Quisp
Encyclopedia
Quisp is a sugar-sweetened breakfast cereal
from the Quaker Oats Company
. It was introduced in 1965 and continued as a mass-market grocery item until the late 1970s. Sometime afterward, the company sold the item sporadically, and upon the rise of the Internet
began selling it primarily online.
Quisp was initially marketed with a sister brand, Quake. Its joint-product television commercials were produced by Jay Ward
, a major producer of animated television series.
by the Quaker Oats Company
and generally advertised together (during the same commercial) with their character mascots competing against each other. The successful ads were cartoon
s created by Jay Ward
, and used some of the same voice actors as Ward's Rocky and Bullwinkle animated series, including Daws Butler
as the voice of Quisp (an alien
) and William Conrad
as the voice of Quake (a miner).
The commercials often asked children to choose which cereal was better, and to compete over taste or premiums. The competition reached its peak in 1972, when a series of commercials asked children to vote for which cereal should remain on the shelves. Quake had a makeover in 1969, slimming down and changing his miner hat for an Australian bush hat and Australian accent, but that was not enough. Quisp was the winner and Quake was discontinued. The character Quake, however, reappeared as a sidekick of an orange kangaroo named Simon in an orange-flavored cereal called Quangaroos. In 1976, Quaker Oats ran another contest, this time asking children to choose between Quisp and Quangaroos. Quisp won again and Quangaroos was discontinued.
Quisp did not outlast its competitors for long. In the late 1970s, Quisp was discontinued due to low sales. It was brought back in the mid 1980s, then again in the 1990s and in 2001, where it was relaunched as the "first Internet
cereal". Consumers were encouraged to visit the Quisp Web site to view animated endings to cartoons on the back of the cereal box. The online Flash animation was produced by John Kricfalusi
and Spümcø, featuring Quisp and his sidekick Quunchy (voiced by Corey Burton
and Matt Danner, respectively).
From then on, Quisp remained in limited distribution, with Quaker Oats distributing the product in "guerrilla displays" that would appear in a store and last until the product sold out. Even in the late 2000s, it could occasionally be found in grocery and discount chains such as Dollar General
, Marc's
and Food Lion
. Through at least summer of 2009, Quaker Oats sold Quisp directly to the public through an online store.
In August 2010, Super Target stores started selling Quisp. The Quisp website featured a graphic stating, "Quisp Has Come Back to Earth! Find him at Super Target." but there was no marketing campaign, only wallpaper graphics, a retro-themed flash cartoon and a t-shirt offer on the cereal box.
As of July 2011, Quisp was back in Target with an offer of three free toys with purchase of 3 Quisp boxes each.
. Quake cereal was produced by the same process and ingredients, but shaped like the letter Q.
Quaker Oats also offers a saucer
-shaped cereal with identical ingredients in its Bagged Cereals line under the name Quaker Sweet Crunch.
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
from the Quaker Oats Company
Quaker Oats Company
The Quaker Oats Company is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by Pepsico since 2001.-History:Quaker Oats was founded in 1901 by the merger of four oat mills:...
. It was introduced in 1965 and continued as a mass-market grocery item until the late 1970s. Sometime afterward, the company sold the item sporadically, and upon the rise of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
began selling it primarily online.
Quisp was initially marketed with a sister brand, Quake. Its joint-product television commercials were produced by Jay Ward
Jay Ward
J Troplong "Jay" Ward was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken...
, a major producer of animated television series.
History
Quisp and the similarly marketed cereal Quake were originally released in 1965 in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the Quaker Oats Company
Quaker Oats Company
The Quaker Oats Company is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by Pepsico since 2001.-History:Quaker Oats was founded in 1901 by the merger of four oat mills:...
and generally advertised together (during the same commercial) with their character mascots competing against each other. The successful ads were cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s created by Jay Ward
Jay Ward
J Troplong "Jay" Ward was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken...
, and used some of the same voice actors as Ward's Rocky and Bullwinkle animated series, including Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
as the voice of Quisp (an alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
) and William Conrad
William Conrad
William Conrad was an American actor, producer and director whose career spanned five decades in radio, film and television....
as the voice of Quake (a miner).
The commercials often asked children to choose which cereal was better, and to compete over taste or premiums. The competition reached its peak in 1972, when a series of commercials asked children to vote for which cereal should remain on the shelves. Quake had a makeover in 1969, slimming down and changing his miner hat for an Australian bush hat and Australian accent, but that was not enough. Quisp was the winner and Quake was discontinued. The character Quake, however, reappeared as a sidekick of an orange kangaroo named Simon in an orange-flavored cereal called Quangaroos. In 1976, Quaker Oats ran another contest, this time asking children to choose between Quisp and Quangaroos. Quisp won again and Quangaroos was discontinued.
Quisp did not outlast its competitors for long. In the late 1970s, Quisp was discontinued due to low sales. It was brought back in the mid 1980s, then again in the 1990s and in 2001, where it was relaunched as the "first Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
cereal". Consumers were encouraged to visit the Quisp Web site to view animated endings to cartoons on the back of the cereal box. The online Flash animation was produced by John Kricfalusi
John Kricfalusi
Michael John Kricfalusi , better known as John K., is a Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, its adults-only spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", The Ripping Friends animated series, and Weekend Pussy Hunt, which was billed as "the world's first interactive web-based...
and Spümcø, featuring Quisp and his sidekick Quunchy (voiced by Corey Burton
Corey Burton
Corey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
and Matt Danner, respectively).
From then on, Quisp remained in limited distribution, with Quaker Oats distributing the product in "guerrilla displays" that would appear in a store and last until the product sold out. Even in the late 2000s, it could occasionally be found in grocery and discount chains such as Dollar General
Dollar General
Dollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
, Marc's
Marc's
Marc's is a discount drugstore-and-grocery chain, with stores in northern and central Ohio. It is owned by Clevelander Marc Glassman, who also owns Xpect Discounts, a six-store chain in western Connecticut....
and Food Lion
Food Lion
Food Lion LLC is an American grocery store company headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina that operates approximately 1,300 supermarkets in 11 Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states as well as Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia under the Food Lion, Harveys Supermarket, Bloom, Bottom Dollar...
. Through at least summer of 2009, Quaker Oats sold Quisp directly to the public through an online store.
In August 2010, Super Target stores started selling Quisp. The Quisp website featured a graphic stating, "Quisp Has Come Back to Earth! Find him at Super Target." but there was no marketing campaign, only wallpaper graphics, a retro-themed flash cartoon and a t-shirt offer on the cereal box.
As of July 2011, Quisp was back in Target with an offer of three free toys with purchase of 3 Quisp boxes each.
Description
Quisp is a baked paste of corn meal and syrup shaped like saucers. The taste is similar to fellow Quaker Oats cereal, Cap'n CrunchCap'n Crunch
Cap'n Crunch is a product line of sweetened corn and oat breakfast cereals introduced in 1963 and manufactured by Quaker Oats Company. Quaker Oats has been a division of PepsiCo since 2001. The product line is heralded by a cartoon mascot named Cap'n Crunch, a sea captain .-Development:Pamela Low,...
. Quake cereal was produced by the same process and ingredients, but shaped like the letter Q.
Quaker Oats also offers a saucer
Saucer
A saucer is a small type of dishware, a plate that is specifically used with and for supporting a cup – a cylindrical cup intended for coffee or a half-sphere teacup for tea. Additionally, the saucer is a distant cousin to the plate. The saucer has a raised centre with a depression sized to fit a...
-shaped cereal with identical ingredients in its Bagged Cereals line under the name Quaker Sweet Crunch.