Toy Story 5

Name: Toy Story 5
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I was a kid when the first Toy Story movie came out (over thirty years ago...), but I haven't really followed the franchise since then. But judging from the cereal tie-in, there's a fifth one coming out this year. I saw a trailer for it in the theater recently, and the premise resonated with me: on the dangers of tech devices, which prioritize screen time over real world interactions and exercising imagination. I must be getting old, if I'm complaining about modern technology ruining kids' brains. Although there are real issues involved here.

But this is a cereal blog, so what about the cereal? I'm concerned that it will be another one of Kellogg's opportunistic marketing blunders, like the endless remixes of their terrible berry stars cereal. These pale, "vanilla-flavored loops" couldn't look blander. They're white as a ghost, with the merest hint of sprinkles. If these were cupcakes, what a paltry celebration they would inspire. This cereal is in desperate need of some marshmallows. I don't hate it, but I'm struggling to find a reason to enjoy it. I certainly won't be buying it again, not even to "grab all four boxes" (who is Kellogg's kidding?). I think I got lucky and got the best one on my first try (with apologies to both Woody and Buzz), featuring Jessie the cowgirl rag doll.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Vanilla-flavored.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float

Name: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Here's a novel flavor for the summer - and coming on the heels of Mystery Crunch, which I suspect was cream soda-flavored. What's next, Fruity Pebbles Orange Soda? Although I'd prefer grape soda. I used to drink root beer when I was a kid, but that's not really a habit that followed me into adulthood. I like the fireworks design on the box - it's festive, without being too patriotic (sadly, on the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding, there's very little about this country to be proud of). Eaten dry, this cereal has that unmistakable root beer flavor. I'm not sure how much of a "float" sensation there is, beyond simply adding cold milk. But the flavor is kind of subdued in milk, and the cereal isn't as sweet or cinnamon-y as Cinnamon Toast Crunch usually is. Honestly, I'm not crazy about it. I'd sooner pick up another box of Mystery Crunch, and I never liked cream soda half as much as root beer - so that's saying something.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: More of a root beer float than the cereal itself.

Squishmallows Spring Vibes

Name: Squishmallows Spring Vibes
Variation: Squishmallows
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Aside from the hot pink box, I'm struggling to determine what makes this "Spring Vibes" version any different from last year's Squishmallows cereal, so this review might sound repetitive. It does give off spring vibes (although it did that last year, too) - with its pale, yellow loops and pretty pink, blue, and purple marshmallows. Although the sheer variety of Squishmallows depicted on the box is sorely represented by these marshmallows. But that's to be expected - cereal marbits are far from the best medium for artistic expression. Their aesthetic value (setting aside the pivotal role they have in enhancing the flavor profile of a cereal) rarely extends beyond providing a pleasing pop of color. This is a perfectly pleasant marshmallow-flavored cereal, but I'm wondering if the market is saturated between this and Peeps cereal (also manufactured by Kellogg's)...

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Like a mini marshmallow milkshake.

Blue Raspberry Trix

Name: Blue Raspberry Trix
Variation: Trix
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Not to be outdone by everyone's favorite leprechaun cereal mascot, the Trix Rabbit is starring in its own promotion for the new Super Mario Galaxy movie! Although one would imagine that the Rabbit shares Luigi's penchant for jumping, I think Lucky (in his green get-up) makes for a better pairing with Mario, at least visually. Moving on to the cereal, what is blue raspberry anyway? Well, it has a strong fruity aroma, and an almost juicy flavor. The cereal is not as colorful as usual, but I get a better impression of galaxies from these blue and purple swirled puffs than I did from Strawberry Lucky Charms' "galactic" marshmallows. Throw in some of those yellow stars, and between these two cereals they might have earned a three-bowl rating!

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Nothing to write home about.

Strawberry Lucky Charms

Name: Strawberry Lucky Charms
Variation: Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I had just missed Fruity Lucky Charms around the time that I started this blog, but this tie-in with the new Super Mario Galaxy movie reminds me of that cereal. I like how putting Mario on the front of the box opposite Lucky emphasizes how much Lucky's green outfit makes him look like Luigi.

The oat pieces are coated in a pretty pink layer of strawberry flavoring - which would have made them the perfect base for my Pixie Charms fantasy cereal. However, the "galactic marshmallows" just look like swirled blue, red, and green lemons. Apparently, General Mills didn't learn with their Galactic Lucky Charms that as cool a concept as space is, you really can't effectively represent something as nebulous as a "galaxy" in the form of a dehydrated marshmallow bit.

The small yellow stars, on the other hand, look great. (As cool as the unicorns and rainbows are, it's a testament to the importance of simplicity when it comes to marshmallow design). There are stars of all different colors drawn on the side of the box - I think the cereal would have looked better if they had ditched all the other marshmallows and just focused on the stars. Anyway, it's a lot better than the last Super Mario cereal I tried - you can't go wrong with Lucky Charms - and even better still with fresh strawberries cut up into it!

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Purple like an overcast sky - every stargazer's worst nightmare.

Scooby Doo! Cinnamon Crisp!

Name: Scooby Doo! Cinnamon Crisp!
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: After trying Cinnamon Pebbles not that long ago, my interest in purely cinnamon-flavored cereals has wavered. Not that I don't like cinnamon, but I'm not sure it's a flavor that can really stand on its own. I mean, even Cinnamon Toast Crunch has that rich, buttery flavor going for it. However, this cereal turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The paw-shaped biscuits are good as a dry snack, offering a crispy bite. And in milk, they have a much more satisfying mouthfeel than Pebbles do. Honestly, it's a relief after three weeks of not-so-great cereals. But, it's still a lot of cinnamon - I'm finding that when I eat too much cinnamon, it irritates my throat a little bit. As a final note, the back of the box offers a mystery (appropriately enough) for you to try to solve while you eat breakfast, and it actually provides a fair challenge.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Tastes like cinnamon cookies!

Mott's Very Berry

Name: Mott's Very Berry
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I had to take a break after trying Mott's new applesauce-inspired Apple Cinnamon cereal, but I couldn't avoid trying its companion flavor, Very Berry. Honestly, I'd be more excited it it were just classic strawberry, instead of this generic conglomerate of berry flavors. The puffs are dark pink and purple, and smell very fruity. The cereal still isn't sweet enough, and tastes too corn-y, but it's marginally better than Apple Cinnamon was. Which isn't saying much. And it's not enough for me to recommend it.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Barely berry...