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54-425: The company underwent numerous acquisitions and mergers throughout its lifetime, starting with by General Mills in 1967, which eventually spun it off alongside Parker Brothers in 1985 as Kenner Parker Toys, Inc. In 1987, Kenner Parker was acquired by Tonka , which in turn was purchased by Hasbro in 1991. Hasbro closed and merged Kenner's offices and products in 2000. The brand was reintroduced by Hasbro in 2010 with

108-547: A "mischaracterization". The change in terms resulted in a massive backlash of protests via consumer groups and social media, and General Mills reverted the terms back to the original content after only a few days. On 12 February 2020, the United Nations published a database of companies doing business related in the West Bank , including East Jerusalem , as well as in the occupied Golan Heights . General Mills

162-448: A fee of around $ 820 million, as part of its strategy to expand in the US natural foods market. In October 2014, General Mills announced plans to cut 700 to 800 jobs, mostly in U.S., in corporate restructuring planned to be completed by the end of 2015. In 2015, citing climate change, General Mills promised to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent over 10 years. In December 2016,

216-562: A few companies to pay a dividend every year since its founding. In the 1930s, General Mills engineer, Thomas R. James, created the puffing gun, which inflated or distorted cereal pieces into puffed-up shapes. This new technology was used in 1937 to create Kix cereal and in 1941 to create Cheerioats (known today as Cheerios). In 1939, General Mills engineer Helmer Anderson created the Anderson sealer. This new device allowed for bags of flour to be sealed with glue instead of just being tied with

270-600: A five-unit restaurant company called Red Lobster and expanded it nationwide. Soon, a division of General Mills titled General Mills Restaurants developed to take charge of the Red Lobster chain. In 1980, General Mills acquired the California-based Good Earth health food restaurant chain. The company eventually converted the restaurants into other chain restaurants they were operating, such as Red Lobster. In 1982, General Mills Restaurants founded

324-529: A flour dust explosion along with five nearby buildings, an event known as the Great Mill Disaster . The ensuing fire led to the death of 18 workers. Construction of a new mill began immediately. Not only was the new mill safer but it also was able to produce a higher quality flour after the old grinding stones were replaced with automatic steel rollers, the first ever used. In 1880, Washburn-Crosby flour brands won gold, silver and bronze medals at

378-506: A major shift in the design approach to action figure toy lines at the time. In previous years, one major approach to producing toy lines was to base them closely on popular, well-known characters from properties like Star Wars , Marvel Comics , or DC Comics. The other major approach was for the toy companies to invent their own original characters and then help produce comic books and cartoons that promoted those exact designs (e.g., Hasbro 's G.I. Joe and Transformers and Mattel's Masters of

432-509: A new Italian-themed restaurant chain called Olive Garden . Another themed restaurant, China Coast , was added before the entire group was spun off to General Mills shareholders in 1995 as Darden Restaurants . During the same decade, General Mills ventured further, starting the General Mills Specialty Retail Group. They acquired two clothing and apparel companies, Talbots and Eddie Bauer . The acquisition

486-606: A pet supplement business, Fera Pets, Inc. On September 12, 2024, General Mills announced that it would sell its North American yogurt division to Groupe Lactalis and Sodiaal. Lacatlis would buy the US brands while Sodiaal would by the Canadian brands which would be completed by 2025. The company has been associated with social media campaigns and education of dieticians promoting the "anti-diet" movement. This activity has been connected with helping to promote some of its own foods, which are high in sugar content. In April 2014,

540-482: A place on the CDP "A List" for both climate change and water security . On May 15, 2021, General Mills announced that it was acquiring Tyson Foods 's pet treat business, including True Chews, Nudges and Top Chews, for $ 1.2 billion. The acquisition was completed on July 7, 2021. In April 2022, there were increasing news reports and complaints that the company's Lucky Charms cereal was somehow making individuals ill, with

594-493: A punch. Furthermore, Kenner was able to commission some of the characters' creators like Jack Kirby for his New Gods characters and George Perez for Cyborg to design the action figures. In 1985, DC Comics named Kenner as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great for its work on the Super Powers Collection. One of the more popular action figure lines in

