The latest Jerry Seinfeld movie, Unfrosted, told the story of the creation of the Pop-Tart and the feud between the cereal companies Kellogg’s and Post that led to its creation. While Unfrosted was a highly fictionalized account of the story, it also featured many real people and events that continued to have highly interesting consequences well after the credits rolled. As a movie packed with cultural and social allusions, hilarious anecdotes about historical moments, and even funny cameos from iconic characters, many fascinating real-life events occurred after the end of Unfrosted.

While Unfrosted told the story of the Pop-Tarts invention, it left out many important things that happened later, such as the actual frosting being added to Pop-Tarts. The Kellogg’s mascots featured in Unfrosted also had interesting histories in the years that followed, as Tony the Tiger and Snap, Crackle, and Pop are still recognizable today. From serious events of major political importance to small but fascinating trivia, so much happened after the Kellogg’s versus Post feud ended in 1963.

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1963: John F. Kennedy’s Presidency Ends In Tragedy

JFK was played by Bill Burr in Unfrosted

While Unfrosted ended the release of the revolutionary breakfast pastry, the Pop-Tart, in 1963, that same year would mark a real-life tragedy for United States President John F. Kennedy, who was played in the film by Bill Burr. While the casting of Burr was an inspired move, Unfrosted decided not to portray Kennedy’s assassination at the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Instead, JFK’s appearance in the film was more based on the lighthearted comparisons between the race to make the Pop-Tart and the space race of the 1960s.

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1966: Thurl Ravenscroft Sings About The Grinch

Thurl Ravenscroft was played by Hugh Grant in Unfrosted

The Shakespearean actor played by Hugh Grant who portrayed Tony the Tiger in Unfrosted was a real performer named Thurl Ravenscroft, who played the Kellogg’s mascot for more than five decades. Ravenscroft’s role as Tony was not his only claim to fame, as three years after the end of Unfrosted, he lent his voice to a song that still receives major airplay every holiday season. In 1966, Ravenscroft was the uncredited vocalist for “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from the Dr. Seuss television special How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

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1967: The Pop-Tart Gets Frosted

The Pop-Tart didn’t receive frosting until four years after Unfrosted

Watching Unfrosted, it was surprising that the story ended before Pop-Tarts received their signature frosting that consumers worldwide know and love today. This frosted Pop-Tart was released in 1967, and despite initial fears from Kellogg’s that the frosting would melt in the toaster, they figured out a way to ensure their safety. This magnificent invention would turn the impressive Pop-Tart into a more delicious morning snack that is still beloved more than 60 years after it was first unveiled.

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1968: Andy Warhol Gets Shot

There was an assassination attempt on Andy Warhol five years after

The appearance of Andy Warhol brandishing a gun and shooting Jerry Seinfeld’s character while he interviewed by Johnny Carson was one of Unfrosted biggest surprises. This cameo appearance was a joke about Warhol being the creator of ‘Pop Art’ and being upset about the release of the Pop-Tart, stating, “Only I can be derivative.” Warhol’s appearance oddly mirrored his own life, as the famous artist was the victim of an assassination attempt by a woman named Valerie Solonas, who actually shot him in 1968 (via New York Times), and thankfully, he survived the encounter.

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1968: Sprinkles Were Added To Pop-Tarts

The Pop-Tart received even further innovation five years after Unfrosted

The incredible invention of the Pop-Tart was not only improved with the addition of frosting in 1967, but the following year, Kellogg’s went a step further and, in a move of pure delicious genius, added sprinkles to the sugary treat. With the introduction of ‘Sugar Sparkled Frosting,’ the Pop-Tart continued to be the most innovative breakfast item of the 1960s. By this point, the Pop-Tart had started to look very similar to the most modern version of the famous product that food lovers know and love today.

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1969: The Moon Landing

NASA actually landed on the moon six years after Unfrosted

The idea that man could walk on the moon was played for laughs as Bob Cabana convinced the NASA scientist Donna Stankowski to join his team at Kellogg’s and instead work on the Pop-Tart. However, even if it seemed like a crazy idea in the early 1960s, it became a reality by the end of the decade as the United States won the space race and achieved its first manned lunar landing. This occurred on July 20, 1969, when the Apollo 11 spaceflight reached the moon’s surface.

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1971: Don Would Like To Buy The World A Coke

The Ad Man got his biggest job eight years after Unfrosted

The two unnamed Ad Men seen in Unfrosted were Don Draper and Roger Sterling from the acclaimed AMC series Mad Men, which was also set during the 1960s. While these were fictional characters within the world of Mad Men, Don was responsible for one of the greatest real ads ever created. That was the famous hilltop ‘I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke’ campaign, which, much like the invention of the Pop-Tart, was an important moment in the history of consumerism.

