Halloween Oreo Puffs

Name: Halloween Oreo Puffs
Variation: Oreo Puffs
Manufacturer: Post

Review: When I spotted this cereal in the store - a box of Oreo Puffs with a vivid orange banner across the top - I actually thought it was Oreo Reese's Puffs, an experiment I had just tried on my own! Although I don't know how that would work, because Reese's Puffs is manufactured by General Mills, and Oreo Puffs is handled by Post - but the fact that both products are owned by different companies didn't stop them from combining them for a special promotion recently.

Anyway, it hasn't even been a year since Post debuted the new puffs format of their Oreo O's cereal, and it's already got a Halloween edition! It's a welcome companion to Halloween Fruity Pebbles in Post's autumn holiday lineup. I like it perfectly well, but since cookies and cream isn't my favorite flavor, I can't promise that I'll be buying it every year. And I do appreciate Halloween cereals that are a little more creative than just turning the milk "spooky" orange. Even Halloween Crunch has ghost berries...

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: More colorful than flavorful.

Monster Combos

Three years ago, the appearance of Monster Mash cereal inspired me to combine my own mix of the Monster Cereals together for a frightful concoction. The result was disappointing; there was just too much going on in the bowl. So I'd been thinking of trying out different combinations of these cereals, two at a time. And with last year's introduction of Carmella Creeper to the lineup - a caramel apple cereal - the possibilities show even more promise. Step into my kitchen laboratory, and we'll try some experiments!

Chocolate/Caramel Apple

I thought this sounded like a good combination - chocolate and caramel go well together, and it's in a similar vein to the classic fall treat, the candy apple. And it does taste good. Honestly, I think the chocolate draws out the caramel flavor better. I'm surprised General Mills hasn't done something like this yet, although Carmella Creeper is still pretty new. Maybe it'll be next year's version of Monster Mash. I'd like that.

Strawberry/Blueberry

Mixing the two berry cereals together seemed like a no-brainer, although their similarity means the combination lacks distinction. And though, as expected, the flavors complement each other well, it's not as fruity as I would have thought. It tastes mostly of corn. Even the milk is surprisingly plain. Once again, it's the marshmallows alone that carry this cereal.

Caramel Apple/Strawberry

Visually, the green balances out that vibrant pink, and the marshmallows kind of fade into the background. When I eat Carmella Creeper alone, the flavors don't really stand out, but pairing it with something else seems to make the caramel pop. This is like plain Carmella Creeper, but with a slightly fruitier balance. I'd say it's an improvement over either cereal alone.

Caramel Apple/Blueberry

As far as I can tell, this is the combination they use for Monster Mash Remix - although they probably use a different mix of marshmallows, and who can be sure what flavors they might add without telegraphing it with the proper dyes? On that note, the colors complement each other well - bright green contrasted with dark purple. And the flavors do, too - better than you might think, pouring caramel over blueberries. This is pretty similar to caramel apple/strawberry, but I think Boo Berry has a slightly better flavor than Franken Berry, so this is a little bit better. It's not a bad choice for a Monster Mash; although I would still prefer chocolate/caramel apple.

Strawberry/Chocolate

Chocolate-covered strawberries, anyone? The brown and pink make a nice contrast. I feel like the fruity flavor is more front-and-center, but there's a nice chocolate undercurrent. It's not a bad combination - it certainly makes Franken Berry more palatable. I don't think I like it as much as chocolate/caramel apple, though. Every once in awhile, I get a bite that seems to clash, but I'm not sure why.

Blueberry/Chocolate

Although conceptually very similar to strawberry/chocolate, I think blueberries and chocolate is a somewhat less common combination. But still good. The purple Boo Berry pieces are so dark, you can hardly distinguish them from the brown Count Chocula pieces. It's a shame it doesn't make as good a visual impression (looks do matter), because I think it tastes better than the mix with Franken Berry. Which was to be expected.

Caramel Apple/Berry

I did this with Count Chocula way back when, so I thought it would only be fair to give Carmella Creeper a chance. And it's not bad. I used two parts caramel apple (1 cup) to each part strawberry and blueberry (half cup each) for a proper balance of flavors. It's really not that much different from using Franken Berry or Boo Berry alone. And the mix of colors looks much more lively. I have no idea why they don't use this as their Monster Mash; I think it's just as good.

