Mr. T Cereal

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The front box cover of Mr. T Cereal Mr T Cereal front cover.jpg
The front box cover of Mr. T Cereal

Mr. T Cereal was a sweetened breakfast cereal manufactured by the Quaker Oats Company from 1984 to 1993. [1] [2] The cereal was prepared with corn and oats as primary ingredients, and it was fortified with iron and B vitamins. [2] The cereal box had a cartoon likeness of Mr. T on the box as the cereal's mascot. [1] [3] The cereal pieces were manufactured in the shape of the letter "T". [1] It has been described as being similar in flavor to Cap'n Crunch cereal, which is also produced by Quaker. [1]

Contents

History and marketing

Mr. T Cereal debuted in 1984 [4] and was a popular cereal in the U.S. during the 1980s. [1] The cereal was the first licensed ready-to-eat cereal manufactured and marketed by the Quaker Oats Company. [5]

Elements of marketing and advertising for Mr. T Cereal were geared toward children, [6] per the popularity of Mr. T's media appearances such as in The A-Team and Rocky III . [7] To appeal to children, the cereal was manufactured with a significant amount of sugar. [6] [7] Promotions for the cereal included television advertisements and a stand-up cardboard cutout that was used in supermarkets. [8] Catchphrases for Mr. T Cereal included "Team up with Mr. T, It’s cool" and "I pity the fool who don’t eat my cereal". [1]

A cereal box prize consisted of a packet of Mr. T. stickers, which were packaged inside boxes of the cereal. [2] [3]

Some collectors have collected Mr. T. Cereal, [7] [9] and some collectors have retained unopened boxes of it with the cereal still in the box. [8]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Daily Meal (March 7, 2014). "10 cereals that were too sweet to last". Fox News. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Galindo, Brian (15 February 2013). "25 Cereals From The '80s You Will Never Eat Again". BuzzFeed . Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 Husfloen, Kyle (2011). Antique Trader Black Americana Price Guide. F+W Media. p. 24. ISBN   978-1-4402-2732-5.
  4. ↑ Andrew Bales (2 July 2013). "Into It: The Strange Life Of Discontinued Breakfast Cereals" . Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Corporation Annual Reports to Shareholders. 1981. Retrieved February 20, 2016. Near the end of fiscal 1984, Quaker announced its first entry in licensed ready-to-eat cereals with Mr. T cereal, based on the very ...
  6. 1 2 Kanner, Bernice (December 1984). "Kellogg's Hard Sell". New York . Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Frater, Jamie (2014). Listverse.com's Epic Book of Mind-Boggling Top 10 Lists: Unbelievable Facts and Astounding Trivia on Movies, Music, Crime, Celebrities, History, and More. Ulysses Press. p. pt156. ISBN   978-1-61243-335-6.
  8. 1 2 Roncace, Kelly (November 24, 2014). "T time: Clearview grad's collection of Mr. T memorabilia to go on view in Philly". South Jersey Times . Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  9. ↑ Segal, David (July 7, 2005). "The A-Team Of Collectors". The Washington Post . Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  10. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (February 19, 2016). "'Pee-wee's Big Adventure': Famous Lines & the Ones That Oughta Be". biography.com . Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  11. ↑ Chavey, Eddy (2009). "Mr. T Cereal". Mr Breakfast. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Jeff Day". Rules of Engagement. Season 5. Episode 16. February 24, 2011. 11:09 minutes in. CBS.
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