Cereal Review: General Mills "Elf" Cereal

It’s Christmastime, and that means it is time for a very special holiday cereal review!

This year’s victim... err... subject is General Mills’ “Elf” cereal (branding based on the popular 2003 movie starring Will Ferrell). 

“Elf” cereal follows a pretty standard pattern for these sorts of special edition cereals — sweetened corn puffs with marshmallows. 

As is the case with a lot of cereals, the “marshmallow-to-puff” ratio is far too low. Stop being stingy with the ’mallows!

The three marshmallow-shaped pieces featured are a candy cane, a piece of candy corn, and the green round thing I can only assume is supposed to be a standard piece of candy (since those are all things that Buddy the Elf liked in the movie). 

One of the more interesting aspects of General Mills’ “Elf” cereal is that the sweetened corn puffs have a distinct maple syrup flavor. 

Maple syrup is one of Buddy the Elf’s favorite condiments in the movie. Adding in the flavoring definitely sets the cereal apart from other holiday counterparts — such as the Kellogg's “Elf on the Shelf” Cereal that I reviewed in 2020. 

On the back of the box is a Buddy the Elf “Clausometer” with all sorts of activities kids and their families can do to help the community and enjoy the holidays — including organizing a food drive in your neighborhood and making “Buddy approved” recipes from bettycrocker.com. 

While the General Mills’ “Elf” cereal might not be a magical experience for all, I found it to be pretty good. As I mentioned before, the maple syrup flavor set it apart from other novelty cereals I’ve reviewed. 

As always, I’d like to thank those who enjoy these cereal reviews for their positive feedback and cereal recommendations throughout the year. I haven’t been able to track down all of the suggestions in the store, but keep them coming! 

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See ya back here soon!

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This is the Way! My "Star Wars: The Mandalorian" Cereal Review

May The 4th Be With You!

A year ago today I reviewed General Mills's early 2020 incarnation of "Star Wars" cereal — the artwork on the box was from 2019's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." 

I enjoyed that cereal more than other "novelty" cereals I've reviewed on the blog (a number of which have been pretty bad). I wrote "it's fun, it tastes good, and it won't offend you." 

The latest "Star Wars" cereal landed on store shelves toward the end of 2020. It was a tie-in to the Disney+ series "Star Wars: The Mandalorian" and prominently features artwork of Grogu (Baby Yoda). 

I've noticed the cereal going for a premium on a number of websites, so I assume it is currently off the market (although I saw a customer buying it recently at a nearby Sam's Club). 

Luckily, I had a brand new box sitting in storage. Its expiration date is next month, so I figured it was high time to review it! 

The cereal itself is nothing spectacular to look at. The marshmallows are shaped like Baby Yoda's head. The crunchy pieces are little yellow balls (which are essentially Trix) that have a fruity flavor. 

If I were to describe the flavor of the crunchy pieces, it is sort of what I'd imagine "Pledge Furniture Polish Cereal" tasting like — an artificial lemon flavor that is just “okay.” 

I will also note that there aren't nearly enough marshmallow pieces in the box. I had to dig through the box to find enough of the little pieces for the photos I took. 

There aren't any fun coloring pages, activities, or games on (or in) the box. The only thing is this artwork of Mando and Grogu with the number "11" and the title "The Child" on the back. The same art appears on the rear of each box that is sold, so it isn't part of a "collection" of boxes with different artwork. 

While I don't know if this is the way to a satisfying breakfast experience, you could do probably worse than General Mills's "The Mandalorian" cereal (see my "Does General Mills Mermaid Cereal Taste Like Real Mermaids?" review for more information). 

Is it great? No (and there were missed opportunities to make the packaging more fun), but it might satisfy the little ones in your life. 

I have spoken... 

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Should Kellogg’s The Elf on the Shelf Cereal Become a Christmas Tradition?

I love writing cereal reviews. 

They're short, quick, and easy. I get to eat what amounts to a bowl of sugar. 

As a special holiday treat, I am reviewing Kellogg’s The Elf on the Shelf “Vanilla Candy Cane Cookie with Marshmallows” Cereal (that was a mouthful). The logo on the box reads “OFFICIAL CEREAL OF THE NORTH POLE”... (that’s a bold claim).  

I tend to enjoy the various peppermint-themed Christmas foods. Peppermint stick ice cream is one that immediately comes to mind. 

I was hoping this would be the cereal equivalent of peppermint stick ice cream. It “kind of” is. 

