Tropical Trix

Name: Tropical Trix
Variation: Trix
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: In conjunction with Disney's new live action adaptation of Moana, comes this new tropical version of Trix! One can't help thinking of that time that Froot Loops did a tropical version of their cereal; I only wish I'd liked it better. This isn't the first time we've seen a Moana cereal - about 10 years ago, when the original movie came out, Kellogg's had a whole line of Disney cereals out on the shelves. But I wasn't fully into my cereal obsession phase yet, and I only had eyes for Ariel (part of the Disney Princesses lineup) - another animated icon that has since gotten the live action treatment.

Also missed: Frozen, Finding Dory, and Despicable Me.

But, let's get back to the cereal at hand. I'm not super well-versed on my tropical fruits, so I'm having trouble identifying the flavor(s) at play here. The smell seems to suggest some sort of mixed drink. The colors look a little faded, but definitely favor the warm end of the spectrum, with a lot of oranges and yellows. It doesn't knock you over the head with its fruity flavor; I still predominantly taste corn. There's a hint of something acidic, maybe pineapple. It's not terribly refreshing, and it doesn't make me feel like I'm lounging on a tropical beach. I think I'll just stick to my Welch's Island Fruits fruit snacks, after all.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: A lingering hint of whatever flavor this cereal is.

Birthday Cake Cheerios

Name: Birthday Cake Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I almost missed this cereal, because I had it confused with Confetti Cheerios. How many different "celebration" varieties of Cheerios do we need in one year? Even then, it was with with some reluctance that I grabbed it - you should know my feelings on the "birthday cake" trend by now. Still, I've tried other birthday cake cereals (including Cap'n Crunch and Fruity Pebbles), so why not Cheerios? Besides, the dark blue box with the fireworks design (reminiscent of Trix Fireworks, or was it Trix Firecracker?) is a perfect companion to our nation's birthday, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. (Although I've never been less proud to be an American; but I'm not going to get political in this breakfast cereal review :-p).

Anyway, the cereal smells kind of cardboard-y right out of the box. It looks like regular Cheerios, but with tiny red and blue sprinkles. Honestly, it could have a more impressive visual appearance - like Team Cheerios, which was released in conjunction with the Olympics two years back. That cereal was good; they should have just brought that one back. This cereal has only the faintest hint of a birthday cake flavor. It mostly just tastes of oats, and a little bit of frosting. It's pretty bland. But, in that way, it's a perfect metaphor for this year's Independence Day celebrations - what should have been an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime event... has turned out to be a huge disappointment.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: A disappointing finish to what started out as a bold experiment.