Maypo

Maypo is an American brand of hot cereals whose best-known product is maple-flavored oatmeal. The brand was developed by the Maltex Corporation in Burlington, Vermont, and first marketed in 1951. Maltex traced its corporate origins to the Malted Cereals Company, which had produced wheat- and barley-based cereal products since 1899. Maypo therefore emerged from an established cereal business rather than from a newly created standalone food company. The brand became particularly notable for its advertising. In 1956, the Fletcher, Richards, Calkins & Holden agency developed the “I Want My Maypo” campaign, built around the animated child character Marky Maypo. The animation was created by Emery Hawkins and produced through the studio associated with animator and filmmaker John Hubley. The campaign used a child’s emphatic demand for the cereal as its central device and became one of the more recognizable examples of mid-century American television food advertising. Reported sales gains averaged 78 percent after the commercial’s introduction, with some markets recording increases as high as 186 percent. Maypo’s advertising identity later expanded beyond the animated Marky Maypo character. Television commercials featured well-known athletes, including Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, and Johnny Unitas, repeating the brand’s signature line. This approach connected the children’s breakfast product with celebrity endorsement while preserving the slogan that had become central to Maypo’s public identity. The brand changed corporate hands several times. Maltex was sold in 1956 and became a division of Heublein. By the middle of the 1960s, Maltex’s market share had declined, and the business was sold to American Home Products. In 2001, Homestat Farm, Ltd. purchased Maypo. Under Homestat Farm, the Maypo name has continued to be associated with hot cereals, with multiple flavors offered under the brand rather than only the original maple profile. Maypo’s cultural influence extended beyond the grocery category. The slogan and visual idea behind “I Want My Maypo” were cited as an influence on MTV’s 1982 “I Want My MTV!” campaign; both campaigns were associated with advertising creative George Lois. The brand has also appeared as a period-cultural reference in entertainment. A Maypo commercial is visible on a television within the 1999 animated film The Iron Giant, although the commercial was replaced in the film’s 2015 Signature Edition with an advertisement for Disney’s Tomorrowland attraction. Maypo is best understood as a heritage American breakfast brand whose importance rests on both its cereal products and its advertising legacy. Its present-day business scope, production facilities, detailed distribution footprint, and current product lineup are not fully documented in the supplied reference material.

Maypo was created by the Maltex Corporation, a cereal manufacturer based in Burlington, Vermont. Maltex developed from the Malted Cereals Company, which had been making wheat and barley cereals since 1899. The Maypo brand was introduced in 1951, initially centered on a maple-flavored oatmeal product. Its launch placed the brand within the expanding American market for convenient packaged hot breakfasts. The brand’s most important early turning point came in 1956, when its “I Want My Maypo” television campaign was introduced. The campaign was developed by the Fletcher, Richards, Calkins & Holden Advertising Agency. Animator Emery Hawkins created the animation, which was produced through John Hubley’s studio. The commercials focused on Marky Maypo, a child character whose enthusiastic demand for the cereal provided the campaign’s memorable verbal hook. According to the brand’s historical account, sales rose by an average of 78 percent after the campaign appeared, while some local markets reported gains of 186 percent. The advertising made Maypo unusually prominent for a packaged cereal brand of its size. Later commercials used sports celebrities such as Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, and Johnny Unitas, who repeated the “I want my Maypo!” line. These advertisements broadened the campaign’s appeal while retaining its child-centered product message. The slogan became sufficiently recognizable to influence later advertising: MTV’s 1982 “I Want My MTV!” campaign and branding concept were based on the earlier Maypo phrase, with George Lois associated with both campaigns. Maypo’s corporate ownership changed during a period when its market position weakened. In 1956, shortly after the brand’s development, Maltex was sold and became a division of Heublein. By the mid-1960s, Maltex’s market share had declined, and the business was sold to American Home Products. The available historical material does not provide a complete account of Maypo’s operations under either owner, including manufacturing arrangements, distribution figures, or detailed product changes. In 2001, Homestat Farm, Ltd. purchased Maypo. The brand subsequently continued under Homestat Farm ownership, with the Maypo name used for hot cereals in several flavors. The original maple association remained central to the brand’s identity, although the product range was no longer limited to one flavor. Maypo has also persisted as a cultural artifact of American television advertising. A Maypo commercial appears on a television screen in the 1999 animated film The Iron Giant, where it functions as a period detail. In the 2015 Signature Edition of the film, that commercial was replaced by an advertisement for Disney’s Tomorrowland attraction. These appearances reflect the continuing recognition of the Maypo advertising style and slogan even when the brand itself occupies a smaller role in the breakfast market than it did during the peak of its mid-century television visibility. The documented history presents Maypo as an active heritage food brand with roots in a nineteenth-century cereal manufacturer, a 1951 market introduction, a highly successful 1950s advertising campaign, several changes in ownership, and continuing operation under Homestat Farm. Current headquarters, manufacturing sites, sales figures, and detailed international markets are not established by the supplied sources.