The cereal itself features grain-based stars and peppermint marshmallows (little ones, like the mallows featured in hot chocolate mix). 

I tasted a star and a marshmallow by themselves to begin. Honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed. I was expecting them to have a solid mint taste (like a Peppermint LifeSavers Candy). 

Instead, I was faced with something much more “muted.” The star didn’t have much flavor, and the marshmallow was too small to make an informed judgment. At that point, I wasn’t sure what to expect. 

Then I added milk to the bowl and ate a spoonful. The effect was better, and tasted more minty (it still wasn’t quite what I was hoping for). 

The box doesn’t feature any games or activities, but there is a “story” (done to “‘Twas the night before Christmas”) telling how the cereal was made. 

There is a website you can visit for more information – www.elfontheshelf.com/kelloggs. 

The site has a page for “Parents” with information on the cereal (they also have Kellogg’s The Elf on the Shelf “Sugar Cookie Cereal with Marshmallows” Cereal). You can also select a “Kids” page that has games and activities. 

Overall, Kellogg’s The Elf on the Shelf “Vanilla Candy Cane Cookie with Marshmallows” Cereal was alright, but nothing spectacular. I don’t think it is worthy of becoming a Christmas tradition... 

I will say that it is the first Christmas-themed cereal I have sampled, so I’ll have to sample some new ones next year. 

Until my next cereal review, I hope those of you celebrating have a very Merry Christmas! 

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Is the Force Strong With the Latest "Star Wars" Cereal?

May The 4th Be With You! 

I think I finally found a novelty breakfast cereal that doesn’t suck. 

Before your lightsabers start glowing, let me qualify this by saying that General Mills “Star Wars”-themed cereal isn’t to breakfast what “The Empire Strikes Back” is to the “Star Wars” saga. 

I’d say this cereal is the sugary equivalent of “The Force Awakens.” It’s fun, it tastes good, and it won’t offend you. 

When I first saw the “Star Wars” cereal box, I assumed it would be the “Star Wars” version of General Mills’ venerable Lucky Charms Cereal. 

I was wrong. The marshmallows are similar, but instead of the toasted oat pieces found in Lucky Charms, the crunchy pieces in the “Star Wars” Cereal are “fruity flavored.” 

In that regard, the overall effect is closer to General Mills’ “monster” cereals like Franken Berry (a personal favorite of mine). As a result, I liked this incarnation of “Star Wars” cereal. 

This isn’t the first time I’ve had cereal from a “galaxy far, far away.” 

The first “Star Wars”-branded cereal I recall having was Kellogg’s C-3PO Cereal. I was 11 when it was introduced in 1984 (it was produced until 1986). Sadly, I didn’t have a blog back then, so I have no recollection about what it tasted like. 

Here is a commercial for that cereal from “a long time ago”... 

The marshmallow pieces in General Mills “Star Wars” Cereal come in five shapes: Jedi Starfighter, BB-8, Lightsaber, R2-D2, Stormtrooper.

As is commonly the case with these sort of novelty cereals, there is an activity on the back of the box. In this instance, “Kylo Ren commands you to repair the First Order’s TIE fighters by finding the correct location” for three parts on the ship’s schematics:

While the activity isn’t as interesting as some of the games (or the key that allowed you to determine your “unicorn name” on Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal), it might amuse your little ones. 

Going into my review of General Mills “Star Wars” Cereal, I figured I’d be saying, “I have a bad feeling about this.” Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all. Each spoonful got my Midi-chlorians jumping and I soon felt “strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark.” 

It made me wonder what the experience would be like with blue milk. 

(If you don’t understand any of the jargon I just referenced, you’re clearly not the intended audience for this cereal…) 

That’s all I have for this cereal review. Until next time... spoons up, bowls at the ready, and may the Force be with you! 

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Is Kellogg’s Peeps Cereal Like Easter in a Box?

Joyous Easter celebrations have been thwarted by the global outbreak of COVID-19. 

Most of the eggs being hunted are in picked-over grocery stores across the nation. The Easter Bunny is likely locked in a hutch somewhere. 

Aside from being a tentpole Christian holiday, Easter also serves as an annual marker that spring is upon us. 

What is a person to do in times of distress like this?

My answer: EAT BREAKFAST CEREAL! 

A few weeks ago Bridget bought me a box of Kellogg’s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal to review. As many of you know, I like to review novelty cereals on this blog. Heck, I just like cereal in general. 

I also love Peeps (is it a candy?). Bridget didn’t get me any Peeps marshmallows this time out. She thinks they’re disgusting. (She also doesn’t think I need to consume any additional sugar during this quarantine.)