Berry/Chocolate

Although I did this once before, with all the other combinations I was mixing together, I figured I could stand to give it a second chance. And this time, like with my caramel apple/berry concoction, I mixed the chocolate 2:1 with the strawberry and blueberry, so it's equal parts chocolate and fruity. The blending of the Count Chocula and Boo Berry pieces does dull the visual impression a little - on the other hand, it has more of a gradient look. I taste the chocolate more than the fruitiness. That said, the fruitiness kind of clashes with the chocolate for some reason. I honestly can't say why this combination doesn't work better, but the success of Monster Mash clearly relies on the presence of newcomer Carmella Creeper.

Monster Medley

I'm calling this "Monster Medley" because Monster Mash was already taken. You know I had to do it. But yeah, there's a lot going on in this cereal. The flavors aren't bad, but it doesn't really coalesce into a single flavor experience. Even if you take the time to mix it up evenly, you're bound to get a different concentration of pieces in every spoonful. It looks interesting, though - with all those colors. And now, I'm kinda sick of the Monster Cereals. I don't think I wanna eat them again for a whole year... :-p

Boo Berry

Notice: The year I started this blog, General Mills came out with Monster Mash. The following year, they brought back Frute Brute. And last year they introduced Carmella Creeper. I originally didn't review Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry because I considered them the regular cereals, and the others the limited edition novelties. But I've been waiting for a "fallow year" with a lighter load on Halloween so I could properly review the classics. And now that time has come!

Name: Boo Berry
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I know a lot of people who love Boo Berry, so I might break a few hearts with this review. Honestly, it's not a bad cereal. It's more purple than blue, but I like the low-key trans-friendly marshmallow colors. If I have to eat a bowl or two, it's perfectly fine. I just get bored with it quickly. Other than being blueberry instead of strawberry (a less common flavor for cereals), it's really no different than Franken Berry. And I'd rather eat Frute Brute. I don't know why Fruity Yummy Mummy is such a dark horse, because this lineup could really benefit from a citrus counterpoint to all these berry cereals.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Blue, berry, and marshmallow-flavored.

Franken Berry

Notice: The year I started this blog, General Mills came out with Monster Mash. The following year, they brought back Frute Brute. And last year they introduced Carmella Creeper. I originally didn't review Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry because I considered them the regular cereals, and the others the limited edition novelties. But I've been waiting for a "fallow year" with a lighter load on Halloween so I could properly review the classics. And now that time has come!

Name: Franken Berry
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: This is actually my least favorite of the Monster Cereals, even though it's basically the flagship variety (or was that Count Chocula?). It's a bright, shocking pink, and it smells good, but after so many bites, it kinda starts tasting plain. If not for the marshmallows, it'd be incredibly dull. Don't get me wrong, it's edible, but there's not much here to inspire a craving. You've heard me say this before, but I think they should use Frute Brute's new formula, and re-name it Franken Cherry. Strawberry's a good flavor, but it's overdone.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Tastes of strawberry, to its credit.

Count Chocula

Notice: The year I started this blog, General Mills came out with Monster Mash. The following year, they brought back Frute Brute. And last year they introduced Carmella Creeper. I originally didn't review Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry because I considered them the regular cereals, and the others the limited edition novelties. But I've been waiting for a "fallow year" with a lighter load on Halloween so I could properly review the classics. And now that time has come!

Name: Count Chocula
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Count Chocula is easily my favorite Monster Cereal. I mean, come on. It's chocolate, and it has marshmallows. A combination like that can't fail. There's really nothing more to say about it. I could take or leave the fruity Monsters (although I was pleasantly surprised by Frute Brute), and Carmella Creeper was an enjoyable novelty, but Count Chocula is the only cereal in the lineup I've made a habit of buying, and the only one I've over-enthusiastically indulged before, by buying what was probably too many boxes for one person to eat in a single spooky season...

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Satisfyingly chocolatey!

