Retro Halloween Goodness: Monster Cereals

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I'm a sucker for anything retro that triggers nostalgia. Every few years General Mills releases their Monster Cereals in retro packaging for Halloween, and when they do, I can't help but pick them up.


This year they have a QR code on the back of the box that takes you here, where you'll find a Behind the Music-esque video about the Monsters recording a version of Monster Mash that I thought was funny.


In addition, I found this Monster Mash Fruit Snacks product which I thought was neat, until actually trying it -- not a fan. It tastes like fruit, but has the consistency of plastic. But still, the packaging drew me in!





Comments

Ed said…

Fruit Brute
Introduced: 1974
Based on: The Wolf Man
Flavor: Fruit Flavored with Lime Marshmallows
Fruit Brute was the fourth monster cereal, and the first multi-flavored installment. Unfortunately, the franchise already had their big three, and the Brute was inspired by a monster that often played third wheel to Lugosi’s Dracula, and Karloff’s Frankenstein. So, as a cereal, it didn’t fare much better. Introduced in 1974, it lasted about a decade until it became the first casualty of the monster cereal world.

But as we all know, when something gains a bit of popularity and is then inexplicably discontinued, it’s often a ticket to cult status. And the yearning for a Fruit Brute comeback was made that much stronger when it appeared in a few Tarantino films.



But why did Fruit Brute not hold up? Was it the lime marshmallows? The werewolf in rainbow overalls? The name was too rhymey? Perhaps it was a combination of things. But after its replacement didn’t do much better, we think we have the answer.
November 30, 2021 at 8:40 AM

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