For me, those marshmallow critters — with the crunchy sugar coating — are to Easter what the candy cane is the Christmas. 

When my mom was alive, she was the master of Easter baskets. She would put together beautiful creations that included all sorts of savory treats. For Easter 1989, she had one of those egg-shaped balloons (with the confetti in the bottom) made for me at a card shop at Crossroads Mall (City Limits). In addition to candy, she included a pale green sweater and a “Star Trek” novel in it. 

My mom is no longer with us — and we are all living the quarantined life — so this box of cereal will have to make do!

The box says Peeps Cereal is “Marshmallow Flavored Cereal With Marshmallows.” That’s like a package of bacon saying it’s “Bacon Flavored Bacon With Bacon.” 

In other words, “Delicious Flavored Delicious With Delicious.” 

Plus, the cereal is “artificially flavored” and we all know that anything labeled “artificially flavored” tastes awesome!

So what’s the verdict on Kellogg’s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal??

Kellogg’s Peeps Cereal tastes sort of like the Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal I reviewed in 2018. It had a mild sweetness that tasted like donuts. The crunchy “Os” in the Peeps version aren't quite as sweet, though. So, not particularly spectacular, but it won’t offend me when I have a bowl in the middle of the night. 

Kellogg’s, thankfully, has finally included marshmallow pieces in one of its novelty cereals. This is a welcome development. 

Unfortunately, the “marshmallow-to-cereal ratio” is pretty lackluster. This is Peeps cereal for crying out loud! This thing should be full of marshmallows. 

If you look at this picture, you'll see how few marshmallows there are. Here’s hoping there are more lurking in the bottom of the box:

As is the case with cereals like this, Kellogg’s Peeps Cereal has a fun game you can play on the box. In this case, each player selects a cereal piece (be sure to wash your hands for the suggested 20 seconds prior to selecting your piece). Then you draw additional cereal pieces to determine how many spaces to move. (If you draw a marshmallow, you eat it and draw again.)

The game board has the Peep characters saying fun things like “I wonder if I lay marshmallow eggs” and “My best friend is an egg. Her name is Shelly.” So I guess that’s fun... 

I’ll bet my nephew Blaise and niece Scotland would like to play this game (their little brother Anson would likely rip the box apart). If we weren’t currently social distancing, that might happen. Sadly, they won't get to experience this game until next Easter. 

I wish I could say Kellogg’s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal was the sugar-filled equivalent of “Easter in a Box” — something to salve your wounds during “Quarantine Easter.”

It is definitely better than some of the other novelty cereals the manufacturer has produced, but it could have been so much better. 

Until the next time I open a box, grab a bowl, and pour the milk, I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter! 

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Does General Mills “Mermaid Cereal” Taste Like Real Mermaids?

It’s time to dive into General Mills Mermaid Cereal. 

In 2018, I reviewed the limited edition Unicorn Cereal Kellogg’s trotted out to grocery stores across the nation (a move that likely caused a magical glut of impulse purchases when daughters begged parents for it as they rolled through the breakfast aisle). 

The Unicorn Cereal featured circular, sugary “Os” similar to those found in the Kellogg’s Fruit Loops brand (albeit, different colors). 

I described the taste of Unicorn Cereal as this: “Imagine — if you will — that a glazed donut and a Fruit Loop decide to have a baby. The resulting offspring is sort of like a fusion of both parents, but is ultimately unremarkable on its own.”  

When I saw the colorful General Mills Mermaid Cereal box at our local Hy-Vee store, I knew I had to check it out. This is the sort of hard-hitting content I like to bring you on this blog. 😉 

I’m a big fan of novelty breakfast cereals, but my experience with Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal left me wary of its aquatic counterpart. 

First of all, I don’t understand why General Mills doesn’t include marshmallows in their Mermaid Cereal. It makes no sense whatsoever. If you’re going to market an ultra-colorful/ultra-sugary cereal to kids, please throw in a few cups of marshmallows. Please!

The Mermaid Cereal tastes like a “subdued” version of General Mills Frankenberry (a cereal that features marshmallows). It is rather bland — not memorable at all. Marshmallows would have helped. 

The cereal’s official description is: “Naturally Fruit Flavored Sweetened Corn Puffs With Other Natural Flavors.”

I dunno about any of you, but the “star” and “fish” shaped pieces kind of look like dry cat food. 

The good news is that it doesn’t taste like seafood. So there’s that. 

