[4] In the early 1960s, Kellogg's biggest competitor, Post, invented a process for dehydrating food and enclosing it in foil to keep it fresh.

[7][8] Initially called Fruit Scones, the name was soon changed to Pop-Tarts as a pun on the then popular Pop Art movement.

[10] The first shipment of Pop-Tarts to stores sold out in two weeks, and Kellogg's ran advertisements apologizing for the empty shelves.

[citation needed] As of 2024, there are over 24 standard Pop-Tart flavors, including hot fudge sundae, s'mores, raspberry, and grape.

[14] Pop Tart's core flavors have been unchanged for over 50 years and include favorites such as frosted strawberry and brown sugar cinnamon.

Some examples include Pumpkin Pie,[24] released every Fall since 2011,[citation needed] and Red White and Blueberry,[25] brought back every summer since 2012.

[35] In June 2021, Jerry Seinfeld announced he would write, direct, produce, and star in a fictionalized re-telling about the creation of Pop-Tarts.

The character, voiced by actor William Schallert in TV and radio ads, enjoyed a popular merchandising run.

[43] Characters that appeared often were a singing lizard and a group of children, dubbed "crazy-good kids", who commonly frightened the Pop-Tarts and caused them to be eaten or chased away.

[44] In 2006, the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, prompted by a customer complaint, "recommended that Kellogg modify packaging, eliminate the phrase 'made with real fruit'."

In 2023, a mascot of the strawberry Pop-Tart, went viral on social media after he descended into a massive toaster and was eaten by the winning team, Kansas State Wildcats,[46] spurring countless memes over the internet.

[47] In 2024, the bowl held a fan vote of three flavors to serve as main mascot: Cinnamon Roll, Hot Fudge Sundae, and Wild Berry.

[48][49] After the Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Miami Hurricanes, MVP Rocco Becht chose Cinnamon Roll to be toasted and eaten.

[51] They ask adults to watch a Pop-Tarts commercial with their children or students and "have them look at how much product information is presented and how much is really about lifestyle or attitude.

[53] Thomas Nangle filed a lawsuit in 1992, suing Kellogg's for damages after his Pop-Tart became stuck in his toaster and caught fire.

The case gained wider notoriety when humorist Dave Barry wrote a column about starting a fire in his own toaster with Pop-Tarts.

[54][55] Texas A&M University Corpus Christi professor Patrick Michaud performed a 1994 experiment showing that when left in the toaster too long, strawberry Pop-Tarts could produce flames to about 1.5 ft (46 cm) high.

Since then, Pop-Tarts carry the warning: "Due to possible risk of fire, never leave your toasting appliance or microwave unattended."

In October 2021, a woman in New York sued Kellogg's for $5 million over what she claimed was misleading advertising about Strawberry Pop-Tarts.

On August 4, 1995, it was announced that 94,500 cartons of Smucker's Real Fruit Frosted Strawberry pastries actually contained the Chocolate Fudge variety.

[59] In 2002, Kellogg alerted the public that egg was an undeclared ingredient in its Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts.