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.

Munch Madness 2020

Previously:

Munch Madness 2019  - -  Munch Madness 2018

It'ss that time of year again!  Let the madness commence!  This time it's not just the sweet treats of Little Debbie competing.  We've got some new competitors.  But let's get the main event out of the way:

Congrats to Nutty Buddies, your 2020 Little Debbie Champion!  But they're not alone when it comes to this year's victory.  A&W Restaurants are also joining the fray. 

Full disclosure: I've only eaten there a handful of times.  I usually stop in to satisfy a chili dog craving but I think I've sampled enough of their menu to work my way through the brackets.  Let's see how it turned out:

No surprise here.  Their signature root beer makes a great root beer float and that's our winner.  I'll need to stop by soon to get myself a celebratory dessert.

And finally, the Popicon Blog is ranking the best product mascots of all time.  This one was right up my alley so I had to give it a try.  But there were some tough choices to be made.  I'm still not 100% sure about every win/loss but it is what it is:

Congrats to the one and only Cap'n Crunch for pulling out a victory against some fierce competition.  So what do you think?  Agree?  Disagree?  Feel like arguing any of my picks?  Well, let me have it! 

Dead Man's Party

Guess who's back?  Yep, it's that time of year again.  The grocery store shelves are turning a specific shade of orange and black and the rubber mask smell wafts throughout the stores a little bit more than you'd like it to.  But the most important indicator of the approach of the Halloween season happens in the cereal aisle:

I've had mixed feelings about the seasonal availability about the General Mills Monster Cereals.  Of course, in the old days they were on sale year round and when they changed to a six week seasonal offering, the initial feelings of shock and betrayal couldn't be denied.

But I think I've come around on the whole situation.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.  One of the best things about the shorter release is the new box designs we get (almost) every year.  This year in particular has quite the Halloween party on the back:

If you're into advertising mascots like me, this is definitely the party you want to be invited to.  A lot of our cereal pals are in attendance and the costume theme seems to be exclusively "monsters from Monster Cereals."  Here's how it breaks down:

• Dressed as Count Chocula: Boo Berry, the Trix Rabbit and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch "Crazy Squares" (I still haven't warmed up to those guys)
• Dressed as Boo Berry: Lucky the Leprechaun, Frankenberry and Buzz Bee from Honey Nut Cherrios
• Dressed as Frankenberry: Count Chocula, Sonny from Cocoa Puffs and the Pillsbury Doughboy?!?  Wait, he's not from a cereal!

He definitely gets the MVP award for this get-together.  You didn't see any other non-cereal mascots show up to support the monsters but this guy is a total team player.  I want to see more of this in the coming years.  Let's get some crossovers going!