Cheerios is a brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills in the United States, consisting of pulverized oats in the shape of a solid torus. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Cheerios is marketed by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand; in Australia and New Zealand, Cheerios is sold as an Uncle Tobys product. It was first manufactured in 1941 as CheeriOats. History Cheerios was introduced on May 2, 1941, as "Cheerioats". The name was shortened to "Cheerios" on December 2, 1945 after a competing cereal manufacturer, Quaker Oats, claimed to hold the rights to use the term "oats". Cheerios' production was based upon the extrusion process invented for Kix in 1937. The oat flour process starts in Minneapolis before being shipped to factories in Iowa, Georgia and Buffalo, New York. In July 3, 1976, "Cinnamon Nut Cheerios" was the first departure from the original flavor of Cheerios, over 30 years after the cereal was created, the second was "Honey Nut Cheerios", introduced on March 1, 1979. General Mills sold approximately 1.8 million cases of Honey Nut Cheerios in its first year. Since their introduction, Cheerios have become a popular baby food. Generally first fed to children aged 9–12 months, Cheerios serve to help infants transition to eating solid food, as well as develop fine motor skills. Ingredients In January 2014, General Mills announced that it would halt the use of genetically modified ingredients in original Cheerios. However, General Mills notes for Original Cheerios that "trace amounts of genetically modified (also known as 'genetically engineered') material may be present due to potential cross contact during manufacturing and shipping". In February 2015, the company announced that it would be making Cheerios totally gluten-free by removing the traces of wheat, rye, and barley that usually come into contact with the oat supply used to make Cheerios during transportation to the General Mills plant in Buffalo, New York, along Lake Erie. Advertising Many television commercials for Cheerios have targeted children, featuring animated characters (such as a Honeybee). Bullwinkle was featured in early 1960s commercials, with the tag line at the end of the ad being "Go with Cheerios!" followed by Bullwinkle, usually worse for wear due to his Cheerios-inspired bravery somewhat backfiring, saying "...but watch where you're going!" Hoppity Hooper was also featured in ads in the mid-1960s; General Mills was the primary sponsor of his animated program. Cheeri O'Leary This cartoon