On February 11, 1997, General Mills, the makers of Wheaties, unveiled three new Jackie Robinson cereal boxes to be sold in stores nationwide. It was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer breaking MLB’s color barrier.
Robinson became the first athlete to simultaneously be featured on all three varieties of Wheaties: Original Wheaties, Honey Frosted Wheaties and Crispy Wheaties ‘n’ Raisins.
The Wheaties box is a symbol of athletic achievement, and there were only a handful of MLB stars who graced the cover before Robinson. Lou Gehrig was the first baseball player to be featured on the box in 1934, and he was followed by the likes of Jimmie Foxx and Dizzy Dean.
Leo Durocher became the first Dodgers player to appear on the Wheaties box in 1939, and Roy Campanella was the first Black athlete to be featured 13 years later. Prior to being chosen for the honor, Robinson appeared in advertisements for Wheaties in 1950.
Robinson spent the entirety of his 10-year career with the Dodgers, batting .311/.409/.474 with 137 home runs, 273 triples, 734 RBIs and 197 stolen bases. He ranks ninth on the Dodgers’ all-time batting average leaders list, and 13th all-time in doubles and stolen bases.
The Pasadena, Calif., native was a six-time All-Star and part of the 1955 Dodgers World Series championship team. Robinson had his No. 42 jersey retired by the organization on June 4, 1972, and five years later his iconic No. 42 was retired throughout Major League Baseball.
Jackie Robinson among top merchandise sales for 2022 season
The Dodgers collectively were among the top merchandise sales on Lids during the 2022 season as they ranked second overall behind only the New York Yankees.
As for individual MLB jersey sales, Mookie Betts topped Lids’ rankings. Also making the top-10 was a Robinson throwback jersey at No. 5, and Cody Bellinger checked in at seventh.
The 2022 season marked the 75th anniversary of Robinson breaking the MLB color barrier, and he was honored prior to the Dodgers’ matchup against the Cincinnati Reds on April 15.
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