Shredded-Wheat Cereal's Popularity 'Krumbles'

Dennis Dunn of Lafayette, Ind., writes: "Whatever happened to Krumbles cereal?"

Though Kellogg's Corn Flakes are, to this day, the Methuselah of breakfast cereals, they had a close competitor until the mid-1970s in Kellogg's Krumbles cereal. Krumbles was one of Kellogg's most popular cereal brands for half a century, according to Connie Pendleton, a communications specialist at Kellogg's USA in Battle Creek, Mich. They first hit the market in 1912 and were one of Kellogg's bestsellers for the next several decades. But in the mid-1960s, Krumbles' popularity took a sharp downturn, and the cross-generational breakfast favorite was discontinued in 1973.

So what happened to Krumbles? Was the sensible shredded wheat cereal edged out by Froot Loops? Ms. Pendleton says the market research didn't track the reasons behind the fall of Krumbles. But she and other Kellogg's representatives say the company sells similar brands today. In order to satisfy nostalgia for Krumbles, Kellogg's offers All-Bran and Frosted Mini-Wheats, which are biscuits made of shredded wheat with frosting on them. They approximate the taste, if not the texture, of Krumbles, which were free-floating shreds of frosted wheat.