Cap’n Crunch (History, Marketing & Commercials

If you love a cereal with a great crunch, you simply can’t go wrong with Cap’n Crunch cereal. It’s known for the delicious crunch packed with flavor and fun. Of course, you get to see the captain on the box and he tests out every flavor for us before we get to it. The captain has been around for as long as I can remember. 

Learn more about Cap’n Crunch below! 

History

This fun cereal started out as simple yellow corn and oat bites in 1963. The bites were crunchy and perfect when you added milk. People even enjoy them dry thanks to the crunch. That was the original and since then, they’ve added both fun and flavors to your bowl of cereal. 

The Cap’n Crunch brand has been operating for close to 60 years now. It is manufactured by Quaker Oats, which many of us know for oatmeal. They’ve always been under the Quaker Oats umbrella and continue to thrive and build on their line. You will find later that there are tons of choices and even seasonal options too. 

Cap’n Crunch cereal is known for creating innovation for the making of the cereal bites. They decided to make these based on an old-time recipe that included butter, rice, and brown sugar. They did so using sweetened corn and oats and a brand new process that hadn’t been used before. 

This design actually created the cereal and then coated it in oil to add the flavor. In order for it to work and still be crunchy, the pieces have to be baked. Cap’n Crunch very well may have been the first cereal company to use this oil flavor and baking process. 

This flavor creation was first made by Pamela Low. She was a flavorist and helped to develop the specific flavor of Cap’n Crunch that we know and love. There are stories from her siblings reminiscing a flavor their grandmother had made for them, leading to this flavor concoction. It clearly worked quite well. 

A lot of the history of creation of the cereal is credited back to Pamela Low, and she was even labeled the “mother of Cap’n Crunch” after she passed away. She was known for her work with this cereal, as well as other satisfying finds like the Almond Joy. 

Without her inspiration, Cap’n Crunch might not be here today. Of course, she was part of a very successful team that backed one another. Thanks to the success of this cereal, Quaker Oats even awarded the leader of the development team with the Fredus N Peters Award because of the ingenuous process of baking with the oil. It took very specific skill for success. 

Success in Marketing

You will find that most companies develop a brand or a product and then figure out their marketing plans and practices. They go through testing and development and marketing is one of their last priorities. You might see some teasers along the way but many times, you won’t know anything until they are ready to make a sale. 

However, Cap’n Crunch and Quaker Oats took a bit of a unique approach to marketing with this cereal. They knew they were creating something new and worthwhile and they actually did things in reverse from what you might expect. They were being innovative in more ways than one! 

They choose the themes, the mascot, and their marketing strategies before they even finished making the cereal. We’re all familiar with the captain himself, which is a cartoon naval captain. He is well-known and has long been a focal point of the cereal. In fact, they almost designed the cereal and name around him. 

They had several different TV commercials that came out through the years. Most of them depicted our good captain on this ship and some of them included his crew mates and his loyal dog. Most of the commercials had a pirate who wanted the cereal cargo on board. 

There is even an apparent story behind the captain. His name was Horatio Magellan Crunch. He sailed the Sea of Milk and his true home was Crunch Island. A well thought out storyline from beginning to end. 

The original slogan of this fun cereal was “it’s got corn for crunch, oats for punch, and it stays crunchy even in milk.” And these descriptors were true. 

The captain’s voice has been depicted by only a couple different people through the years. 

When Was Cap’n Crunch Invented? 

Cap’n Crunch was first invented in 1963. It’s nearing 60 years on the market and has made leaps and bounds in progress from the time it was created. Even the simple yellow crunchy cereal is delightful but some of the other flavors really take the cake. 

From the beginning, this brand was uniquely all about innovation. They did things differently with how they flavored the cereal and how they marketed the cereal. They made a huge change to the market and it’s clearly been filled with success from the get-go. 

Who Owns Cap’n Crunch? 

Ownership of Cap’n Crunch is solely dedicated to Quaker Oats. This company has owned the cereal brand from the beginning and it’s never had to change owners. That being said, the person credited with creating the flavor was Pamela Low. 

She and her brother reminisce to a time that their grandma would use rice, butter, and brown sugar to create a treat that she made. It was a sweet treat, made with simple ingredients and it was something that they loved. 

She took that idea and created a flavor and innovative way of applying the flavor to this sweetened corn and oat cereal. They used oil for the flavor and a special baking process that had not been utilized prior to that time. 

With the full process, they successfully created a crisp and sweet cereal that everyone can enjoy. 

How Did Cap’n Crunch Get its Name? 

Normally, we hear stories about people creating a product and then figuring out a name that fits. That’s really not the case here. As we saw in the marketing success above, they did it differently. 

This cereal had a full marketing plan and name before they ever fully created the cereal. They had ideas for development of the cereal but they tackled their marketing, themes, and the name before the cereal was complete or ready for the market. This is certainly a unique approach. 

Mascot

Logo

Flavor Options

The original cereal is just the simple yellow squares of crunchy deliciousness. However, they have added many flavors through the years that have been successful as well. Some of them are still around while others have gone away. Then, there are seasonal choices too. 

Check out these flavor options. 

• Crunch Berries
• Peanut Butter Crunch
• Punch Crunch (discontinued)
• Choco Crunch
• Chocolatey Crunch (discontinued)
• Christmas Crunch (seasonal)
• Deep Sea Crunch
• Oops! All Berries Crunch
• Galactic Crunch (discontinued)
• Home Run Crunch (seasonal)
• Mystery Volcano Crunch
• Oops! Smashed Berries
• CoZmic Crunch
• Polar Crunch
• Cinnamon Roll Crunch
• Crunch Treasures
• Sprinkled Donut Crunch
• Blueberry Pancake Crunch
• Orange Cream Pop Crunch
• Chocolate Berry Crunch
• Red, White, & Blue Crunch

Not all of these are still available and some of them are limited. But if gives you an idea of the options through the years. 

Ingredients

• Corn Flour
• Sugar
• Oat Flour
• Brown Sugar
• Palm and/or Coconut Oil
• Salt
• Reduced Iron
• Yellow 5
• Niacinamide*
• Yellow 6
• BHT (to preserve freshness)
• Thiamin Mononitrate*
• Pyridoxine Hydrochloride*
• Riboflavin*
• Folic Acid*
• *One of the B Vitamins

Nutrition

Serving Size:	0.8 cup (27g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat	14
Calories	110
Total Fat	1.5g	2%
Saturated Fat	1g	5%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	0.2mg	0%
Total Carbohydrates	23g	8%
Dietary Fiber	1g	4%
Sugars	12g
Protein	1g
Iron		4.9%

• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet.

Pictures

Commercials

Conclusion

Cap’n Crunch has been intuitive and creative from the very beginning. They certainly have an interesting flavor history to learn about. This cereal has so many options and the stories are a lot of fun.