"Flutie Flakes," the breakfast cereal named after Bills
QB Doug Flutie, "are once again flying off grocery store
shelves" since Flutie was named the team's starting QB last
Sunday, according to Sharon Linstedt of the BUFFALO NEWS.
NY-based supermarket chain Tops Markets spokesperson
Stefanie Zakowicz: "We've seen sales of Flutie Flakes double
since [last Sunday's game against the Chargers]. It's too
early to say it indicates a strong trend, but sales are way
up this week." Linstedt added that the "sales spike isn't
just a Bills-country phenomenon." Pittsburgh-based PLB
Sports, the company that created the cereal and sells it to
retailers and on its Web site, has "charted a 40 percent
uptick in orders from around the [U.S.] for Flutie Flakes
and other Flutie products." PLB Sports President Ty Ballou,
on the renewed interest in the cereal: "Every time I think
the run is over, there he is again." Linstedt wrote that
"among the more unusual orders" was from a Boston-based
architectural firm for 50 cases of Flutie Flakes, which the
firm plans to hand out to prospective employees at a job
fair at Flutie's alma mater, Boston College. Since the
cereal was introduced in '98, 1.9 million boxes of the
cereal have been sold. Additionally, fans have also bought
680,000 Flutie Flakes chocolate bars, which are made by
Buffalo-based Fowlers candy company; 86,512 boxes of Flutie
Fruitie Snacks; 9,811 Flutie T-shirts; 570 baseball caps;
and 362 mini-footballs (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/22).
