Flutie Flakes is the name of a brand of frosted corn flakes breakfast cereal named for American football quarterback Doug Flutie.
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The brand was created in 1998, after Flutie, then the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, saw his popularity soar because of his scrambling, last quarter heroics and his impressive win-loss record. A large portion of the profits made from sales of Flutie Flakes were donated to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, created in honor of Flutie's autistic son. The goal of the foundation is to create awareness of autism and to seek a cure. The cereal sold over 3 million boxes.
Flutie Flakes remained popular in the region even after Flutie was benched for Rob Johnson.
Three box designs of Flutie Flakes were featured. The first was red and featured Flutie in a Bills uniform; the second blue with a picture of Flutie from his Boston College Eagles days, and after Flutie signed with the San Diego Chargers in 2001, a black, yellow, and white design.
So far no box has featured his CFL uniforms from the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, and Toronto Argonauts, in spite of his three Grey Cup victories.
In 2008, Flutie Flakes were re-introduced for a limited time commemorating the 10-year anniversary.
Controversy
Flutie Flakes became the subject of a minor controversy in January 1999 when after Flutie lost a playoff game against the Miami Dolphins, Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson poured Flutie Flakes on the ground and invited his team to stomp on them; as the product was created to help individuals with autism, Flutie was upset that Johnson would use it in such a manner. Johnson issued a public apology.
Flutie Fruities
Flutie Fruities are a brand of fruit snacks developed during Flutie's 2001 season with the Chargers. Much like the breakfast cereal Flutie Flakes, Flutie Fruities were created to appeal to fans of Flutie's football career, and a large portion of the proceeds went toward the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Both the profits of the cereal and the fruit snacks went right to the organization helping with the cure for autism.