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648-584: A similar approach with some of their action figure lines, most notably on their 2010 3.75" Spider-Man action figure line as well as some of their 2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra product. In 1998, the Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect line was released but sales were less than expected. The Night Hunter series, the second line of toys based on Chaos Effect , was planned for 1999, but was cancelled due to poor sales. The Jurassic Park series became more of an annoyance to Hasbro rather than

702-583: A string. In 1956, General Mills created the tear-strip for easily opening packages. In 1946, General Mills established their Aeronautical Research Division with chief engineer Otto C. Winzen . This division developed high altitude balloons in conjunction with the United States Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR), such as the Skyhook balloon . In 1956, hundreds of General Mills balloons carrying reconnaissance equipment were launched by

756-651: A trademark brand name. Due to this, the overproduction of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace toys, coupled with low sales, forced Hasbro to downsize by getting rid of the Kenner department in Cincinnati. 100 people were transferred and 420 were laid off. Among these 420 was the Jurassic Park design team (which also designed Batman among other toy lines), who had just started the very early concepts for Jurassic Park III . Because of this, Hasbro assigned

810-399: A variety of housewares products featured in the widely distributed Betty Crocker catalog. The coupons and the catalog were discontinued by the company in 2006. General Mills became the sponsor of the popular radio show The Lone Ranger in 1941. The show was then brought to television, and, after 20 years, their sponsorship came to an end in 1961. Beginning in 1959, General Mills sponsored

864-835: Is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis , the company originally gained fame for being a large flour miller . It is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota , a suburb of Minneapolis . Today, the company markets many well-known North American brands, including Gold Medal flour, Annie's Homegrown , Lärabar , Cascadian Farm, Betty Crocker , Yoplait , Nature Valley , Totino's , Pillsbury , Old El Paso , Häagen-Dazs , as well as breakfast cereals under

918-401: Is composed of new highly pose-able figures, with screen-accurate likenesses. Hasbro had done this twice before, with the 2004 "vintage" Original Trilogy Collection and the 2006–2007 "vintage" Saga Collection but this is the first time that their Star Wars line was entirely dedicated to replica Kenner carded figures. Ice Bird with 5 flavor packets General Mills General Mills, Inc.

972-430: Is possible if conditions are unsanitary. On May 12, 2022, General Mills announced that it was acquiring TNT Crust, a supplier of frozen pizza crusts, from Peak Rock Capital. On May 25, 2022, General Mills announced that it was selling its Hamburger Helper and Suddenly Salad businesses to Eagle Family Foods Group for $ 610 million. The sale was completed on July 5, 2022. On November 9, 2023, General Mills acquired

1026-507: The Dennis the Menace animated series based on the comic strip of the same name created by Hank Ketcham in 1986. From 1997 until May 31, 2004, General Mills sponsored and syndicated the first 82 episodes of the original Sailor Moon English dub (the remaining 17 of 82 episodes premiered on Cartoon Network 's programming block Toonami in 1998). The first venture General Mills took into

1080-793: The Rocky and His Friends television series , later known as The Bullwinkle Show . Until 1968, Rocky and Bullwinkle were featured in a variety of advertisements for General Mills. General Mills was also a sponsor of the Saturday-morning cartoons from the Total Television productions studio, including Tennessee Tuxedo . The company also was a sponsor of the ABC western series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp , starring Hugh O'Brian . The company, along with its subsidiary The Program Exchange , backed DiC Entertainment in syndicating

1134-466: The Mego Corporation rejected it in 1976, Kenner popularized the 3.75 inch action figure that became an industry standard. Kenner also produced toys related to the popular 1970s TV series The Six Million Dollar Man and the 1979 sci-fi movie Alien . In 1981, Kenner belatedly entered the diecast toy car market, with a short-lived range called Fast 111's. The 1980s also saw the release of

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1188-551: The Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota . Cadwallader C. Washburn acquired the company shortly after its founding and hired his brother William D. Washburn to assist in the company's development. In 1866 the Washburns got into the business themselves, building the Washburn "B" Mill at the falls. At the time, the building was considered to be so large and output so vast that it could not possibly sustain itself. However,

