Back in 1959, General Mills played a role as Americans watched a moose and squirrel soar toward earth on a return visit from the moon.   The event wasn't real – it was a cartoon by Alexander Anderson, Jr., who created and drew the original Rocky and Bullwinkle characters for a popular General Mills-sponsored TV show.

Anderson, who died late this year at age 90, and Jay Ward, his producer and childhood friend, created a pilot in the late 1950s for “Rocky the Flying Squirrel,” an animated cartoon featuring both Rocket J. Squirrel and his sidekick, Bullwinkle J. Moose. Anderson was the artistic talent behind both of the lead characters, and when General Mills signed on as the television show sponsor, “Rocky and His Friends” was born. 

When the cartoon made its television debut on ABC on Nov. 19, 1959, viewers watched a moose and squirrel soar toward earth. The two residents of Frostbite Falls, Minn., had been blasted into outer space when the quick-rising moose-berry cake they were baking exploded.

In its first season, "Rocky and His Friends" topped the Nielsen ratings for daytime shows, becoming one of the most well-known television shows sponsored by General Mills.

Subtle, humorous references to General Mills were often woven into the show’s plots. In one story line airing over 12 episodes, Boris Badenov hatched a scheme to counterfeit cereal box tops, since they were “the real basis for the world’s monetary system.”

In 1961, the show joined NBC’s evening lineup. Renamed “The Bullwinkle Show,” the prime time version was produced in color and was the lead-in to “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.” New characters were added to the cast, including the lovable, but bumbling Dudley Do-Right of the Canadian Mounties and his nemesis, Snidely Whiplash.

General Mills even "hired" Bullwinkle as a “spokes-moose” in numerous television ads promoting company products, such as Cheerios, Gold Medal flour, Lucky Charms and Trix.

Although the final new Rocky and Bullwinkle episode ran in 1964, the squirrel and his sidekick have never left the airwaves. Thanks to syndication, a new generation of children is still learning about the crazy capers of the lovable moose and squirrel and their Cold War counterparts, Boris and Natasha.

Inside General Mills