Editing Lucky Charms (section)

==History==
Lucky Charms was created in 1964 by product developer John Holahan. General Mills management challenged a team of product developers to use the available manufacturing capacity from either of General Mills' two principal cereal products—[[Wheaties]] or [[Cheerios]]—and do something unique. Holahan came up with the idea after a visit to the grocery store in which he decided to mix Cheerios with bits of Brach's [[circus peanut]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|url= http://www.madison.com/tct/features/index.php?ntid=12034&ntpid=2 |title=The Miracle of Orange Circus Peanuts|date=October 4, 2004|first1=Richard |last1=Hartel |first2= AnnaKate |last2=Hartel|work=[[The Capital Times]]| location=[[Madison, Wisconsin]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929182309/http://www.madison.com/tct/features/index.php?ntid=12034&ntpid=2|archive-date=September 29, 2008}}</ref>

An advertising company employed by General Mills and Company suggested marketing the new cereal around the idea of [[charm bracelet]]s.<ref name="Discover">{{cite journal |title= A Charm's Life - Lucky Charm's cereal (sic) |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_8_20/ai_55248808/pg_1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915100819/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_8_20/ai_55248808/pg_1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-09-15 |journal=Discover Magazine |date=August 1999 |author=Karen Wright}}</ref> Thus, the charms of Lucky Charms were born. Lucky Charms was the first cereal to include marshmallows in the recipe. These pieces are called "marshmallow bits", or "marbits", due to their small size. Marbits were invented by Edward S. Olney and Howard S. Thurmon (U.S. patent number 3,607,309, filed November 1, 1968, and assigned September 9, 1971, for ''"preparation of marshmallow with milk solids"),''<ref>{{Cite web|last=USPTO.report|title=Preparation Of Marshmallow With Milk Solids|url=https://uspto.report/patent/grant/3,607,309|access-date=2020-12-29|website=USPTO.report|language=en|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122030902/https://uspto.report/patent/grant/3,607,309|url-status=live}}</ref> with the patent grant now assigned to Kraftco Corporation.

The mascot of Lucky Charms, created in 1963, is Lucky the Leprechaun, also known as Sir Charms, and originally called L.C. Leprechaun.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hoffman |first=David |date=2005 |title=The Breakfast Cereal Gourmet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FAEPh6937R8C&q=%22l.c.+leprechaun%22&pg=PT69 |page=127 |publisher=Andrew McMeel Publishing |access-date=2014-05-05 |isbn=9780740750298 |quote=the Trix Rabbit, L.C. Leprechaun, and Sonny are registered trademarks of General Mills |archive-date=14 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230714220331/https://books.google.com/books?id=FAEPh6937R8C&q=%22l.c.+leprechaun%22&pg=PT69 |url-status=live }}</ref> The cartoon character's voice was supplied by the late voice actor [[Arthur Anderson (voice actor)|Arthur Anderson]] until 1992.<ref>{{cite book |title=An Actor's Odyssey: Orson Welles to Lucky the Leprechaun |publisher=BearManor Media |first=Arthur |last=Anderson |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59393-522-1 }}</ref> Lucky has also been voiced by [[Eric Bauza]], [[Tex Brashear]], [[Jason Graae]], [[Doug Preis]], and [[Daniel Ross (actor)|Daniel Ross]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/General-Mills/Lucky-the-Leprechaun/|title=VOICES OF Lucky the Leprechaun|access-date=2018-06-20|archive-date=20 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620232302/http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/General-Mills/Lucky-the-Leprechaun/|url-status=live}}</ref>  In 1975, Lucky the Leprechaun was briefly replaced by Waldo the Wizard in New England, while Lucky remained the mascot in the rest of the United States. Envisioned as a forgetful wizard who was kind to children, Waldo initially prevailed in market tests. However, Waldo's creator Alan Snedeker suspects he sealed Waldo's fate by working on TV ads that portrayed a nicer version of Lucky.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.generalmills.com/2014/03/waldo-lucky-charms/|title=Waldo the Wizard: The forgotten Lucky Charms Mascot|access-date=2022-01-13|archive-date=15 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115062613/https://blog.generalmills.com/2014/03/waldo-lucky-charms/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The oat cereal was not originally sugar-coated.  After initial sales failed to meet expectations, the oats were sugar-coated, and the cereal's success grew.  Piggy banks and plastic watches were introduced as cereal box send-away prizes as a marketing tactic to increase sales. The recipe for the cereal remained unchanged until the introduction of a new flavor: Chocolate Lucky Charms, in 2005. Later in 2012, General Mills introduced "Lucky Charms Marshmallow Treats".

Following the product launch, the General Mills marketing department found that sales performed dramatically better if the composition of the marbits changed periodically.<ref name="Discover"/> Various features of the marbits were modified to maximize their appeal to young consumers. Over the years, over 40 limited edition features such as Winter Lucky Charms, Olympic-themed Lucky Charms, and Lucky Charms featuring marshmallow landmarks from around the world were created to drive consumer demands. In focus groups and market research, more brightly colored charms resulted in better sales than did dull or pastel colors.<ref name="Discover"/>  Currently, General Mills conducts "concept-ideation" studies on Lucky Charms.<ref name="Discover"/>

In April 2022, the FDA opened an investigation into whether Lucky Charms was making people ill after receiving reports from over 100 people that it caused nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. A food safety website iwaspoisoned.com separately documented over 3,000 similar complaints from all over the United States and Canada that started trending upward in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/04/18/lucky-charms-fda-sick/ |title=FDA investigating whether Lucky Charms is making people sick |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |author=Taylor Telford |date=April 18, 2022 |access-date=April 26, 2022|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421021012/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/04/18/lucky-charms-fda-sick/|archive-date=April 21, 2022}}</ref>  In September 2022, the FDA said it found no pathogen or cause behind 558 self-reported cases of illness “despite extensive testing for numerous potential microbial and chemical adulterants.” <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fooddive.com/news/fda-closes-investigation-into-reported-illnesses-from-lucky-charms/631572/|title=FDA closes investigation into reported illnesses from Lucky Charms|last=Casey|first=Chris|date=September 12, 2022|work=Food Dive|access-date=March 28, 2023|archive-date=28 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328202922/https://www.fooddive.com/news/fda-closes-investigation-into-reported-illnesses-from-lucky-charms/631572/|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/its-catching/202212/the-great-breakfast-cereal-scare/|title=The Great Breakfast Cereal Scare|last=Bartholomew|first=Robert|date=December 12, 2022|work=Psychology Today|access-date=March 28, 2023|archive-date=14 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230714220305/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/its-catching/202212/the-great-breakfast-cereal-scare|url-status=live}}</ref>