Monster cereals

Last updated
Count Chocula
Count-Chocula-Box-Small.jpg
The current box redesign for Count Chocula breakfast cereal
Chocolate-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows
MascotCartoon variation of Count Dracula
Introduced1971;53 years ago (1971)
AvailabilityStill in production seasonally
TaglineI want to eat your cereal! (1971–2010)
Notes [1]
Franken Berry
Frankenberrycereal.jpg
The current box redesign for Franken Berry breakfast cereal
Strawberry-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows
MascotCartoon variation of Frankenstein's monster
Introduced1971;53 years ago (1971)
AvailabilityStill in production seasonally
Notes [2]
Boo Berry
Boo-Berry-Box-Small.jpg
The current box redesign for Boo Berry breakfast cereal
Blueberry-flavored frosted corn cereal bits and marshmallows
MascotBlue cartoon ghost
Introduced1973;51 years ago (1973)
AvailabilityStill in production seasonally
Fruit Brute
Frute Brute box design.jpg
The current box redesign for Fruit Brute as Frute Brute breakfast cereal
Frosted fruit-flavored cereal
with lime-flavored marshmallows;
Relaunch: Sweetened cherry-flavored cereal
with marshmallows
MascotCartoon variation of the Wolf Man
Introduced1974;50 years ago (1974)
AvailabilityDiscontinued (1982);
Relaunch (2013);
Discontinued (2014)
Relaunch (2022) (In a box of four Monster Cereals)
TaglineThe Howling Good Taste of Fruit
Notes [3]
Fruity Yummy Mummy
Fruity Yummy Mummy box design.jpg
The current box redesign for Fruity Yummy Mummy breakfast cereal
Frosted fruit-flavored cereal with vanilla-flavored marshmallows
Relaunch: Frosted orange-cream flavored cereal with marshmallows
MascotCartoon variation of the Mummy
Introduced1987;37 years ago (1987)
AvailabilityDiscontinued (1992);
Relaunch (2013);
Discontinued (2014)
TaglineYummy Mummy makes your tummy go yummy!
Heh, heh, heh!
(1988–1990)
Notes [4]
Carmella Creeper
Carmella Creeper box design.jpg
The current box design for Carmella Creeper breakfast cereal
Caramel apple-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows
MascotCartoon variation of a zombie DJ
Introduced2023;1 year ago (2023)
Notes [5]
Monster Mash
Monster Mash box design.jpg
The box design for Monster Mash breakfast cereal
Artificial combination of chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, and fruit-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows
MascotsCartoon variations of Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, a ghost, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy.
Introduced2021;3 years ago (2021)
AvailabilityReleased seasonally with variations
Tagline50 Years of Monster Cereals (2021-2023)
Notes [6]
Monster Mash Remix
Monster Mash Remix box design.jpg
The current box design for Monster Mash Remix breakfast cereal
Artificial combination of chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, fruit, and caramel apple-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows
MascotsCartoon variations of Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, a ghost, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, and the Bride as a zombie DJ.
Introduced2023;1 year ago (2023)
AvailabilityReleased seasonally
TaglineA mix of all six Monsters Cereals flavors (2023)
Notes [7]
Monsters' Frightful Friends
Monsters' Frightful Friends box design.jpg
The current box design for Monsters' Frightful Friends cereal
Artificial berry cereal bits and marshmallows
MascotsCartoon variations of Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, a ghost, and the Bride as a zombie DJ.
Introduced2024;0 years ago (2024)
AvailabilityReleased seasonally
TaglineA mix of all four Monsters Cereals flavors (2024)
Notes [8]

The monster cereals are a line of breakfast cereals produced by General Mills Corporation in North America. The line was introduced in 1971 and, at various times, has included six brands: Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry (all produced seasonally from late August to October 31), as well as Fruit Brute or Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy [9] (both are discontinued, except for limited productions) with a sixth character Carmella Creeper introduced in 2023.

Contents

History

In March 1971, the first two cereals in the line were introduced, the chocolate-flavored Count Chocula and the strawberry-flavored Franken Berry. In the commercials, the two monsters, Count Alfred [10] Chocula and Franken Berry, would engage in comic bickering over which cereal was better, when something or someone else (usually Boo Berry) interfered in their verbal sparring and scared them out of their wits.