1242-592: The "Fashion Star Fillies" line of model horses , a product discontinued by the end of the decade. One of Kenner's most highly acclaimed lines was the Super Powers Collection , produced from 1984 to 1986. These action figures were based on the famed superheroes of DC Comics . What made the line so successful was that the characters were modeled almost exactly from the style guide of the company; and also, each character performed some "action." For example, if Superman 's legs are squeezed, he would throw

1296-461: The Foot , Fruit Gushers , Fruit Roll-Ups , and Fruit Shapes. Fifty Who Made DC Great Fifty Who Made DC Great is a one-shot published by DC Comics to commemorate the company's 50th anniversary in 1985. It was published in comic book format but contained text articles with photographs and background caricatures . As explained by DC's then-President and Publisher Jenette Kahn ,

1350-554: The General Mills name, including Cheerios , Wheaties , Chex , Lucky Charms , Trix , Cocoa Puffs and Count Chocula and the other monster cereals . The company can trace its history to the Minneapolis Milling Company , incorporated in 1856. The company was founded by Illinois Congressman Robert Smith , who leased power rights to flour mills operating along the west side of Saint Anthony Falls on

1404-796: The Give-a-Show projector in 1959, the Easy-Bake Oven in 1963, the Electric Mold Master also in 1963, the Spirograph drawing toy in 1966, and the Starting Lineup sports action figure collectible line in 1988. Kenner Products obtained the rights to produce Star Wars action figures and playsets for the Star Wars trilogy from 1976 through 1985. After Kenner acquired the license to produce Star Wars toys when

1458-655: The Millers' International Exhibition in Cincinnati , causing them to launch the Gold Medal flour brand. In 1924, the company acquired a failing Twin Cities radio station, WLAG , renaming it WCCO (from Washburn-Crosby Company). General Mills itself was created on June 20, 1928, when Washburn-Crosby President James Ford Bell merged Washburn-Crosby with three other mills. In the same year, General Mills acquired

1512-815: The United States government under Project Genetrix to surveil Eastern bloc countries, in particular their nuclear capabilities. The aeronautical work of General Mills done around the time of the Second World War was continued by Raven Industries . The General Mills Electronics division developed the DSV Alvin submersible, which is notable for being used in investigating the wreck of Titanic among other deep-sea exploration missions. Beginning in 1929, General Mills products contained box top coupons, known as Betty Crocker coupons, with varying point values, which were redeemable for discounts on

1566-535: The Universe ). In a departure from this, Kenner did not have any arrangement to incorporate their new concepts and designs into The Real Ghostbusters cartoons or comic books. This looser approach to the source material of licensed toy lines continued with Kenner's Dark Knight Collection, launched in 1990 and the first of their numerous lines based on the Batman character. This initial set was created to capitalize on

1620-547: The Wichita Mill and Elevator Company of the industrialist Frank Kell of Wichita Falls , Texas . With the sale, Kell acquired cash plus stock in the corporation. Shares of the new company's stock were first sold on the New York Stock Exchange on November 30, 1928, at $ 65 per share. The newly merged company paid a dividend in 1928 and has continued the dividend uninterrupted ever since – one of only

1674-595: The business but it was floated on the stock exchange with General Mills's shareholders getting equivalent shares in Kenner Parker. This was more tax efficient for General Mills. In 1990, a joint venture with Nestlé S.A. called Cereal Partners was formed which markets cereals (including many existing General Mills cereal brands) outside the US and Canada under the Nestlé name. In 2001, the company purchased Pillsbury (sans Burger King ) from Diageo , although it

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1728-521: The character names and likenesses were typically drawn from the source material. This design approach to the DC Comics toy lines was continued to a large extent by Mattel when they took over the DC Comics license and produced lines based on the movies Batman Begins , The Dark Knight and Superman Returns as well as the Justice League cartoons. Hasbro, Kenner's eventual buyer, has taken

1782-580: The company announced it would be restructuring, splitting into four business groups based on global region, and cutting as many as 600 jobs. In February 2018, the company entered into the pet products industry, paying $ 8 billion to buy Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc. As of 2018, the company ranked 182nd on the Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by revenue. Having launched its first regenerative agriculture pilot program in March 2019,

