Group Outing

 It's fair to say I'm way behind on everything, not the least of which are limited edition cereal promotions.  For the past year or two Kellogg's has had a special release during June for Pride Month and I had yet to get my grubby hands on the rare cereal.  That all changed on one of my frequent trips to discount grocery chain "Big Lots."

Like I said, I'm behind on everything and had thought that this might have been a mail-away promotion like they had been previously ( I think).  But there they were right in front of me, discounted and ripe for the picking.  Many of Kellogg's MVP team of mascots all in one place, and in one cereal...it was a piece of history that I just had to add to my shopping cart.

Now all those A-list mascots hanging out together (as well as the name "Together") might give you the impression that this is a mix of all your favorite Kellogg's cereals in one box but that seems to be an unbreachable barrier from the cereal giant.  Previously, the box included mini-boxes of each cereal but this year it's a brand new cereal made up of multi-colored hearts.  I was a little surprised by this but in hindsight I shouldn't have been since that's what is clearly pictured on the front of the box.  Guess I was so excited to find it that my powers of perception were greatly diminished because I didn't even notice until I cracked open the box at home.

No problem for me though, as I'm just happy to be a part of a cereal event....even if I'm super late to the party.  But I'm still holding out hope to see Froot Loops, Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes and the rest of the gang both figuratively and literally "together" next year.

Ranger Things

Previously:

Nolan Ryan: The Comic Book  - -  Nolan's Beef at Dairy Queen

It was the early 90s and the corporate synergy stars aligned when Sports Illustrated, Kellogg's and DC Comics decided to mash themselves together into a chunky paste they called "Tony's Sports Comics."  The concept involved the legendary Frosted Flakes mascot teaming up with sports stars to encourage kids to get active and burn off the calories they racked up from, say...I don't know...various sugar frosted cereals?

I've seen other examples with Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Ozzie Smith but, of course, the one I'm most interested in features the great Nolan Ryan.  He played for both the Astros and the Rangers and is one of the top Texas sports icons of all time.

Our story begins in Cooperstown with Nolan and Tony visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame.  They notice a weirdo talking to the Babe Ruth statue and decide to intervene.  Young Paul wants to make it to the big leagues some day but he's weak in the hitting department.  Nolan tells him about some great former players that also couldn't hit worth a darn but it's hardly a comfort and Paul bolts.

Swing and a miss for the would-be mentor.  But Tony is right there for his bro and he's raring to go track down that kid and bug encourage him some more about baseball.  It's the kind of well meaning enthusiasm that only a sugar-buzzed cartoon tiger could have.  In fact, he's so hyped up he feels the need to go through some of the highlights of Nolan's career.

But enough grandstanding!  It's time to track down that kid whose name I think is Paul.  Let's face it, between the All-Star pitcher and the cereal mascot, he was kind of forgettable. Once they eventually catch up with him they suggest that maybe hitting just isn't his thing...but what about pitching?

Now that these two have totally inserted themselves in this kid's life, it was time to start the hard work.  The comic seems to genuinely try to include actual exercise/training information, or at least I think it does.  But since I don't know anything about training to be a pitcher I couldn't tell you if anything is actually accurate.  But there's something about learning a desirable skill form a freebie promotional comic book that seems very natural to me.  That being said, you'll never guess what training for the big leagues involves starting your day with...

Start the training montage!  If you like stories about weight training, stretching, fastball grips and form on the mound then this is the story for you!  Tony and Nolan (mainly Nolan) go over the fundamentals with Paul and they practice, practice, practice!  Or they just tell him to practice and then go back to their respective ranches.  I know Nolan has a ranch and I assume Tony has one too...filled with delicious sugar frosted antelopes and gazelles (with some sliced bananas to keep it healthy)!

Game time!  Later at a impromptu playground ball game, one of the kids gets called home for dinner (perhaps a cross-over story followed up in a Kraft Cheesasaurus Rex comic?) so Paul gets his big shot at the mound.  And, wouldn't you know it, Nolan & Tony's advice pays off!  Paul struck out the batter and I learned the term "whiffed."  But that's not all...

Looks like Paul made it all the way to State!  And all it took was some personal coaching from one of the best baseball players of all time, encouragement from a professional cereal legend, and (reading between the lines here) bowl after bowl of Frosted Flakes!  Sounds like a winning combination to me!

Tony's Ride

Cincinnati supermarket Jungle Jim's International Market is just about the best place around.  I could write dozens of blog entries about it and maybe someday I will.   But, as they say, "the journey of a dozen entries starts with one blog," so let's just talk about a quasi-animatronic Tony the Tiger today.

One of the many unique displays at the store is this Tony the Tiger statue atop a grand carousel type stallion.  The "Two Scoops" Raisin Bran Sun shines down brightly in approval of the rider and his steed as cardboard Keebler Elves look on in awe.  Something is clearly about to go down.  So how do you make the magic happen?

That may be one of the most pushable buttons I've seen in a good long while.  I mean, look at that thing!  Who could possibly walk past this beauty without pushing it?  Nobody I want to know.  So what happens after the pushing takes place?  Let's roll the gif!

Okay, it may seem a little underwhelming to people that hate fun but, to me, it's a masterpiece.  Tony actually talks while he moves but to hear it you'll have to visit the store yourself.  So just soak up the gif while you can.

It's worth mentioning that there's another element to the display.  To the right of Tony are these two characters:

Correct me if I'm wrong but this appears to be a version of Pinocchio applying a hair piece to Geppetto.  Why are they there?  What do they have to do with Kellogg's?  I don't have those answers but for some reason I appreciate the fact that they're there.  Enjoy your shopping!