Monsters' Frightful Friends

Name: Monsters' Frightful Friends
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Monster Cereals' new innovation this year is the introduction of the Monsters' pets - Carmella's snake Scratch, Franken Berry's bat Bennie, Boo Berry's cat Meow Berry, and Count Chocula's spider Igor. Represented by the addition of new marshmallows, I imagine the taste of the individual cereals remains the same. And this cereal - Monsters' Frightful Friends - would seem to be a reskin of Monster Mash Remix, mixing - not all, but some - of the different cereals together, with these new marshmallows.

Like last year, it seems to be mostly Carmella Creeper with a bit of Boo Berry tossed in. It makes for a good visual aesthetic - like rotting zombie flesh. Did they introduce Carmella Creeper last year just so they could have a green Monster cereal? Although I applaud the addition of a zombie girl to the lineup (and the caramel apple flavor was a great choice), I think a swamp monster would have been a better fit for the brand.

Anyway, it's not a bad flavor combo (unlike the original Monster Mash, which was trying to do too much). It's fruity; although it begins to taste kinda plain after a few bites. And, maybe my box just wasn't shaken up enough to evenly distribute the pieces, but for the pets to be the star of the show, the marshmallows are scarce, and don't make much of an impression. I'm struggling to think of a reason to justify continuing to eat this cereal every year, other than the novelty factor.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Just a mild hint of fruity, marshmallow flavor.

Wednesday (Cookies and Creme)

Name: Wednesday Cookies and Creme
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I got so excited when I saw this cereal, I couldn't wait to snatch it up. Not only because Wednesday was a good show, but because I'm a little bit obsessed with Jenna Ortega right now. And even though I don't usually like cookies and cream cereals, the black & white aesthetic (well, mostly just black) is perfectly on point. Hey, at least it has marshmallows!

The cereal is super dark. Like charcoal; I'm afraid it'll stain my teeth. But it looks magnificent. The smell and taste is very strong - like concentrated cookie crumbs, a hint of Oreo cheesecake, really dark chocolate, or even black coffee. I'm not sure there's enough cream (I'm sorry, creme) to balance it out. If that's what the marshmallows are doing (they're shaped like coffins), perhaps there should be more of them. Or, they could have just called it "cookies 'n' scream" and been done with it. XD

It's turning my milk black! Rarely does eating a bowl of cereal inspire such excitement. Do I like it enough to buy it again? I'm not sure. But I really enjoy the visual presentation, and how thoroughly it commits to its premise. As an artist and not just a cereal lover, I respect that. Plus, I get to have Jenna Ortega staring back at me (unblinkingly) from the cereal box every morning for a week. So that's a bonus. :-p

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Black as midnight; black as pitch; blacker than the foulest witch.

Halloween Re-Skins

If I'm being honest, I can have a completionist collector's mentality at times, but I'm going to have to draw the line at buying a cereal just because they redesigned the box (which can happen as often as yearly for seasonal regulars). But I'm seeing lots of substantial "re-skins" this year of Halloween-themed cereals I've already reviewed, and I wanted to shine a spotlight on them.

Starting with Halloween Fruity Pebbles. It's a subtle difference, but Bamm-Bamm now appears on the front with Pebbles, while Fred Flintstone has been pushed to the back of the box.

Kellogg's "Spooky Marshmallows" trio has received a complete makeover this year, with eyecatching "specimen-in-a-jar" designs for Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and Chocolate Frosted Flakes.

Shocking Orange Rice Krispies adopts the same motif, despite not adding marshmallows (or anything, really, to make the cereal worth eating), effectively becoming the uninvited fourth wheel to the Spooky Marshmallows trio's proverbial tricycle.

Note the Cap'n's creepy new CGI look for this year (inching ever closer to that precipice overlooking the uncanny valley). As a piece of fun trivia, Halloween Crunch was the first cereal I ever reviewed for this blog!

And looky here - Reese's Puffs Bats gets yet another new design. I've also noticed that it's getting a more prominent display at Walmart, after being unceremoniously tucked away in the Halloween costume aisle last year.

If you stop over at Sam's Club, you can even find it in a double pack, paired with this year's new Kit Kat cereal. Don't give me any funny trick 'r treat ideas, General Mills!

Also spotted at Sam's Club is Zombie Apple Jacks - boasting a green apple flavor, and a formula that turns your milk green. If it weren't being sold in double packs, I would have bought it, but I'm pretty confident this is just Kellogg's repurposing Apple Jacks Nickelodeon Slime from last year.

On the subject of zombies, I was also excited to see Monsters Cereal's new flavor Carmella Creeper (and to a lesser extent, Monster Mash Remix), as well as Lucky Charms branching out into the autumn market with Haunted Marshmallows. But as these are brand new cereals, they've earned themselves each a separate post and review (along with late-comer It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown).

Go check them out - and pick up a few boxes before they turn up missing (if it's not already too late). But most importantly of all, have a Happy Halloween!

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Name: It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: This is a pretty neat idea for a cereal (in the same spirit of nostalgic holiday family films as General Mills' Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer from last Christmas), but honestly, I was a little bit exasperated when I spotted it on the shelves after the 1st of October (who waits until October to stock their Halloween products anymore?), as I had already had all my review slots filled up through Halloween - including two cereals (Reese's Puffs Bats and Halloween Fruity Pebbles) I couldn't squeeze in last year. (Don't worry, I eventually got the scheduling figured out).

I considered writing an angry letter to Kellogg's, when I realized it was really General Mills I should be writing the angry letter to. This is the only brand new Halloween cereal from Kellogg's I've seen this year; by contrast, General Mills not only introduced a new Monster cereal, plus a remixed version of Monster Mash, but - as if that weren't already more than enough - they also debuted a Halloween version of Lucky Charms. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, you know...

Anyway, it's a curious choice to make this a vanilla cereal (as opposed to, say, pumpkin spice?), but I really like the green and orange motif - it perfectly evokes the aesthetic of a pumpkin patch. I almost didn't notice it at first, but there are marshmallows present - little pumpkins hidden like camouflage among the orange puffs. And these puffs have that same pleasantly soft mouthfeel that I recognize from other recent cereals, including ICEE cereal (minus the menthol blast) and Miraculous. I'm not crazy about vanilla, but the flavor is inoffensive, and the texture of the puffs is quite inviting. I don't love it, but it's a very pleasant cereal to eat. As far as Kellogg's recycled novelties go, I like these "gentle puffs" much better than their "berry stars" (which we'll see again before the end of the year).

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Subtly vanilla.

Halloween Fruity Pebbles

Name: Halloween Fruity Pebbles
Variation: Fruity Pebbles
Manufacturer: Post

Review: I spotted this cereal last year at Target; this year, it's even turned up at Walmart. Boasting the "same fruity taste!", this is just regular Fruity Pebbles, but colored for the holiday. At least you know what you're getting. The purple and orange pebbles look great, but regular Fruity Pebbles is so vibrant, I always have mixed feelings when they reduce the colors down to just two (like they did with Magic Fruity Pebbles). I'm surprised the box doesn't advertise a color-changing milk effect - I did observe the milk to change noticeably orange. One thing this cereal could do to improve my opinion is take a note from Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles and add some marshmallows. You could even make them spooky! (Or haunted). Barring that, I'd love to see Cocoa Pebbles have a turn with the Halloween banner...

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Fruity, and a little orange.

Chocolate Lucky Charms with Haunted Marshmallows

Name: Chocolate Lucky Charms with Haunted Marshmallows
Variation: Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I knew Carmella Creeper was coming before she arrived on shelves, but I was surprised to find Lucky Charms with a new Halloween version of its cereal this year. I imagine it's poised to compete with Kellogg's Chocolate Frosted Flakes with Spooky Marshmallows - which I saw conspicuously missing from the store where I picked this box up, even though they had both Froot Loops and Apple Jacks with Spooky Marshmallows (albeit on the back end display of the aisle - did Kellogg's lose some bids with the marketing guild this year?).

Functionally, this is just Chocolate Lucky Charms like we've seen before, but with an even wider array of marshmallows. I do believe these Haunted Marshmallows are the same ones you can find in Count Chocula. Obviously, I love it - and the marketing is fun. The back of the box humorously features Lucky dressed up as a unicorn, and a unicorn dressed up as Lucky! But isn't the Halloween cereal market already pretty saturated as it is?

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Mildly chocolatey.

