Kellogg's Baseball School

White button with illustrations of red stitches like a baseball with red text on top and green text in the middle and an illustration of a box of cereal

Between 1937 and 1938, Kellogg’s ran a series of free baseball instruction “schools” in major US cities to compete with General Mills’ Wheaties endorsement of major league players in the 1930’s. This was accompanied by baseball tips featured on their Corn Flakes cereal, which offered advice on techniques and positions. In 1937, Kellogg’s obtained copyright for the term Kellogg’s Baseball School and ran their first trial in Chicago, with over 40,000 children participating over a ten-week period across various playgrounds in the city. The playoff champion game attracted 20,000 people in audience alone. In 1938, the schools expanded to include the cities of Boston, Detroit, and Philadelphia. The instructor roster also expanded to include the likes of former managers and players such as Connie Mack, Jack Coombs, John Barker, and Ira Thomas. Although the schools only ran between 1937 and 1938, the promotional stunt proved to be very successful, as evident in its popularity and attendance.