Apple Jacks is a brand of cereal produced by Kellogg's and targeted mainly at children. It was introduced to the U.S. as "Apple O's" in 1965 after being invented by William Thilly who is currently a professor at MIT. In 1971 the name "Apple Jax" was put into action by advertisers. The product is described by Kellogg's as a "crunchy, sweetened multi-grain cereal with apple and cinnamon." Apple Jacks is one of the top four cereal brands marketed within stores and is most heavily marketed on Kellogg's internet platform.
Originally, the Apple Jacks were only orange and O-shaped, until 1998 when the green O-shapes were added to the cereals. In a marketing promotion in December 2003, the green pieces changed their shape to X's for a few months. More recently, Apple Jacks has introduced New Apple Jacks 'Crashers' – a unique cereal piece that replicates a mid-2007 advertising execution when mascots Bad Apple and CinnaMon were accidentally fused together. The latest (limited) edition, in 2010, are Apple Clones, with red pieces shaped like apples. In 2001, Apple Jacks was brought to Canada in a Limited Edition box.