Monster Mash Remix

Name: Monster Mash Remix
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: As if premiering a brand new Monsters Cereal character for the first time in 36 years wasn't enough, General Mills also remixed Monster Mash this year. And I almost didn't buy it, given how little I liked the cereal the first time around. But they had to go and give it a new subtitle (playing off of, I'm sure, Carmella Creeper's characterization as a DJ). Besides, there's a significant new flavor going into the mix this time around (caramel apple), so it seemed like it would be different enough to warrant giving it another try.

Opening the box, all I see is Carmella Creeper and Boo Berry pieces. No Count Chocula (again). Not even Franken Berry. Why not mix all the monsters together? They're on the cover of the box - even Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy! And who chose this particular combination? Seems to me like blueberry/strawberry or strawberry/chocolate would be a better choice, or even chocolate/caramel apple. But caramel apple and blueberry? (Here's an idea for you - blind box cereals! You don't know what you're gonna get until you open the box! Note to General Mills: please don't make blind box cereals).

Tasting it, I'm not sure there's even any caramel apple flavor at all. The box just says "berry-flavored". The green and purple pieces give off a good Halloween vibe, but are the colors just for show? Why is it even called Monster Mash, then? I can't tell if the marshmallows have different flavors, but they do taste fruity. It's actually not bad. I might even like it better than Carmella Creeper. It's a definite improvement over the last version of Monster Mash, but I honestly couldn't tell you why. A lot about this cereal remains a mystery to me.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Pleasantly fruity and/or marshmallow-y.

Carmella Creeper

Name: Carmella Creeper
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I'm very excited that General Mills is introducing (for the first time in 36 years!) a brand new member of the Monsters line of cereals this year. My only regret is that I haven't had a proper chance to review Fruity Yummy Mummy yet (my great regret from 2013, when I was only just starting to get back into eating cereal).

Before even trying it, I can say that I love everything about this cereal. Conceptually, it's an excellent choice of addition to the lineup. It's a zombie character; she's a girl; it has an eerie green motif that is quite festive; and the flavor is caramel apple!

Not only is this an intriguing flavor - and a great choice for a cereal available exclusively in the fall - but it adds some welcome novelty to a lineup that, if not for Count Chocula, would be nothing but different shades of "fruity with marshmallows" (although last year's Frute Brute was surprisingly good - I still think it should replace Franken Berry in the regular trio). All that's left is to actually try the cereal and see how it tastes. :-p

The color of this cereal is not the prettiest shade of green, but I think it effectively conveys the look of zombified flesh. The flavor and texture seem consistent with the other Monster cereals - you're not punched in the mouth with it, but there's an underscore of caramel apple flavor. And the marshmallows pull their weight (although they don't look very distinctively like anything in particular).

I don't think this is going to become my new favorite Monster cereal. Nobody can compete with Count Chocula; and I don't think I like it even as much as the new and improved Frute Brute (wish that would stick around). But I like that it stands out from the other cereals with a unique flavor that is perfectly poised to join the lineup. Whether or not this one lasts - I guess that depends on how well everyone else likes it.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Not really colored and only subtly flavored.

Reese's Puffs Bats

Name: Reese's Puffs Bats
Variation: Reese's Puffs
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I went through a lot of trouble to get this box - but I really wanted to do a proper review of this cereal for my blog. I saw evidence online that it had been re-released - with a new box design! - though I never saw it in stores, despite actively looking for it. So I resorted to ordering a box over the internet (for the first time ever!) last year. I was prepared to eat it stale if necessary, but the expiration date revealed that it had been manufactured just that year. And then - you'll never guess what happened next.

Literally, two days after I had a box shipped from Bolingbrook, IL, I was at Walmart looking at Halloween costumes, and I spotted the cereal tucked away on a bottom shelf in the Halloween candy aisle, on the opposite side of the store from the groceries! I was fully prepared to give General Mills my money, and even looked specifically for this product in vain, only for them to pull this stunt. Why can't they keep the cereal in the cereal aisle? I was torn between sending them an angry letter, and throwing my money at them anyway. I did the latter, because we're all hapless slaves to late stage capitalism.

