Monster cereal.

Being a lifelong fan of both breakfast cereals and monsters separately, it goes without saying that I've also been a lifelong fan of monster breakfast cereals. My favorite, of course, being Count Chocula (although admittedly more as a 7-year-old, when there was really no way I could say "no" to eating what was essentially Hallowe'en candy for breakfast). Apparently, starting in the early '70s, General Mills produced five different monster-themed cereals, and in some sort of strange monster cereal Darwinian struggle, only one is still 100% around (Count Chocula, of course). Two others, Franken Berry and Boo Berry, are still occasionally put back on shelves, usually around this time of year.
So what were the other two, you ask?
Well, for your convenience, I've put together a list ranking these General Mills monster-related breakfast cereals in order of general popularity:

1. Count Chocula

2. Franken Berry

3. Boo Berry

4. Yummy Mummy

5. Fruit Brute

If Fruit Brute seems familiar to you, but you aren't old enough to where you should remember it, it's probably because of Quentin Tarantino's love of the cereal. He's a big enough fan to have included it in two of his films:

Reservoir Dogs









and Pulp Fiction.











Remember when cereal came with prizes, too? I'm not sure if that happens anymore, as the cereals I tend to eat aren't geared towards children (Honey Bunches of Oats, Quaker Oatmeal Squares, etc.). Anyway, back in the '70s, these cereals came with flexi-discs that you could play at home

Check it out:


1. Monster Adventures in Outer Space
2. The Monsters Go Disco
3. Count Chocula Goes to Hollywood

Download:

Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry Flexi-Discs (General Mills, 1979)

And finally, here are a couple of neat old General Mills commercials:

*Flexi-disc links and photos from Franklin Mint Blog*