Monster Cereals
Sweet saccharine spookiness!
Ep. 008 is live!
Ah, yes...Saturday morning, the prime day for jammies being on far longer than they should be, and hours of direct marketing being beamed straight to our big bright eyes. As soon as our shows were over we’d get changed, dip out of the house, and get into all sorts of mischief with our friends. On the occasional Saturday when the weather was subpar, we’d write our own stories with our favorite toys, action figures, or dolls where the main action or battlegrounds were in our rooms, on a bookcase, or on the sofa. Somewhere in the middle of the day, we’d likely have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, we’d wind down around sundown, and finally find ourselves in bed ready to crash, satisfied with the adventures we had, or the havoc we created. These days were all built on a substantial foundation: a well-balanced breakfast featuring our favorite cereal. For many kids, their favorite cereal was rotated as often as the center square on Hollywood Squares and, in one brand’s case, you had an entire cast of characters to cycle through. That brand was General Mills Monster Cereals; a brand with a legacy that still endures.
Look, as much as I like writing, as much as I adore waxing poetic about matters most nostalgic, I don’t know what could be written about these cereals that haven’t already been said. They are fairly delicious with delightful marshmallow bits, and until some adults decided to start being a bunch of buzzkills...had some pretty great prizes. What I will say is that part of their appeal definitely ties into their usage of monsters for comedic effect. That sort of branding is a no-brainer. What has enabled the Monster Cereals to endure is the brand’s reliance on nostalgia. One could argue that such a move could be quite the gamble. This doesn’t seem to be the case with the Monster Cereals, though. As opposed to being on the shelves year-round, General Mills turned the availability of, at minimum, Count Chocula, Frankenberry, and Boo Berry into a seasonal experience, almost rebranding with a sense of exclusivity. Typically, in the dying days of summer just as fall creeps in, shoppers will begin to see end caps or displays featuring the Cereal Monsters. The aforementioned three are always a part of this rollout in anticipation of Halloween, but sometimes they are joined by other monsters and special releases. Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy, past monsters that saw much shorter shelf life than the original three, have had reissues in honor of their anniversaries. Additionally, there is often a release of the Monster Mash mix that has marshmallow bits from all five cereals mixed together with cereal. At the time of this write-up, fall 2023 saw the release of a new sixth monster, who also happens to be the line's first female monster. Though attempts had been made in the past to introduce a “multiberry” flavor with a berry-themed character, we have officially been introduced to Carmella Creeper, the Zombie DJ cousin to Frankenberry. When trying it, brace yourself for caramel apple goodness!
Regardless of what your go-to cereal was every Saturday, we all had the Monster Cereals on our radar. They transcended being novelty cereals with a monster gimmick. They have permeated pop culture so much so that Frute Brute, all but forgotten due to it being discontinued in 1982, resonated once more with folks due to its appearance in both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. The April 2005 issue of Wizard Magazine featured a gag article claiming acclaimed comic horror writer Steven Niles was going to helm a story tentatively titled General Mills Massacre. To this day, the monsters find themselves on all sorts of branded materials. The group of ghouls has been licensed out for shirts, vinyl figures from Funko Pop, and even action figures from Jada Toys. Needless to say, even if it has switched to a “seasonal formula” like so much McRib, the General Mills Cereal Monsters have cemented their place in the pop culture landscape and will be around for generations to come.
We truly hope you enjoy this week’s episode. The idea of a “cereal flight” was all Jason and a complete surprise! If you haven’t tried Carmella Creeper, I highly recommend it if you are a fan of caramel apple fare. Monster Mash? You’d be just fine passing on it unless you’re a collector and want the box art. That’s going to wrap things up this week for Yesterdaze. We hope you enjoyed this week’s subject, and as always thanks, and enjoy!
-Derek
