If you were a kid in the 80s or 90s, chance are you had one (or several) favorite novelty cereals. Each time your mom or dad took you down the cereal aisle, you'd beg for a box of some sugary goodness with your favorite sports star or cartoon character on the cover.
And it wasn't just the taste of the cereal that brought joy. Cereal companies like Kellogg's (K) and General Mills (GIS) wooed us with color-changing spoons, character cereal bowls, and special edition toys inside. Every major movie release aimed at kids had a cereal crossover--'Star Wars', 'Ghostbusters', 'E.T.', Mister T -- all have made their own wacky, weird contributions to American breakfast food culture.
Some novelty cereals have built avid fan followings, with consumers practically counting down the days until their favorite munchie is back on shelves. When beloved cereal choices disappear, adults and children alike long desperately for the sweet, crunchy goodness of their favorite brand. Passionate cereal lovers have even taken to petition websites like Change.org to campaign for the rerelease of discontinued flavors.
With Halloween around the corner and the winter holidays after that, it's the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas. We're talking about seasonal cereal time.
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Seasonal & Novelty Cereals on Shelves Now
When it comes to Halloween-themed cereals, General Mills has the cereal-fan's holy trinity of taste. Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Franken Berry cereals have become a quintessential representation of Halloween nostalgia.
The first two cereals, Count Chocula and Franken Berry, hit shelves in 1971 and were a regular staple on grocery store shelves all year ‘round. Boo Berry joined the clan in 1973, and was followed up by the slightly-less-spooky but still delicious Frute Brute cereal in 1974, which was taken off shelves again in the early 80s. Yummy Mummy, which came out in 1986 had a brief stay on shelves before unravelling.
In 2009, the three remaining monster cereals were “discontinued,” but they've continued to pop up over the years around the Halloween season. Frute Brute, meanwhile, was discontinued from even seasonal releases in 2013, but it's finally back and ready to make kids (and adults) howl.
The Novelty Fun is Just Beginning
General Mills also has some winter holiday treats for those who will be a little down once the Halloween munchies make their way off of shelves. Some of their seasonal flavors are returning favorites, like the Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch and Apple Pie Toast Crunch.
The company's brand new Rudolph cereal is a hot-cocoa flavored breakfast delight. It will also feature holiday-themed marshmallows in the shapes of Rudolph's red nose, a blue elf hat, and a green holiday trees.
But perhaps the most novel of the holiday novelty cereals is Kellogg's new Elf on the Shelf North Pole Snow Creme Cereal. Whew, what a mouthful! This taste and sensory experiment is sure to turn heads thanks to an exciting new concept in the world of breakfast cereal. This North Pole cereal will have a cooling affect on your mouth. Like taking a bite out of a snowball, the Elf on a Shelf cereal has a slow-release ingredient that will cool your mouth as you eat.
While snow in your mouth might not sound so great in the middle of winter, there's no doubt that curiosity will inspire plenty of shoppers to pick up a box.
