Millenios
Gone, by design. It reached shelves on September 20, 1999, and General Mills' own history says it lasted into early 2000. Y2K nostalgia has never brought it back. The trademark filing spelled it Millennios, with two n's; the US press release used one.
Last verified Nov 1, 2026
Cheerios with a party trick: whole-grain pieces shaped like the number 2 floating among the O's. General Mills planned for it to sell out by New Year's Day, and it barely outlived the century it was named for.
📅 Timeline
- 1997A federal trademark application for the name, spelled Millennios, is filed under serial number 75375571.
- 1999On September 8, General Mills announces Millenios in Times Square, where Dick Clark introduces it as The Official Cereal of the Millennium.
- 1999The cereal reaches stores on September 20 in a 10 3/4-ounce box at $2.49, expected to sell out by January 1, 2000.
- 2000General Mills later said the once-in-a-lifetime cereal was available from late 1999 through early 2000.
❓ People also ask
What was Millenios cereal?
A limited-edition Cheerios: a brown-sugar-sweetened oat and corn cereal mixing the usual O's with crunchy whole-grain pieces shaped like the number 2. The box doubled as a time capsule, with a side panel for millennium predictions.
Why was Millenios discontinued?
It was built to expire. General Mills planned for it to sell out by January 1, 2000, and later described it as available from late 1999 through early 2000.
What happened at the Millenios launch?
Dick Clark hosted a countdown in Times Square that ended with a ball opening to reveal the box. He signed a box for an eBay auction benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters, and General Mills added a $25,000 donation.
🧾 Sources
- MrBreakfast.com, Millenios Cereal (1999)
- General Mills via EIN Presswire, Cheerios Turns 70 (2011)
- Justia Trademarks (USPTO data), MILLENNIOS trademark, serial 75375571 (1997)