September 2018

Anyway, notwithstanding all that drama, the cereal rocks. It's Reese's Puffs like you know it, but in the shape of bats. And the new box design looks great! It's a decided improvement over the old design. Reese's Puffs may be overly indulgent for some, but I think it's delicious. Whenever I eat a bowl, I can't seem to gobble it up fast enough. I just wish the milk tasted more strongly of peanut butter and chocolate.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Not as rich as the cereal itself.

Froot Loops & Apple Jacks with Spooky Marshmallows

Review: I don't know how long this has been going on, but lately around Halloween, I've seen a trio of Kellogg's cereals on store shelves that I can only imagine are poised to rival General Mills' hallowed Monster Cereals. These are regular cereals you can find year-round - Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and Chocolate Frosted Flakes (note the symmetry of having two fruity cereals and one chocolate one) - but marketed with the seasonal addition of "spooky" marshmallows ("bewitched bats", "mischievous monsters", and "ghoulish ghosts"). As much as I hate to split the trio up, I already reviewed Chocolate Frosted Flakes with Spooky Marshmallows last year, so this year I'm focusing on the other two.

The "spooky marshmallows" trio.

As fate would have it, I've already had both Froot Loops and Apple Jacks with marshmallows (recently!), so you're not going to find any surprises here. The only differences are cosmetic; in addition to the Halloween branding, and the shape of the marshmallows, the Froot Loops appear only in orange and purple - like a subdued, autumn version of the cereal's brighter "summer" colors. (Apple Jacks are already a seasonally-appropriate orange and green). Owing to my preference for Froot Loops over Apple Jacks, previous ratings of these cereals (with marshmallows) shall stand. That is, two bowls for Apple Jacks, and three bowls for Froot Loops. As for the Chocolate Frosted Flakes (with Spooky Marshmallows), I'm strongly considering bumping its rating up to three bowls, now that I've had it a second time.

In conclusion, these are fun, festive cereals, and I actually like all three - which is something that I can't say about the Monster Cereals. (Count Chocula is good, but I don't care much for the fruity ones - except Frute Brute, which I tried just this year). Usually, in my opinion, General Mills cereals come out on top, but I think my preference is for Kellogg's in this case. It feels sacrilegious to bet against the Monster Cereals in the season when their strength is at its peak, but I gotta give credit where it's due.

Pour all three into one bowl, and you get a nice mix of Halloween colors!

Name: Froot Loops with Spooky Marshmallows
Variation: Froot Loops
Manufacturer: Kellogg's
Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: A little sweet.

Name: Apple Jacks with Spooky Marshmallows
Variation: Apple Jacks
Manufacturer: Kellogg's
Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Barely cinnamon-y.

Ghostbusters Afterlife

This weekend I'm reviewing two cereals that serve primarily as movie promotions - one from this year, and one from last year.

Name: Ghostbusters Afterlife
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I was excited when I spotted this box last fall, in the same shipment as Monster Mash cereal; it touched a nostalgic nerve. I can't say for sure if I ate Ghostbusters cereal as a kid (I might just be remembering the marketing for all the toys I had), but I feel like I did. So I wanted to like this cereal. But, like Monster Mash, it turned out to be a disappointment. It's a fruity cereal with marshmallows, but it tastes bland in comparison to many better cereals on the market (like JoJo Siwa's Strawberry Bop!, Pokémon Berry Bolt, or even Froot Loops with Marshmallows). And you're telling me there's no fun, color-changing milk effect, like with Halloween Crunch's ghostberries? What a wasted opportunity.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Plain...

Hocus Pocus 2

This weekend I'm reviewing two cereals that serve primarily as movie promotions - one from this year, and one from last year.

Name: Disney Hocus Pocus 2
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Boasting a "berry brew" flavor, Hocus Pocus 2 smells fruity right out of the box, and looks a bit like Apple Jacks, but in purple, yellow, and orange star shapes, with tiny green and purple flecks. But here's the trick. There's no magic, color-changing milk effect, but the secret of the "berry brew" is that the stars hold almost no flavor, and all that flavor just goes straight to the milk. So you're stuck with a bowl of plain-tasting stars. It's a bit reminiscent of Peeps cereal - but without the marshmallows. The taste isn't unpleasant (it's just plain), and the texture is fine. I think some marshmallows would have really helped. As it is, this cereal is very middle-of-the-road. Given that its primary purpose is to promote a movie, it's actually not terrible like I was expecting, but it's not particularly good, either. I have no strong desire to eat it again.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: So this is where all the flavor went!

