millennium celebration.

The new millenium begins Jan. 1, 2001.

"Cheerios has been a household name for almost 60 years," said Addicks. "We wanted to create a product that not only celebrated this unique, once-in-a-lifetime event, but also had a special connection to Americans of all ages."

The Millenios box will feature a time capsule activity set on the back and side panel of the box. Each box will include a series of predictions and time-capsule ideas for families to answer and/or include in their Millenios time capsule.

The company will also offer cereal boxes autographed by celebrities. If you want one of these, they will be available on ebay.com

The auctions will begin Sept. 8 and run through October. The proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters, a mentoring organization.

If you just want to get your hands on a box without an autograph, the cereal will be available for consumers in grocery stores for a limited time beginning Sept. 20.

From Our Archives:

• Sept. 8, 1999: Don't Believe The Hype: The Millenium Begins...
• Aug. 30, 1999: Dick Clark To Pitch 'Millenios' Cereal