In February 1972, Franken Berry cereal included an indigestible pigment that turned some children's feces pink, a symptom sometimes referred to as "Franken Berry stool". [11] [12] [13] The Count Chocula and Franken Berry recipes were reformulated to remove this pigment. [14]

Boo Berry, the first blueberry-flavored cereal, [15] was released in December 1972 (released nationally in February 1973), and Fruit Brute in 1974. Fruit Brute was discontinued by 1982, after an eight-year run. It was replaced in 1987 by Fruity Yummy Mummy, which was discontinued in 1992 after just five years. [16] During this period, Fruit Brute made conspicuous appearances in two films by Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs , as a visual easter egg. [17]

Starting in 1993, General Mills changed the recipe in the cereals from a base of oat and corn meal to corn meal only. This altered the flavor and texture significantly.

In 2005, Count Chocula was shown in MasterCard's "Icons" commercial during Super Bowl XXXIX, where many famous advertising mascots are seen having dinner together. [18] In 2010, Betty Crocker released Franken Berry, Frute Brute, and Boo Berry Fruit Roll-Ups. [19] General Mills released Count Chocula cereal bars.[ citation needed ]

Since 2010, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula cereals have been manufactured and sold only for a few months during the autumn/Halloween season in September and October.[ citation needed ] As of late 2010, information such as nutrition data and historical facts can still be found on the official General Mills website at all times of the year. [15]

In August 2013, General Mills released all five monster cereals for purchase during the Halloween season. Both Fruit Brute, which was being released for the first time in 31 years, and Fruity Yummy Mummy, which was being released for the first time in 21 years, received updated packaging like the other cereals, and the Fruit Brute variant was renamed Frute Brute. Additionally, it was revealed on I-Mockery that special retro edition boxes of all five cereals with their original packaging art would be sold exclusively at Target stores. [20]

In 2014, General Mills enlisted the help of DC Comics to create new designs for the cereals in time for that Halloween. The designs, revealed on August 6, consisted of a Boo Berry design by Jim Lee, a Count Chocula design by Terry Dodson and a Franken Berry design by Dave Johnson. [21]

In 2021, it was announced that the company would celebrate the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Monster Cereals by releasing an amalgamated cereal entitled Monster Mash. [22]

In August 2022, due to the resounding success of the 50th anniversary celebrations just one year prior, Frute Brute returned, and the covers of all four cereals that year featured artwork by street artist KAWS inspired by the vintage designs. [23]

In June 2023, a new monster named Carmella Creeper was revealed, being a zombie DJ cousin of Franken Berry and the first female monster in the mix. Her light green cereal is caramel apple flavored. General Mills also announced that a remake of the Monster Mash amalgamated cereal called Monster Mash Remix would be released as well featuring all six cereals.

In March 2024, street artist Kaws launched a collection of four figurines representing these monsters, Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Frute Brute and Franken Berry following the collaboration with General Mills in August 2022. These figurines are bigger than those found in cereal boxes, but retain the artwork design. In May of the same year, General Mills revealed a new integration animal characters (old and new) collectively named the Monsters' Frightful Friends. These additions will serve as the pets of the titular monsters including: Igor the guard-spider, Bennie the Franken-bat, Meow Berry the ghost cat, and Scratch the snake; each of which are the animal companions to Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, and Carmella Creeper, respectively. The new additions to the Halloween-themed breakfast cereals, will also be integrated into cereal-marshallows in the shape of these pets. [24]

Prizes

Until the early 1980s, the monster cereals were also known for their wide variety of both in-pack and mail-away cereal premiums. Many items, such as posters, stickers, paint sets, speedster cars, parachutes, and even vinyl advertising figures, were produced. [25] In 1979, three flexi-discs were made available via cereal boxes: "The Monsters Go Disco", "Count Chocula Goes to Hollywood" and "Monster Adventures in Outer Space". [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakfast cereal</span> Processed food made from grain

Breakfast cereal is a category of food, including food products, made from processed cereal grains that are eaten as part of breakfast, or as a snack food, primarily in Western societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cap'n Crunch</span> American breakfast cereal made by the Quaker Oats Company

Cap'n Crunch is a corn and oat breakfast cereal manufactured since 1963 by Quaker Oats Company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo since 2001. Since the original product introduction, marketed simply as Cap'n Crunch, Quaker Oats has since introduced numerous flavors and seasonal variations, some for a limited time—and currently offers a Cap'n Crunch product line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Mills</span> American multinational food corporation

