You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

The wheat flakes came about when a clinician accidentally spilled wheat gruel on a hot stove, a mistake that changed the gruel into the eponymous General Mills cereal we know today. Bonus trivia: Michael Jordan is the athlete who’s been on Wheaties boxes the most, with a whopping 18 appearances.

[Lee Stewart]

One of America’s most ubiquitous breakfast cereals first appeared on grocery shelves in 1941 not as Cheerios, but “Cheerioats.” General Mills aimed to highlight the cereal’s main ingredient, oats, at a time when most competitors were still using corn. But that tactic didn’t fly with rival Quaker Oats, which objected to the use of the term “oats” in the new cereal’s name. General Mills backed down and switched to “Cheerios” instead.

[Lee Stewart]

The early ‘70s were a simpler time in a lot of ways, but maybe not for doctors forced to diagnose “Franken Berry Stool.” Yep, the neon pink poop was a real condition, caused when kids downed too much of General Mills’ new Franken Berry Cereal. Turns out the cereal received its bright hue in part from the indigestible and soon-to-be-banned Red Dye No. 2.

[Lee Stewart]

Rice Krispies’ long-standing mascots, the adorable elves Snap, Crackle, and Pop, started appearing in ads for the cereal in the ‘30s, and came together on the box beginning in 1941. But in the 1950s, Kellogg ad executives used a fourth character named Pow in a couple of commercials. He was a spaceman character who never spoke, instead zipping around on some sort of spacecraft and “adding power” to every box of Rice Krispies.

[Lee Stewart]

In 1964, Kellogg’s launched an innovative new Corn Flakes with Instant Bananas cereal, but apparently it didn’t go over so well. It lasted just a couple of years, with the not-so-tasty bananas “turning an unappetizing brownish color in milk,” according to Mr. Breakfast.

[Lee Stewart]

When Lucky Charms debuted in 1963, it was sweetened with four marshmallows: Green clovers, pink hearts, orange stars, and yellow moons. Today, only the pink hearts and green clovers remain relatively unchanged. The yellow moons have turned blue, and the orange stars are now orange-and-white shooting stars. Also in the current lineup: Rainbows, horseshoes, balloons and unicorns. Has-beens include hourglasses and blue diamonds.

[Lee Stewart]

“Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids!” So goes one of the most iconic lines in cereal advertising. But it turns out the Trix Rabbit has indeed gotten his paws on a bowl of his favorite fruity cereal three times: in 1976, when he tricked kids by dressing up as a balloon seller; in 1980, when kids took pity on the rabbit during a mail-in vote; and in 1991, after winning the “Tour de Trix” bicycle race.

[Lee Stewart]

You probably have fond childhood memories of digging some sort of trinket out of your favorite cereal. It turns out the first-ever cereal prize came from boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes in 1909. Buyers actually had to send away to receive it, a book called “The Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Book.” Kellogg’s continued to give away the same book for 23 years.

[Lee Stewart]

If you’re a Baby Boomer who fondly remembers eating Quaker’s sugary, crunchy corn Quisp Cereal in the ‘60s and ‘70s, you may be surprised to find that you can still buy it in bulk on Amazon. The alien-festooned box has also popped up sporadically on store shelves over the past several decades, partially thanks to the enthusiasm of devoted fans who will pay four figures for Quisp memorabilia.

[Lee Stewart]

When a pumpkin spice latte just isn’t enough, never fear: Your favorite childhood cereal may have also hopped on the pumpkin spice bandwagon. Grocery shelves have recently hosted limited-edition pumpkin spice Cheerios, pumpkin spice Frosted Flakes, pumpkin spice Frosted Mini Wheats, and pumpkin spice Life, among other varieties. Most have been well-reviewed, with the Cheerios even receiving a thumbs-up from Bon Appetit.