Twinkles

Name: Twinkles
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: This week, we're going "back to the 1960's" for some "goodness in sweetened toasted corn." I wasn't around in the '60s, so I have no idea who Twinkles is. But it looks about what you would expect of a children's cartoon from the age of psychedelics. Accompanied by various other zoo animals, Twinkles is a pink elephant (fittingly, a common symbol of chemical-induced hallucinations) who you can - via the game board on the back of the box - help race to the Star Factory in the clouds, to replenish his Twinkle Dust. XD

The cereal itself consists of bright yellow stars - kind of reminiscent of Super Mario's invincibility star. I can't help thinking of Kellogg's dreadful "berry stars" cereals (of which Froot Loops Wonka was covertly the latest iteration). I was worried that this cereal would be just as boring as Bluey was, but thankfully, there's enough sweetness to sell it. I bet its plainness would lend well to add-ins, like fresh strawberries. They could have added marshmallows and called them clouds!

This is one of those cases where the limitation of my simple, 3-point rating system is made painfully evident. I think Twinkles deserves to rate higher than cereals I couldn't stand to eat, but on the other hand, I don't think I like it enough to buy it again. So I'll just give it a one bowl rating with distinction. :-p

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Mildly sweetened.

Squishmallows

Name: Squishmallows
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Like a hug in a cereal bowl, Squishmallows has joined the breakfast table! This isn't the first marshmallow-flavored cereal with marshmallows that Kellogg's has slapped its name on, so comparisons to Peeps cereal are entirely appropriate. The colors are a little more subdued - pale yellow loops accented by pastel pink, blue, and purple marshmallows shaped like Cam the calico cat - but not at all unpleasant. It's like Peeps had an illicit tryst with LOL Surprise! (a General Mills cereal), and this is the offspring. Anyway, this cereal is low in fat, has an expectedly moderate but not unreasonable amount of sugar, and may be a little plain, but is sweet, with a good marshmallow flavor. I suspect that it's basically Peeps re-branded so it can be sold year-round.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Marshmallow-y.

Bluey

Name: Bluey
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I don't know who this Bluey is, or why he's so popular all of a sudden - and adding to the mystery is the conspicuous lack of information on the box. I don't know what flavor this cereal is supposed to be. Blueberry? Maybe. Maybe not. All it says (tucked in the corner) is that it's a "lightly sweetened corn cereal" - and when they say lightly sweetened, they mean 4g of sugar per serving size (which is already 50% larger than average). That's equivalent to the tiny amount of sugar in Rice Krispies! (Or two bowls of plain Cheerios). The puffs are a little on the small side, and pour alarmingly fast. The taste and texture is reminiscent of cheese balls - but without the cheese (if you can imagine that). There's only the slightest semblance of sweetness. This cereal is so bland, you can almost taste the plain milk over it! Are you supposed to feed this to babies? There's no way I'm going to be able to finish this huge box...

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Baby blue, but completely bland.

Cheerios Oat Crunch Chocolate

Name: Cheerios Oat Crunch Chocolate
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Whether by coincidence or marketing strategy, just after Honey Bunches of Oats put a Chocolate variation on the shelves, the one cereal I've compared that line to the most - Cheerios Oat Crunch - puts out a new version that's chocolate! I haven't had a good experience with the Oat Crunch cereals (too plain, too "healthy"), but this one holds the most promise yet. I know Cheerios can do chocolate well; let's see how the Oat Crunch version holds up.

With 14g of sugar and 5g of fat per 1 cup serving (surprisingly, more than regular Chocolate Cheerios, and by a fair margin - not sure what they're trying to pull here), it might very well be good. Although it's roaming a little far from the "healthy" range. The box says it "helps keep you full through the morning (3 1/2 hours)" which isn't super important to me. I like a light breakfast - just something to tide me over 2-3 hours (usually) until lunch time.

And the verdict is? It's good. The oats give it an awkward texture for chewing, but help fill out the loops and provide substance. The chocolate flavor is decent. I don't hate it. This is, without a doubt, the best Oat Crunch cereal I've had yet. I bet it would be really good with fresh strawberries or bananas cut up into it. Like with Honey Bunches of Oats, I think this chocolate cereal has also redeemed its line.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: A lot of it is absorbed by the oats, but what's left is very chocolatey.