General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company originally gained fame for being a large flour miller. It is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Froot Loops</span> Breakfast cereal made by WK Kellogg Co

Froot Loops is a sweetened, fruit-flavored breakfast cereal made by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canadian, and Caribbean markets and Kellanova for the rest of the world. The brand was solely owned by the original Kellogg Company before it spun off its North American cereal division as WK Kellogg Co in late 2023. The fruit-flavored cereal pieces are ring-shaped, with a variety of bright colors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice Krispies</span> Breakfast cereal made by WK Kellogg Co and Kellanova

Rice Krispies is a breakfast cereal produced by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canadian, and Caribbean markets and by Kellanova for the rest of the world. Rice Krispies are made of crisped rice. When milk is added to the cereal the rice tends to collapse, creating the characteristic "snap, crackle and pop" sounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trix (cereal)</span> Breakfast cereal made by General Mills

Trix is an American brand of breakfast cereal made by General Mills in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the North American market and by Cereal Partners elsewhere in the world. The cereal consists of fruit-flavored, sweetened, ground-corn pieces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special K</span> WK Kellogg Co brand of cereal

Special K is an American brand of breakfast cereal and meal bars originally manufactured by Kellogg's. The cereal was introduced to the United States in 1955. It is made primarily from grains such as lightly toasted rice, wheat and barley. Special K used to be marketed primarily as a low-fat cereal that can be eaten to help one lose weight. Following the 2023 spinoff of Kellogg's North American cereal division, the cereal is manufactured by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canada, and Caribbean markets. The former Kellogg's, renamed Kellanova, continues to manufacture the cereal for the rest of the world and the meal bars for all markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheerios</span> Breakfast cereal made by General Mills

Cheerios is a brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills in the United States and Canada, consisting of pulverized oats in the shape of a solid torus. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Cheerios is marketed by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand; in Australia and New Zealand, Cheerios is sold as an Uncle Tobys product. It was first manufactured in 1941 as CheeriOats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kix (cereal)</span> Breakfast cereal made by General Mills

Kix is an American brand of breakfast cereal introduced in 1937 by the General Mills company of Golden Valley, Minnesota. The product is an extruded, expanded puffed-grain cereal made with cornmeal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerds (candy)</span> American confection launched in 1983

Nerds is an American candy launched in 1983 by the Sunmark Corporation under the brand name Willy Wonka Candy Company. Nerds are now made by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero Group. but is still distributed internationally by Nestlé. With their anthropomorphic covers, Nerds usually contain two flavors per box, each flavor having a separate compartment and opening.

Post Consumer Brands, LLC is an American consumer packaged goods food manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocoa Puffs</span> Breakfast cereal made by General Mills

Cocoa Puffs is an American brand of chocolate-flavored puffed grain breakfast cereal, manufactured by General Mills. Introduced in 1956, the cereal consists of small orbs of corn and rice flavored with cocoa. Cocoa Puffs have the same shape as Kix and Trix cereal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MOM Brands</span> American breakfast cereal company

MOM Brands Company is an American producer of breakfast cereals, headquartered in Northfield, Minnesota. It markets its products in at least 70% of the country's grocery stores, with estimated sales in 2012 of US$750 million. It operates four manufacturing plants, in Northfield, Minnesota; Tremonton, Utah; Asheboro, North Carolina; and St. Ansgar, Iowa. The company has distribution centers in Grove City, Ohio; Coppell, Texas; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reese's Puffs</span> American breakfast cereal

Reese's Puffs is a corn-based breakfast cereal manufactured by General Mills inspired by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. At its launch in May 1994 the cereal consisted of corn puffs flavored with chocolate and peanut butter. Later, the formula was revised to be a mixture of chocolate puffs and peanut butter puffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey Monster Puffs</span> British breakfast cereal made since 1957

Honey Monster Puffs is a breakfast cereal manufactured in the United Kingdom from puffed wheat sweetened with sugar and honey, fortified with vitamins and iron. The cereal was originally sold as Sugar Puffs, but was re-branded in 2014. It was labelled as Honey Monster Sugar Puffs for a time. The cereal is known for its Honey Monster mascot, a large, hairy, yellow creature introduced in 1976.

