We’re in the midst of a heatwave here in the Central Valley, and it’s officially summertime! If I’m being honest, it’s hard to focus on swimming pools and fireworks when Halloween decorations are already sneaking into stores in mid-June. Instead of enjoying Red, White & Blue Cap’n Crunch, I find myself rummaging through old cereal boxes from past spooky seasons. What can I say? It brings me just a little bit of happiness when it’s 110 degrees outside.
I couldn’t decide on a topic for this month’s post until the answer was right in front of me: a sequel to ‘Cereal from the Crypt!’ If you missed part I, you can read it here and come back for even more scary cereal boxes to take your mind off the heat!
Off the bat, if there’s one cereal that deserves a triumphant return for the Halloween season, it’s Jack-o’-Lantern Apple Jacks. Just imagine everyone's excitement across social media as people discover those awesome little jack ‘o’ lantern pieces mingling with their regular Apple Jacks!
Back in 2001, I completely missed out on their initial release. Now, I find myself wishing I would've saved all those nostalgic cereal boxes from my childhood. Whoever designed this box deserves a standing ovation. The gradient of orange, yellow, and green in the words “jack ‘o’ lantern” is absolutely mesmerizing!
Let's talk about 2022's Halloween Fruity Pebbles. I remember seeing pictures of this on Twitter during that summer but they were all from a store in Chicago. I tweeted at the store asking when this would be coming out nationwide. To my surprise, they actually responded with something like "Keep checking!" (Thanks, but I was already crisscrossing town, cereal radar on high alert!)
Fruity Pebbles are okay but when they come in orange and purple colors with Vampire Fred on the box, It might as well have won the world championship of Halloween cereal box art! The back of the box featured a cutout of Fred himself - a stencil to carve your very own jack-o’-lantern. It's the gift that keeps on giving. Halloween Fruity Pebbles returned the following year with Bamm-Bamm replacing Fred, but I still prefer the Vampire version of our Bedrock buddy.
Next up we have Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters from Ralston. The cereal tied in with the animated TV series Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters, which ran from 1988 to 1990. That's fine but can we focus on the fact that the box included a “Slime Your Light Switch” cut-out!? You could add a spooky touch to your room by transforming your light switch into a slimy scene! How cool is that?
Just like Halloween Fruity Pebbles, this is the gift that keeps on giving. The back of the box featured a chance to win 15 Real Ghostbusters toys from Kenner. Imagine unboxing your morning cereal and discovering you won an Ecto-1 or a Terrible Teeth. I was always low key jealous of whatever kid won these types of giveaways.
In 2013, General Mills resurrected two classic monster cereals: Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy. Just like the limited-edition Jack’o’Lantern Apple Jacks, I missed out on their initial release – what was I thinking!? By that point, Frute Brute had been discontinued since '82, and Fruity Yummy Mummy since '92. Yet there they were, surprise entrants in the monster cereal Royal Rumble.
Personally, I love the look of Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy on these cereal boxes. Its like they stepped right out of Rankin Bass' Mad Monster Party! While Frute Brute has already made a comeback in 2022, I think fans are eagerly awaiting the return of that rainbow-bandaged mummy!
So, those were my impressions and memories of five more scary cereal boxes. The last one was a two-for-one deal! As summer begins and Halloween slowly makes its presence known, maybe take a moment to enjoy some spooky stuff and escape from the summer sun. Stay cool out there, and as always…
Stay Spooky,
Jeremy
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