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1971: Milton The Talking Toaster

Pop-Tart’s most famous mascot was introduced eight years after Unfrosted

Another important piece of advertising not included in Unfrosted was Pop-Tart’s signature mascot, Milton the Talking Toaster, introduced by Kellogg’s in 1971. Milton would be an important mascot for the company, as he advertised Pop-Tarts on television throughout the 1970s. While Milton was sadly replaced by another talking toaster in the 1990s, long-time Pop-Tart enthusiasts were sure to have been disappointed that Milton was not featured in Unfrosted.

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1973: Marjorie Merriweather Post Bequeathed Mar-A-Lago

Amy Schumer played Marjorie Merriweather Post in Unfrosted

The real-life head of the rival cereal company Post, Marjorie Post, was played by Amy Schumer in Unfrosted, but there was so much more to this incredible woman than was seen on screen. Post was known as the wealthiest woman in America and had an impressive art collection and an astonishing mansion known as Mar-a-Lago. After her passing in 1973, Post bequeathed Mar-a-Lago to the National Park Service; however, the upkeep was too expensive, and they returned it to Post’s estate (via AP.) Today, Mar-a-Lago is owned by former United States President Donald Trump.

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1974: The Year of (Tony) The Tiger

Tony the Tiger got some time in the spotlight 11 years after Unfrosted

Hugh Grant’s take on Kellogg’s mascot, Tony the Tiger, was one of the greatest aspects of Unfrosted, although this famous anthropomorphic breakfast salesman had an interesting history in the years after the Pop-Tart feud. One of Tony’s most significant years came in 1974, the Chinese Year of the Tiger. This was used as the basis for Kellogg’s advertising campaign that asserted, “This is the Year of the Tiger, and Tony is the Tiger of the Year” (via Campaign.) To accompany this honor, Tony even graced the covers of Italian GQ and Panorama.

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1983: Snap, Crackle, and Pop Become Even Bigger

Snap, Crackle, and Pop were licensed for merchandising 20 years after Unfrosted

The Kellogg’s Rice Krispies mascots Snap, Crackle, and Pop were featured throughout Unfrosted, but the real history of these characters goes as far back as print advertisements in the 1920s. After the Pop-Tart feud, Snap, Crackle, and Pop continued to appear across Kellogg’s advertising and, in 1983, became even more prominent after they were licensed for merchandising. From that point on, Kellogg’s character started to appear on T-shirts and plenty more of Kellogg’s associated products.

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1992: The Pop-Tart Lawsuit

A Pop-Tart controversy was ignited 29 years Unfrosted

In 1992, Pop-Tarts were in the news once again, but this time, it was not for new innovations or previously unheard flavors but because of a dangerous fire and an intense legal battle (via ABC News.) The flaming Pop-Tart lawsuit came after a man’s kitchen was set ablaze when a Pop-Tart went on fire while toasting, leading to Kellog’s having to pay $2,400 in damages. An even larger case came in 2001 after a couple filed a lawsuit against Kellogg’s after a Pop-Tart-related fire reportedly caused $100,000 worth of damage to their home.

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2001: 2.4 Million Pop-Tarts Are Airdropped To Afghanistan

Pop-Tarts acted as aid in the Middle-East 38 years after Unfrosted

The man behind the team who invited the Pop-Tart, William Post, later became the senior vice president of Kellogg’s. Post had several amazing achievements in his career, but perhaps the most impressive was airdropping 2.4 million Pop-Tarts into Afghanistan (via Military) as Afghans faced hunger with the onset of war. While much of the food airdropped into Afghanistan included staples like stew, beans, rice, and peanut butter, Pop-Tarts served to introduce Middle Eastern residents to a different side of American cuisine.

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2012: Jerry Seinfeld Breaks Down His “Pop-Tart Joke”

Jerry Seinfeld outlined his Pop-Tart joke 12 years before the release of Unfrosted

The release of Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted movie originates in a joke the comedian used to tell about the invention of Pop-Tarts and his hilarious imagined story of how the sugary treat came to be. In 2012, long before the release of Unfrosted, Seinfeld broke down the joke for the New York Times and showcased how it represented his unique comedy style. While this may have felt insignificant at the time, it would lay the groundwork for the release of Unfrosted 12 years later.

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2024: The Man Behind The Pop-Tart Passes Away

William Post passed away the same year as the release of Unfrosted

With the release of Unfrosted in 2024, it seemed like this was the biggest year for the Pop-Tart yet, but it’s also a significant year because it also marked the passing of William Post, the man behind the invention of the Pop-Tart, who died February 10, 2024, at 96 years old. Although Post retired in 2003, he continued to visit school and tell his story about achieving success through hard work (via Telegraph.) With Post’s passing, Unfrosted was a touching tribute to his life and legacy and the approximately 3 billion Pop-Tarts sold annually (via CNBC.)

Sources: New York Times, AP, Campaign, ABC News, Military, Telegraph, CNBC