1836-466: The company announced that it had changed its legal terms on its website to introduce an arbitration clause requiring all disputes with General Mills to be resolved in small claims court or arbitration and not as a participant in a class action . The change was made shortly after a judge's March 26, 2014, denial of a motion to dismiss a class action regarding the marketing of the company's Nature Valley brand products. Users would be deemed to accept

1890-404: The company has plans to improve soil health on 1 million acres of farmland by 2030 and has formed a partnership with Regrow Agriculture, a software and data analysis company that uses satellite imagery , weather data , and soil data to measure carbon sequestration in soil . In February 2020, General Mills was recognized by CDP as a global leader in corporate sustainability and received

1944-483: The company succeeded, and in 1874 he built the even bigger Washburn "A" Mill . In 1877, the mill entered a partnership with John Crosby to form the Washburn-Crosby Company , producing winter wheat flour. That same year Washburn sent William Hood Dunwoody to England to open the market for spring wheat. Dunwoody was successful and became a silent partner. In 1878, the "A" mill was destroyed in

1998-465: The early 1960s, Kenner introduced its corporate mascot, The Kenner Gooney Bird, which would be used in both its company logo ( "It's Kenner! It's fun!" ) and TV ads, in both animated form and puppetry. One commercial was produced by Muppets creator Jim Henson and featured a puppet that would later become the Sesame Street character Little Bird . The Bird was phased out by 1974. The company

2052-465: The existing source material. Instead, new, original costumes, weapons and ghost characters were designed by Kenner, many of them centered on unique action features, similar to those popularized by Mattel 's competing Masters of the Universe toy line as well as Kenner's earlier Super Powers toy line. This idea of basing a toy line on well-known characters but then coming up with original designs that were not based on any published storylines represented

2106-420: The late 1980s was Kenner's The Real Ghostbusters , based on the 1986-1991 animated series adaptation of the 1984 feature film Ghostbusters . The toy line debuted the same year as the cartoon and continued production through most of its run. Although the initial releases accurately resembled The Real Ghostbusters cartoon designs, unlike Super Powers, the toy line very soon stopped attempting to be faithful to

2160-458: The most common complaints being gastrointestinal in nature, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The episodes have not yet resulted in a company- or FDA-initiated recall; an FDA spokesperson said they were investigating approximately 100 reports. These reports came as norovirus was circulating in some areas of the U.S. It is relatively rare for cereals, as opposed to other foods, to be contaminated by microbes, because they must be baked, although it

2214-776: The phenomenal success of the cinematic version of the character, releasing vehicles (such as the Batmobile or Batplane ) inspired on the highly successful 1989 film . Kenner also made vehicles from the Batman Forever movie (1995). Later toy lines expanded beyond the movie series and took inspiration from Batman's animated series and comic book incarnations. Kenner went on to develop lines centered on Superman and other DC Comics characters as well. As with The Real Ghostbusters , most of these DC Comics lines incorporated multi-colored costumes, weapons and action features which were not based directly on any existing storylines, although

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2268-400: The profiles were of "fifty people and companies who have helped make DC Comics great. [W]e have chosen representatives from those who have pioneered new territory and who, by doing so, have shaped our past or our future". The articles were written by Barry Marx, Thomas Hill, and Joey Cavalieri and caricatures were provided by Steven Petruccio. Barry Marx was also the book's editor. Neal Pozner

2322-429: The release of Star Wars : The Vintage Collection . Kenner was founded in 1946 in Cincinnati , Ohio, by brothers Albert, Philip and Joseph L. Steiner. The company was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, just north of Cincinnati Union Terminal . It was a pioneer in the use of television advertisement for the marketing of merchandise across the United States, beginning in 1958. In

2376-455: The so-called Anti-Monopoly game of an economics professor infringed their trademark. The dispute extended up to the U.S. Supreme Court , which ruled against them, saying that while they have exclusive rights to the game Monopoly , they cannot prevent others from using the word " monopoly " in the name of a game. In 1985, General Mills's toy division was separated from its parent as Kenner Parker Toys, Inc. There were many potential acquirers of

2430-518: The terms by interacting with General Mills on its website in various ways, such as downloading coupons, subscribing to newsletters, or participating in Internet forums hosted on the website. The New York Times stated that the agreement could be interpreted to additionally construe purchasing General Mills products at a grocery store or liking the company's Facebook page as assent to the terms; General Mills disclaimed that interpretation, calling it

2484-514: The toy industry was in 1965. The company bought Rainbow Crafts , which was the manufacturer of Play-Doh . General Mills's purchase of the company was significant because it brought production costs down and tripled the revenue. In 1967, General Mills bought the Kenner toy company. General Mills came out with their "monster cereals" in the 1970s. The cereals are now produced and sold seasonally around Halloween . In 1970, General Mills acquired

2538-474: The toys from Jurassic Park III to their Star Wars design team, who scaled the humans to be in size with Star Wars figures and made the style of the toys similar to the ones from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones . In 2010, Hasbro began releasing modern Star Wars action figures with packaging reminiscent of the original Kenner 1978–1984 Star Wars product line. Star Wars: The Vintage Collection

2592-767: Was listed on the database on account of the activities of its subsidiary General Mills Israel in Israeli settlements in these occupied territories, which some have argued is illegal under international law . General Mills's breakfast cereals include: Some brands are marketed outside the US and Canada by the Cereal Partners joint venture using the Nestlé brand. General Mills' past and current cereal collaborations include: General Mills cereals no longer manufactured include: The company's baking-goods brands include: It also produces fruit snacks , including Fruit by

2646-572: Was officially described as a "merger". Since 2004, General Mills has been producing more products targeted to the growing ranks of health-conscious consumers. The company has chosen to switch its entire breakfast cereal line to whole grain . The company also started manufacturing their child-targeted cereals with less sugar. General Mills has reduced the level of sugar in all cereals advertised to children to 11 grams per serving. In April 2011, General Mills announced that it will switch all 1 million eggs it uses each year to cage-free. General Mills

2700-448: Was purchased by General Mills in 1967. In 1971, General Mills merged its Rainbow Crafts division into Kenner, bringing Play-Doh into the Kenner product line. In 1985, General Mills would spin-off both its Kenner and Parker Brothers toy divisions to form Kenner Parker Toys, Inc. The following year Kenner Parker sold off its Lionel Trains division. Kenner Parker was acquired by Tonka in 1987. Under Tonka management, Kenner Products

2754-627: Was ranked #181 on the 2012 Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations, 161 in 2015 and was the third-largest food consumer products company in the United States. During June 2012, the company's vice-president for diversity stated that General Mills opposes a Minnesota amendment banning gay marriage, stating that the company values "inclusion". The company received positive feedback for its stand which might attract people to its global workforce. The company announced in September 2014 that it would acquire organic food producer Annie's Inc. for

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2808-469: Was reconstituted as a division. Tonka (including Kenner) was purchased by the toy company Hasbro in mid-1991. Hasbro closed the Cincinnati offices of Kenner in 2000, and Kenner's product lines were merged into Hasbro's. One of Kenner's original products was the "Bubble-Matic," a toy gun that blew bubbles. An "updated" version was available at least as late as the mid-1960s. Kenner introduced its popular Girder and Panel building sets construction toy in 1957,

2862-493: Was short-lived. Talbots was purchased by a Japanese company, then known as JUSCO , and the Spiegel company purchased Bauer. Spiegel later declared bankruptcy, yet Bauer still remains, albeit in a smaller presence in the United States today. From 1976 to 1985, General Mills went to court as the parent company of Parker Brothers , which held the rights on the brand name and gaming idea of the board game Monopoly , claiming that

2916-630: Was the design director. The cover art , featuring Clark Kent holding the "DC Bullet", was drawn by Curt Swan , Murphy Anderson , and Arne Starr. Brief statements made by several prominent individuals were included as "Celebrity Reminiscences". These included comments by Daniel P. Moynihan , Richard Corben , Ray Bradbury , Gloria Steinem , Mort Walker , Milton Glaser , Walter Koenig , Gene Siskel , Stephen King , Gene Simmons , Jim Henson , David L. Wolper , Stan Lee , Susan Stamberg , Roger Ebert , Brooke Shields , Carol Bellamy , and Whoopi Goldberg . Fifty Who Made DC Great has been used as

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