| Count Chocula | |
|---|---|
A box of Count Chocula breakfast cereal |
|
| chocolate-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows |
|
| Mascot: | Cartoon vampire; The name is a pun on the vampire Count Dracula Voiced by Larry Kenney impersonating Bela Lugosi |
| Introduced: | 1971 |
| Availability: | Still in production seasonally |
| Tagline: | I want to eat your cereal! (1971–2008) |
| Notes: | [1] |
| Bowl of Count Chocula | |
| Franken Berry | |
|---|---|
| strawberry-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows |
|
| Mascot: | Cartoon variant of Frankenstein's monster Voiced by Bob McFadden impersonating Boris Karloff |
| Introduced: | 1971 |
| Availability: | Still in production seasonally |
| Notes: | [2] |
| Boo Berry | |
|---|---|
A box of Boo Berry cereal |
|
| blueberry-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows |
|
| Mascot: | Blue cartoon ghost Voiced by Paul Frees impersonating Peter Lorre |
| Introduced: | 1973 |
| Availability: | Still in production seasonally |
| Bowl of Boo Berry | |
| Fruit Brute | |
|---|---|
A box of Fruit Brute |
|
| Frosted fruit-flavored cereal with lime flavored marshmallows |
|
| Mascot: | Cartoon Werewolf |
| Introduced: | 1974/75 |
| Availability: | Discontinued (1983) |
| Notes: | [3] |
| Fruity Yummy Mummy | |
|---|---|
Fruity Yummy Mummy box |
|
| Frosted fruit-flavored cereal with vanilla-flavored marshmallows |
|
| Mascot: | Cartoon Mummy |
| Introduced: | 1987 |
| Availability: | Discontinued (1993) |
| Tagline: | Fruity Yummy Mummy makes your tummy feel yummy! Heh, heh, heh! (1988–1990) |
General Mills monster-themed breakfast cereals are five current and formerly distributed breakfast cereal brands in North America. The series includes Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry, and the discontinued Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy.
Contents |
In 1971, the first two cereals in the line were introduced, Count Chocula and the strawberry-flavored Franken Berry. Boo Berry, reputedly the first blueberry-flavored cereal,[4] was released in 1973, and Fruit Brute the following year. Fruit Brute was discontinued by 1983 and replaced in 1987 by Fruity Yummy Mummy, which also had a short life as it was discontinued in the 1990s.[5]
In the recent past, the three cereals still in circulation could be primarily found during the autumn months,[6][7] in time for Halloween. According to a General Mills source,[8] Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry are all produced year-round, making their seasonality an issue based on decisions made by retailers. As of late 2010, information such as nutrition data and historical factoids can still be found on the official General Mills website at all times of the year.[4]
Though retired, Fruity Yummy Mummy and Fruit Brute still appear occasionally on official merchandise: in recent years, bobblehead dolls have been sold in their images.[9][10]
The television commercials for the cereals usually featured the monsters competitively touting their own cereals to children, but would get frightened when anything interrupted their one-upmanship.[11]
Beginning in 2011, Frankenberry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula cereals will be manufactured and sold only for a few months during the fall/Halloween season. These cereals will not be made and sold the rest of the year (General Mills representative on June 15, 2011).
Franken Berry was very popular when first introduced possibly because the initial batches of the cereal used a dye that didn't break down in the body, causing many children's feces to be bright pink, a symptom sometimes referred to as "Frankenberry Stool."[12]
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