Cereal Mascot Trivia

Orange Blossom Cereal property Mrbreakfast.com

Orange Blossom Cereal property Mrbreakfast.com

Fun trivia about your favourite breakfast mascots

Lucky the Leprechaun Lucky Charms
Originally Lucky was an angry little elf plotting to get even with children for eating his cereal. Also known as Sir Charms and L.C. Leprechaun. Lucky Charms booted Lucky for a while and went with a wizard named

The Spoonmen Nabisco Shredded Wheat
The Spoonmen were mascots for Shredded Wheat during the late 1950s and were named Munchy, Crunchy and Spoon-Size. By the 80s Nabisco had dropped the mascots, figuring honestly, just how fun can you make plain Shredded Wheat?

Quaker Oats Man Quaker Oats
The first U.S. trademarked cereal mascot all the way back in 1870. He was redesigned in the 1940s by artist Jim Rich and then designed again by Haddon Sundblom, the artist behind the Coca Cola Santa.

Cream of Wheat Chef Cream of Wheat
The Chef date back to 1893 and has had very little changes at all.

Cornelius Rooster Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Cornelius was long proceeded by Corn Flakes’ first mascot, the Sweetheart of the Corn. Cornelius came on scene in the 50s in the opening animation for the Huckleberry Hound Show. A famous past slogan for Corn Flakes was “K-E Double-L O Double-Good. The best to you each morning.”

Pronto the Banana Kellogg’s Banana Corn Flakes
Pronto was all done by the mid-60s but I ask you, who calls a banana ‘Pronto?’

Snap, Crackle and Pop Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
The original Snap! Crackle! and Pop! were addressed as Mr. They appeared in a film in 1937/38 entitled Breakfast Pals with nemesis trio Soggy, Mushy and Squishy. Snap! Crackle! and Pop! also appeared in Woody Woodpecker cartoons after Kellogg’s sponsored the Woody Woodpecker Show. The elves were also featured in the closing credits for the Huckleberry Hound Show.

Neat fact! Different languages describe the sounds of Rice Krispies in different ways:
Afrikaans: Knap! Knetter! Knak!
English: Snap! Crackle! Pop!
Dutch: Pif! Paf! Pof!
French Canadian: Cric! Crac! Croc!
Finnish: Riks! Raks! Poks!
German: Knisper! Knasper! Knusper!
Mexican: Pim! Pam! Pum!
Swedish: Piff! Paff! Puff!

Coco the Monkey Cocoa Krispies
There were several mascots for Cocoa Krispies including Jose the Monkey, Coco the Elephant, Snagglepuss Tiger, Neanderthal Ogg and wife Kell, Tusk Tusk the Elephant

Champy the Lion Wheaties
The Wheaties’ character concept was for a real life sports figure to be the mascot for the cereal. Jack Armstrong had his own radio series in the 1930s. Jack was later followed by Champy the Lion.

Champions of Wheaties
1984: Mary Lou Retton
1986: Walter Payton
1987: Chris Evert
1988: Michael Jordon
1989: Johnny Bench

Tom Mix Ralston Cereals
Pet food company Purina, parent company of Ralston, branded their human products under the Ralston name and their pet foods under the Purina name. Tom Mix, the 1930s cowboy on radio was introduced as a competitor to Wheatie’s Jack Armstrong.

Popeye the Sailor Man Wheatena
Popeye jumped from comics and cartoons to radio as the Wheatena hot cereal mascot.

The Cheerios Kid Cheerios
Cheeri O’Leary and Cherrios Joe Cheerioats
Cheerios was originally called Cheerieoats and featured mascots Cheeri O’Leary and Cheerios Joe who also appeared in the Sunday Comics. The Cheerios Kid appeared in the Mickey Mouse Club show hawking the benefits of Cheerios with his girlfriend Sue until the late 60s. Cheerios also used Rocky and Bullwinkle in as mascots in the mid-60s. A later, frosted version of Cheerios featured Frosty the Polar Bear as mascot. the Cheeri-Yodel stick figure man came along next, and the Peanuts gang rounded out the 80s as Cheerios spokes- kids.

Betty Bite Size Shredded Ralston / Ralston Chex
Betty gave lots of breakfast advice to 1950s wives. Later Chex was represented by Space Patrol’s Commander Buzz Corry and Cadet Happy, these were followed by Professor Checkerboard and the Checkerboard Scarecrow.

Marky Maypo Maypo hot cereal
Marky had a little sister and cousin who featured in the original commercials.

Tony the Tiger Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
Tony debuted in 1952 along with mascot Katy the Kangaroo but it’s clear who was the real winner. Tony also appeared with the Tony, Jr. cub in the 1960s and 70s and was featured in the closing credits for the Huckleberry Hound Show. Many years later he has a daughter named Antoinette.