• 2015

  Maypo commercial is replaced in The Iron Giant Signature Edition

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  The Maypo advertisement used in the 1999 film is replaced in the 2015 Signature Edition by a Tomorrowland advertisement.

• 2001

  Homestat Farm acquires Maypo

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  Homestat Farm, Ltd. purchases the Maypo brand.

• 1999

  Maypo appears in The Iron Giant

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  A Maypo commercial is shown on a television within the animated film The Iron Giant.

• 1982

  Maypo slogan influences MTV branding

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  MTV’s “I Want My MTV!” campaign draws on the earlier “I Want My Maypo!” advertising concept.

• 1965

  Maltex is sold to American Home Products

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  After a reported decline in market share by the middle of the 1960s, Maltex changes ownership again.

• 1956

  Marky Maypo campaign launches

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  The “I Want My Maypo” television campaign establishes Marky Maypo and the slogan that become the brand’s signature.

• 1956

  Maltex joins Heublein

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  Maltex is sold and operates as a division of Heublein.

• 1951

  Maypo enters the market

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  Maltex Corporation introduces Maypo as a maple-flavored hot oatmeal brand.

• 1899

  Malted Cereals Company begins cereal production

  [1]Maypoen.wikipedia.org

  The business that later developed into Maltex is associated with cereal manufacturing under the Malted Cereals Company name.

A heritage American hot-cereal brand associated with warm breakfast foods, maple flavor, family consumption, and nostalgic mid-century advertising.

• Hot cereal · 1951

  Original Maypo

  The original Maypo product was a maple-flavored oatmeal introduced in 1951. Its maple profile became closely associated with the brand and formed the product basis for the advertising campaign built around Marky Maypo and the line “I Want My Maypo.”

• Hot cereal

  Maypo flavored hot cereals

  The Maypo name has been used for a broader selection of hot cereals and flavors beyond the original maple formulation. The supplied reference material confirms the existence of multiple flavors but does not provide a complete current flavor list or detailed specifications.

• 1982I Want My MTV

  United States

  MTV used a slogan and campaign concept modeled on Maypo’s earlier “I Want My Maypo” advertising. George Lois was associated with the development of both campaigns.

  Outcome. The adaptation helped preserve Maypo’s advertising phrase as a reference point in the history of American television branding.

  Source
• 1956I Want My Maypo

  United States

  The campaign used animated child character Marky Maypo to dramatize a child’s demand for the cereal. Developed by Fletcher, Richards, Calkins & Holden, animated by Emery Hawkins, and produced through John Hubley’s studio, the campaign reportedly increased sales by 78 percent on average, with some markets rising by 186 percent.

  Outcome. The slogan became Maypo’s defining advertising asset and remained recognizable through later celebrity-led commercials and references in popular culture.

  Source
• 1950Maypo athlete endorsements

  United States

  Later Maypo television advertising featured athletes including Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, and Johnny Unitas repeating the brand’s signature demand.

  Outcome. The endorsements extended the reach of the slogan while linking the child-oriented cereal brand with prominent American sports figures.

  Source

• 2001

  Transfer ownership to Homestat FarmM&A

  Background

  Maypo had previously passed through ownership by Heublein and American Home Products.

  Action taken

  Homestat Farm, Ltd. purchased the Maypo brand.

  Aftermath

  Maypo continued as a Homestat Farm hot-cereal brand with multiple flavors associated with the name.

  Source

• 1956

  Adopt character-led television advertisingStrategy

  Background

  Maypo sought to build consumer recognition for a children’s breakfast product in the growing medium of television.

  Action taken

  The brand introduced the Marky Maypo campaign centered on the phrase “I Want My Maypo.”

  Aftermath

  Reported sales increased substantially, and the slogan became the brand’s principal long-term marketing asset.

  Source

• 1951

  Launch Maypo as a maple-flavored hot cerealProduct launch

  Background

  Maltex Corporation developed a new branded product within its established wheat and barley cereal business.

  Action taken

  The company introduced Maypo to the American market as maple-flavored oatmeal.

  Aftermath

  The product became the foundation for a broader Maypo hot-cereal brand and its later advertising identity.

  Source

1. 1Maypoen.wikipedia.org