Sir Grapefellow and Baron von Redberry were breakfast cereals created by General Mills around 1972. Sir Grapefellow featured a British World War I era pilot of the same name. The cereal consisted of "grape flavored oat cereal with sweet grape starbits (marshmallows)". Baron Von Redberry featured a World War I era German pilot, presumably modeled on “Red Baron” Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen. The cereal itself consisted of berry-flavored oat cereal with sweet berry marshmallows and tasted strongly of fruit punch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quaker Oats Company</span> American food conglomerate

The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. As Quaker Mill Company, the company was founded in 1877 in Ravenna, Ohio. In 1881, Henry Crowell bought the company and launched a national advertising campaign for Quaker Oats.

The extensive and persistent impact on media and popular culture of Creature from the Black Lagoon began even before it was seen in theaters. To publicize the release of the film in 1954, Ben Chapman, in costume, introduced the Gill-Man to the public on live television in The Colgate Comedy Hour with Abbott and Costello.

References

  1. ↑ "TV ACRES: Advertising Mascots - Count Chocula" . Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "TV ACRES: Advertising Mascots - Frankenberry" . Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Prince, Diana (September 30, 2021). "The Marbit Prometheus: The History Of The General Mills Monster Cereals". Fangoria. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ Squires, John (March 25, 2017). "The Brief History of Fruity Yummy Mummy Cereal!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  5. ↑ Squires, John (June 1, 2023). "Carmella Creeper: Looks Like the General Mills Monster Cereals Are Finally Getting a New Character". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Hanna (August 1, 2021). The history of our monsters. General Mills. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  7. ↑ Squires, John (June 7, 2023). General Mills Officially Announces “Carmella Creeper” as First New Cereal Monster in 35 Years! . Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  8. ↑ Squires, John (August 6, 2024). "General Mills Officially Announces This Year's Monster Cereals – with Monster Pets!". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  9. ↑ Ettinger, Jared (22 August 2013). "General Mills Resurrecting Frute Brute, Yummy Mummy This Halloween".
  10. ↑ Bathroom Reader's Institute (2020). Uncle John's Greatest Know on Earth No. 33. Portable Press. p. 92. ISBN   9781645174141.
  11. ↑ Payne, J. V. (1972). "Benign red pigmentation of stool resulting from food coloring in a new breakfast cereal (the Franken Berry stool)". Pediatrics. 49 (2): 293–294. doi:10.1542/peds.49.2.293. PMID   5059537. S2CID   6104019.
  12. ↑ Gilbert-Barness, Enid; Debich-Spicer, Diane E. (2005). Handbook of pediatric autopsy pathology. Humana Press. p. 288. ISBN   978-1-59259-673-7 . Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  13. ↑ Niemietz, Brian (October 31, 2009). "It's berry scary". New York Post. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  14. ↑ Bruce, Scott; Crawford, Bill (1995). Cerealizing America: The Unsweetened Story of American Breakfast Cereal. Faber and Faber Inc. pp. 212–213. ISBN   0-571-19851-1.
  15. 1 2 "Monsters". General Mills. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  16. ↑ Morioka, Lynne (August 20, 2013). "The return of two General Mills monsters" . Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ "The Brief, Monstrous Life of Fruit Brute". Michelle Delgado. July 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Mastercard Priceless | Experiences make life more meaningful". Priceless. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  19. ↑ "Franken and Boo Berry Fruit Roll-Ups!". X-Entertainment.com. October 8, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2014. [ permanent dead link ]
  20. ↑ Barr, Roger (December 19, 2013). "Fruit Brute And Fruity Yummy Mummy Are Back! Plus, All Five Monster Cereals Are Getting Retro Packaging!". I-Mockery. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  21. ↑ Sunu, Steve (August 6, 2014). "Jim Lee, Dave Johnson, Terry & Rachel Dodson Redesign General Mills' Monster Cereals". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  22. ↑ Bricken, Rob (May 11, 2021). "Count Chocula, Frankenberry, More Join Forces and Now Breakfast Is Doomed". Gizmodo . Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Frute Brute Returns to the Monster Cereals Lineup!" (Press release). Advertising Week. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  24. ↑ Squires, John (May 15, 2024). "The General Mills Monster Cereals Are Getting Pets This Halloween!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  25. ↑ Jones, Jonathon (2016-10-15). Monster Cereal Box Premiums - The 1970's: A Groovy Decade of Crunchy-Sweet Fun (2 ed.). Jonathon Jones.
  26. ↑ "Count Chocula". Discogs .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.