There is a game on the back of the Mermaid box that you can play… if you want. Spoiler Alert: Your “treasure” is “jewels”… and there are 11 treasure chests in the picture. 

I’ve gotta say, I was pretty underwhelmed by General Mills Mermaid Cereal. I mean, I didn’t have a lot of hope going in. If they’d just tossed in some marshmallows, I might have been able to recommend this. 

Instead, it’d probably be better if General Mills loaded up a harpoon and “deep-sixed” this particular brand… 

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Hark the Cereal Aisle! Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch is Here!

I reviewed far too many pumpkin spice concoctions the past couple months. 

I am so happy to be able to review a Christmas-themed cereal! 

I mean, it has a Christmas-themed box. It says it is “limited edition.” I’m not exactly sure that sugar cookie-flavored rectangles will be making spirits bright in the way that candy cane-flavored wafers might, but we’ll make do with what we have. 

Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch is a variant on the popular Cinnamon Toast Crunch (duh!)

It tastes like sugar cookies. 

It isn’t remarkable, but it won’t offend you, either. It is sort of like a crunchy bowl of vanilla ice cream. 

The packaging includes “dot-to-dot” and “word find” puzzles. Those should make a pedestrian bowl of cereal a bit more intriguing for ya. 

I’m really hoping to find some sort of candy cane flavor cereal before Christmas. If I do, you better believe you’ll be reading about it on this blog!

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My Last Foray Into This Silly Trend: Pumpkin Spice Mini Wheats

For the sake of this blog — and for the sake of my curiosity — I decided to try my favorite breakfast cereal in the “pumpkin spice” variety. 

Last month, I reviewed Pop-Tarts flavored like pumpkin pie. They were alright. 

We’re nearing the end of “pumpkin season.” In a matter of hours, everything “special” will be peppermint. 

I’ll probably review some of those items too... mainly because they are super easy blog posts to write, and they get a lot of clicks (I kind of get obsessed with analytics on my hobby blogs). 

So there you go. You’re probably like, “So what did you think of the cereal, Jon?”

Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats are a staple of my diet. I’m sure they have too much sugar. I also know pop culture’s obsession with the “evils of gluten” won’t win me any health awards. 

I don’t care. The cereal is high in fiber and protein. 

The “pumpkin spice” edition of the cereal wasn’t too bad. I prefer the regular ol’ standby, to be honest. 

One “side effect” of the pumpkin spice coating is that it turned the milk an orange color. Some mornings that was sort of a turn off, to be honest.

That’s all I got. But don’t worry, I’ll be back with some weird food gimmick in December! 

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Is Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal a Magical Breakfast Experience?

Is there anything more fun than novelty breakfast cereals?

Of course there is... but for the sake of this blog post, let’s go with the notion that loud, colorful, and sugary breakfast cereals represent the pinnacle of daily life experiences. 

My friend C.J posted a picture on Facebook a few days ago of a box of Kellogg’s “Limited Edition” Unicorn Cereal. I said to my wife, “a review of that cereal would make a great blog post.”

It’s so ridiculously pink and girly — pandering to the current unicorn fad — that I had to try it. 

The cereal itself is shaped in “Os” — similar to Kellogg’s Fruit Loops — purple, red, and blue. There are little white crusty frosting pieces on the outside. 

Upon opening the box, you are greeted with a smell similar to processed frosting. So far, so good. 

I’ll bet you’d like to know how they taste...

Imagine — if you will — that a glazed donut and a Fruit Loop decide to have a baby. The resulting offspring is sort of like a fusion of both parents, but is ultimately unremarkable on its own...

... that’s what Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal tastes like. 

(On the box it describes the flavor as “Magic Cupcake”...)

It’s not going to offend you, but it’s likely not something you’d buy again. 

Keep in mind, though, that this box of cereal offers fun that goes beyond a bowl of crunchy “Os” doused in milk.

There is a “key” on the side of the box that allows you to discover your unicorn name. You use the “first letter of your name” and the “month you were born” to determine this:

It turns out that my unicorn name is “Sunbeam Feather Wind”...

There’s also a “unicorn coloring page” on the back of the box — featuring a unicorn you can decorate all fancy with a box of crayons:

  

I’m not sure I’d recommend Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal. I’ve heard from a number of our “mom friends” that their unicorn-loving kids didn’t care for the cereal. 

It’s not magical, but it won’t offend you...

But... If you have a blog and are looking to meet your monthly post quota, the $4 price tag is well worth the novelty value. 

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