The Evolution of the General Mills Monster Cereals
In 1971, General Mills conjured up two monsters who would forever impact children whom enjoyed not only sugary sweet cereals, but represented harmless villainous mascots that just wanted to share a good bowl of cereal! There’s Count Chocula with his infamous Bela Lugosi-esque “I want to eat your cereal!” line, enticing you to eat his delicious chocolate cereal surrounded by marshmallows. Then there was Franken Berry with his Boris Karloff-esque Frankenstein’s Monster charm. His cereal being strawberry-flavored and also surrounded by marshmallow goodness. These cereals being the first ever chocolate and first ever strawberry flavored cereals on the market, while both of these monsters paved the way for more creepy additions that would join the forces of Halloween cereal characters.
It was not until 1973 when Boo Berry joined the others to round out our infamous trio. A wiggly blue cartoon ghost welcomed us to the first ever blueberry-flavored cereal haunted by marshmallows. His Peter Lorre-esque demeanor became another successful hit with the kiddies, making chocolate, strawberry and blueberry flavored cereals the more dominant tastes that catered to both kids and adult sugar fiends.
In 1974, fans of the Monster Cereals were introduced to Fruit Brute, a frosted fruit-flavored cereal with lime marshmallows hosted by a cartoon werewolf. Fruit Brute had a good run of eight years and disappeared in 1982. Even though the werewolf didn’t make it, Yummy Mummy made his great debut in 1987, featuring fruit-flavored cereal and vanilla-flavored marshmallows. Sadly for Yummy Mummy, he only made it for five years, disappearing in 1992. However in 2013, both Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy would make a second temporary return in Fall of 2013! The Fruit Brute cereal was changed to frosted cherry-flavored cereal with regular marshmallows, while Yummy Mummy was also altered to orange-cream flavored cereal with regular marshmallows. Both Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy vanished back into the shadows in 2014.
Even though the center stage for the main trio of monsters has always been cereal, Franken Berry and Boo Berry both got the Fruit Roll-up treatment, while Count Chocula got a cereal bar treatment in 2010. These tasty treats appear every year around Fall, just as the cereals do.
Over the years, the novelty of our Monster Cereal friends have spawned many collectibles. Just like the cereals themselves, these nifty novelties disappear as soon as they are released. Brands such as Hot Wheels, Kubrick, Lip Balm and Funko have all released fun little trinkets that collectors eat up just like their treasured cereals!
As seen in the commercials, it was always a friendly rivalry between chocolate, strawberry, blueberry and fruity concoctions. However in the end, it’s all about the beloved monsters that stood by their chosen flavor. Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy are characters we’ve grown with for 45 years! So while the cereals and treats may vary and change with the times, these icons have left a deliciously fun impact on Halloween/Horror fans for many years to come.
Be sure to check out this year's offerings with a fun election. Be sure to vote for your favorite monster!
