Rainbow Sprinkles Lucky Charms

Name: Rainbow Sprinkles Lucky Charms
Variation: Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: With every cereal I review, I become a more seasoned critic. But it can also feel like I'm repeating myself sometimes. This is a birthday cake flavored version of Lucky Charms - and my opinion on birthday cake is well-documented. It's colorful, but it's not one of my favorite flavors. And this version of Lucky Charms isn't even that pretty (although I like the fading gradient on the front of the box). The "confetti sprinkle pieces" are not just underwhelming - they're downright disappointing! You can barely see them. With a corn rather than oat base (much like Honey Clovers), the cereal pieces resemble yellow cake. Apparently, the debut of JUMBO Rainbows drained the charm's teleportation power, because you can follow a maze on the back of this box to help Lucky recharge his rainbow charm. You won't be surprised to learn that this isn't the best version of Lucky Charms I've tried. It's prefectly edible, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Grey as a storm cloud, and tastes a bit like frosting.

Lucky Charms JUMBO Rainbows

Name: Lucky Charms Jumbo Rainbows
Variation: Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: While it's as good an excuse as any to have a [Giant Size] box of Lucky Charms, I doubted whether having jumbo rainbow marshmallows was enough of a reason to give this cereal its own review. My opinion on Lucky Charms (which is one of my lifelong favorites) is well-documented, so the only thing in question is what effect, if any, these jumbo marshmallows have on my experience of eating it.

"Wherever you dream to go, it's possible with Lucky's jumbo rainbow!" Since the regular rainbow charm already gives Lucky the power to teleport, I'm interpreting the jumbo charm to give Lucky the power to teleport to places he's never been before (to boldly go...). Unless the idea is that he can teleport to fantastical places located in the realm of pure imagination? General Mills, please clarify.

Anyway, it's a pretty superficial modification - every once in a while, you'll get a bite with a larger marshmallow. It's not the best, but also not the worst novelty marshmallow I've seen in Lucky Charms. The size difference does disrupt the cereal's uniformity somewhat, so I don't expect it'll stick around (do they ever?). But it is nice to dig into the cereal and get a stronger impression of "rainbows!" than usual.

For better or worse (your mileage may vary), General Mills has managed to emphasize rainbows with this cereal, without tying it to gay pride. I support gay pride (and silence on this issue can speak volumes in this day and age); but I also recognize that, as a meteorological phenomenon, rainbows aren't intrinsically gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But I believe they deserve to maintain a life outside of gay pride, too.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Blue-grey and marshmallow-y (like the sky after it rains).

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Strawberry

Name: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Strawberry
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I was intrigued when I spotted this new flavor of Cinnamon Toast Crunch on the shelves. The toasties are noticeably pink, and have a real strawberry flavor - I'm just glad it's not strawberries and cream. It's really good. It tastes a bit like if you drizzled strawberry syrup over your French toast. Add fresh strawberries to take it to the next level!

I wanted to try mixing this cereal with Chocolate Toast Crunch, because I think that sounds like a great combination, but I can't seem to find it anymore. Dubious novelties like CinnaGraham Toast Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls (actually, those were decent), and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Waffle are all still available, but I can't find Chocolate Toast Crunch? That's concerning. It should be a staple!

Anyway, like most varieties of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, this cereal has a perfectly reasonable amount of sugar (a median value of 12g per cup - not low, but not high either). Although the fat content (4g per cup) trends toward the upper end of what's normal - which is probably why it still tastes so good.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Like a decadent, cinnamon strawberry milkshake!

Blueberry Bran Crunch

Name: Blueberry Bran Crunch
Variation: Raisin Bran
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Here's an exciting new cereal I spotted this year. It's like Raisin Bran Crunch, but with blueberries instead of raisins. Actually, it has "blueberry flavored crunchy oat clusters" (although dried blueberries are listed in the ingredients). It's actually really good. It has a good blueberry flavor. The only thing it's missing are fresh blueberries! But it does have [significantly] more sugar than Oreo Puffs - equivalent to Raisin Bran, but slightly lower than Raisin Bran Crunch. I wouldn't make a habit of eating this cereal regularly, but I do like it.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Flakey, and blueberry-flavored.