Dig ’em Frog Sugar Smacks / Honey Smackst
Dig ’em was long preceeded by clowns Lou Jacobs and Paul Jung of Ringling Brothers Circus, and then Smaxey the Seal. Smaxey was featured in the closing credits for the Huckleberry Hound Show. Later Sugar Smacks brought out the Smackin’ Brothers as mascots that liked to box each other senseless over cereal. In the 70s a very macho Indian Chief on horseback replaced the brothers and finally the Sugar Smacks frog came along in 1972 with no name. He was called Dig ’em because of his line ‘dig ’em dig ’em’ in the adverts.

Poppy Porcupine Sugar Pops
Poppy was preceded by Sugar Pops Pete in 1958, a prairie dog in western getup who used a ‘pop-gun’ so turn bad guys ‘sweet.” Sugar Pops Pete was featured in the closing credits for the Huckleberry Hound Show. At some point Pete was axed in favour of an actual cowboy called Whippersnapper, then a John-Wayne sort called Big Yella

Sugar Crisp Bear Post’s Sugar Crisp / Super Golden Crisp
The laid back Super Golden Crisp Bear who turned golden and all super-hero-y when he ate his crisp came after the Post Sugar Crisp Bear who was developed after the original trio of bear cubs called Handy, Dandy and Candy, or the Sugar Crisp bears, or the Honey Bears. The Sugar Bear we all know and love today started out trying to continually get Sugar Crisp from Granny Goodwitch. Later he and his girlfriend Honey Bear formed a band called the Sugar Bears.

Cap’n Crunch Cap’n Crunch
Cap’n Crunch is believed to be the descendent of Captain Jolly, the mascot of Post’s Corn-Fetti cereal. The Cap’n gad lost of friends throughout the years, including Wilma the White Whale (Vanilly Crunch), Harry Hippo (Punch Crunch), Chockle Blob (Choco Crunch).

Trix Rabbit Trix
The Trix Rabbit was one of the only mascots to hawk cereal for the sheer fun of eating it, not for what it could do for the consumer, i.e. build muscles, give stamina, etc. The Trix Rabbit has never been assigned a first name. In 1976 General Mills held a kiddie election and children voted 99% in favour of the rabbit getting his beloved Trix. He was given a bowl and then told he’d have to wait for the next election to get another.

Sonny Cocoa Puffs
In early commercials for Cocoa Puffs Sonny appeared with an older cuckoo bird named Gramps who would use the cereal to do some really strange stuff to Sonny. Viewers complained Gramps was too evil and Sonny has been flying solo ever since.

Kaboom Clown Kaboom
The clown on Kaboom’s boxes was never named and is referred to as the Kaboom Clown for want of a better name.

Toucan Sam Kellogg’s Froot Loops
Toucan Sam was featured with his nephews in some Froot Loops ads as baby birds in diapers. Sam was redesigned in 1969

Apple Jacks Crayon Kids Apple Jacks
The original Apple Jacks mascot was Apple Jack, who appeared on boxes as a character head made from an apple with a hat and Apple Jacks for eyes. The Crayon Kids were never named.

Lovable Truly Alpha Bits
Lovable debuted with Alpha Bits as simply the Postman but was redesigned and named after the contract between Post and voiceover artist Jack Leonard expired.

Linus the Lionhearted Post Crispy Critters
Linus was originally the mascot for Post’s cereal Heart of Oats and had been redesigned as friendlier and clumsier. Linus was succeeded by a muppet-like creature named Crispy.

Buzzbee Honey Nut Cheerios
He tugged at heart strings in the Christmas Carol advert for Honey Nut Cheerios.

Cookie Jarvis Cookie-Crisp
Cookie Jarvis was the original wizard mascot for Cookie-Crisp. When he’d worn out he was replaced with the 1980s cookie thieves the Cookie Crook and his dog Chip. Keeping them in line all the time was the Cookie Cop.

Wendell, Bob and Quello Cinnamon Toast Crunch
The chefs started out as three with the names Wendell, Bob and Quello. Then Bob and Quello were let go and chef Wendell had to make the toast all on his own.

Quisp Alien / Quake Quisp Cereal, Quake Cereal
Quisp and Quake were constantly trying to one-up each other for sales. Simon the Quangaroo was a side character and ally for Quake and after the Trix vote, General Mills decided to let the people decided which cereal should stay and which should bite the dust. During the 1972 presidential election, GM had its kiddy election: Quisp won. Quake was retired and then eventually Quisp was too but then was brought back by Quaker for another run.

Count Chocula, Franken Berry and Boo Berry General Mills Cereals
Count Chocula and Franken Berry had a continual competition to prove whose cereal was better until 1972 when Boo Berry came on scene and the two teamed up against him.

The Fruit Brute Frute Brute Cereal

King Vitamin King Vitamin
Later King Vitamins were portrayed by a live actor but he started out as a cartoon with foes Blue Baron and the Not-So-Bright-Knight. He seemed to be constantly getting milk dumped on him.