Frute Brute

Name: Frute Brute
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: It occurred to me last year when I tried Monster Mash, that apart from Count Chocula, all the Monster Cereals are fruity. In their defense, they do all have marshmallows, but that's why Count Chocula is my favorite. Still, I was excited to see Frute Brute on the shelves this year, because it's one of the forgotten Monster Cereals that's hard to find, and I don't think I've ever tried it before (unless I was too young to remember). I was even more intrigued when I picked up the box and noticed that it's a cherry-flavored cereal*. Franken Berry suffers in that it has a lot of competition from other strawberry cereals on the market, and I think part of Boo Berry's appeal is the novelty of blueberry as a cereal flavor. Well, cherry has that novelty (maybe even more so), but it suffers from not being very distinguishable - at least visually - from strawberry.

As a matter of fact, when I opened my box of Frute Brute, I thought for a second that there had been a manufacturing error, because it looked exactly like Franken Berry. I guess I thought it would be a different shade of pink. Upon closer inspection, the marshmallows are different (orange, yellow, pink, and purple), and the cereal has a distinct cherry flavor. I like it better than Franken Berry. In fact, excluding Count Chocula, this might just be my favorite fruity Monster Cereal. I'm surprised it's not more popular*. To my disappointment, I saw stacks of boxes on clearance before the end of September (don't get me started on stores displaying Halloween products in August and liquidating them before even the start of October). For a second-tier Monster Cereal, I wasn't expecting Frute Brute to be very good, but it has exceeded my expectations!

Now I just need to get my hands on a box of Fruity Yummy Mummy...

*Some quick research has revealed that Fruit Brute (it used to be styled without the quirky misspelling) originally featured lime marshmallows, instead of being cherry-flavored (imagine combining those features for a cherry limeade cocktail!). I daresay this may have contributed to it being the first Monster Cereal to be discontinued. Which is unfortunate; I suspect it would have been more popular in its current formulation - but how will people know it's been improved? Besides, Frute Brute will never be able to compete with the name recognition of Franken Berry. If I were in charge of Monster Cereals, I would change Franken Berry to Franken Cherry, but I don't know how the rest of the cereal-loving world would feel about that.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: It's pink, but I was hoping for a stronger cherry flavor.

Shocking Orange Krispies

Name: Rice Krispies Shocking Orange Colored Cereal
Variation: Rice Krispies
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: After trying Red & Blue Krispies, I felt a bit like a sucker buying this cereal, knowing full well that I wasn't going to like it. Although you can't say that I'm not dedicated to the mission statement of this blog, which is to document and try novelty cereal varieties. At least I can still make them into Rice Krispies Treats. Which, I'm convinced at this point, is all that plain Rice Krispies are really good for. I'm pretty sure even Kellogg's acknowledges this, as the treats are pictured right on the front of the box, with the recipe on the side. I have to give them credit for coloring the Krispies orange for Halloween. But it's not enough to make me actually like the cereal. Maybe if they mixed it with half Cocoa Krispies, it would taste better - and it would still be visually on theme for the holiday!

I'd still rather they were all chocolate...

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Blander than plain.

Apple Jacks Nickelodeon Slime

Name: Apple Jacks Nickelodeon Slime
Variation: Apple Jacks
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: This has got to be one of my favorite concepts for a novelty cereal that I've seen all year. We start with Apple Jacks, but they've got green flecks in them instead of red ones, which no doubt reflects the distinctive "green apple" flavor (a natural choice for an Apple Jacks alternative) in place of cinnamon. And when you stir it up, the milk turns green!

How does the milk turn green? "I don't know." XD

As this is still Apple Jacks, I'm not going to say that I'm in love with the way the cereal tastes, but the theme is so much fun. And it's great timing, too - as we're heading in to Halloween. I feel like this cereal would sit comfortably on top of the fridge between a box of Halloween Crunch and Shocking Orange Krispies.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: More green than apple.