Cotton Candy Lucky Charms

Name: Cotton Candy Lucky Charms
Variation: Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Every new year, the cereal manufacturers release a bunch of new flavors all at once. It's usually the biggest cereal haul of the year. This year, it took me until Easter to review them all. Then I had a short break; but it wasn't long before the summer flavors hit the shelves. I had just finished a box of Lucky Charms with JUMBO Rainbows over the break, so I wasn't too keen on getting another one - just with JUMBO Unicorns this time - so soon. But then I saw this cereal. How could I pass it up?

Cotton candy is a pretty creative flavor for cereal. (Although what is the flavor of cotton candy, besides just "sugar"?). I love the concept and presentation of this cereal, which is a good thematic match for this brand. And I like that they incorporated unicorns into the theme - with three new marshmallows! (Although they just recolored their manes).

Upon opening the box, you get an unmistakable whiff of cotton candy. But the appearance of this cereal leaves something to be desired. Traditionally, cotton candy comes in pink and blue (which are the colors that most remind me of Pride - being that it's June - since I lean more toward the trans end of the rainbow). How delightful would that have been? But instead we get a speckled purple that's so dark, it almost looks brown.

How does it taste? It's not quite like biting into a puff of cotton candy. The flavor is subtler than I would have imagined (I guess you could say it's light and ephemeral, like cotton candy itself); after the first bite, you mostly just taste the oats. Granted, I like Lucky Charms even plain, and the whole vibe of this cereal makes me happy. But since I'm not blown away by the cotton candy flavor, I'm only going to rate it two bowls and not three.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Deep purple, but otherwise kinda plain.

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.

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.

Wednesday (Howlin' Confetti Cake)

Name: Wednesday Howlin' Confetti Cake
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I was excited to see that they've brought back Wednesday cereal again this year (no doubt in promotion of the second season of the TV show starring Jenna Ortega) - it was a little bit kooky, but I liked it. I was even more excited to see that this year they've given Enid her own flavor - Howlin' Confetti Cake! Her bright and colorful personality makes an excellent contrast to Wednesday's dark and morbid mood.

But then I realized that these are Kellogg's cereals, and the confetti-coated loops look an awful lot like Froot Loops Wonka (I still hate that name), which was just the latest in a long line of bad cereals predicated on Kellogg's trying to force their bland "berry stars" down our throats. In this case, it sounds like it's a birthday cake flavor (instead of "berry-licious"), but it does also advertise turning the milk purple.

Upon opening the box, my immediate impression is that the colors are really bland. They're just a faded orange and yellow, with (oddly) a few token red loops. It's not even as colorful as Froot Loops. Enid would NOT be impressed. The flavor is also bland. Like, really bland. Is this just Wednesday masquerading as Enid? There's barely even a birthday cake flavor! It just tastes like corn. There's no "celebration" in this cereal - it's like they forgot to put the icing on the cake.

And the purple milk? It's not even that impressive. It's just a pale, grayish color. I get that Wednesday is the star of the show, but this cereal pales in comparison to hers. What an utter disappointment. I feel bad for Enid. Kellogg's has done her dirty. If I were choosing a cereal to represent her, I'd pick Fruity Pebbles over the one with her name and face on the box. And that's just disgraceful...

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Pale and underwhelming.

Cheerios Protein (Strawberry)

Name: Strawberry Cheerios Protein
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: This version of Cheerios' new protein-packed cereals doesn't have a bad strawberry flavor. Really, it just has the same problems as the last one I tried - the Cheerios are really dense (as if they were muscle-bound - I'm not sure if it would be hilarious or disturbing if this cereal were called Muscle Rings), and there's a hint of a vegetable-y flavor. The cereal is improved by the addition of fresh strawberries, as you could imagine. But I still see it as something you would add to a deliberate, protein-focused diet, and not something I would pick up to eat otherwise, especially considering how many great flavors of regular Cheerios are out there. The back of the box features a "spot the differences" puzzle with a pretty strawberry orchard scene.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Pink and fruity (what is this, Trix?).

Corn Pops

Name: Corn Pops
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: It didn't hit me until I poured out a bowl, but this is basically popcorn in the form of a cereal (yeah, it seems stupidly obvious to me now). That said, while I was expecting something plain like Corn Flakes, these golden nuggets of puffed corn have a moderate amount of sugar (though they're fat free). Yet they don't live up to the box's boast of a "sweet crispy crunch". Any crispiness is softened by the addition of milk, giving an impression of staleness. And the flavor is not all that sweet. But if they added any more sugar, it'd be getting into Honey Smacks/Golden Crisp territory. I can't honestly say I like it very much. However, to be emulating popcorn, I think a caramel version of this cereal could be really good.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: First time I've seen a cereal turn the milk yellow.

Orange Creampop Crunch

Name: Orange Creampop Crunch
Variation: Cap'n Crunch
Manufacturer: Quaker Oats

Review: Echoing Post's own introduction of a fruit 'n' cream cereal, this new summer limited edition by Quaker Oats uses the orange creampop as its inspiration. I'll be honest, orange is probably my least favorite fruity flavor, and you should know by now that I'm not fond of mixing fruit and cream. Consisting of orange Cap'n Crunch pieces (no Crunch Berries here to speak of), the orange flavor doesn't punch you in the mouth, but it is noticeably creamy. However, it leaves a pungent aftertaste. The cereal features Cap'n Crunch's usual mouthfeel (some complain about its sharpness, but it also has a tendency to make you wanna shovel it into your mouth), so it's not unpleasant to eat. But as far as flavors go, it's definitely not my thing. Now, if only Cookie Crisp would debut a summer edition of their cereal based on the chipwich!

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: A creamy, orange milkshake...

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.

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!

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.

Honey Bunches of Oats - Chocolate

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Chocolate
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: It's a stroke of luck that I just started trying out Honey Bunches of Oats not long before a Chocolate version appeared on the shelves (it doesn't say it's "new", but I haven't seen it before). And what a perfect successor to Vanilla! Made with "real chocolate and cocoa" (my emphasis), it looks a lot like Chocolate Frosted Flakes. The oat clusters are few and far between - I could almost forget that I'm eating Honey Bunches of Oats! It's not the most decadent chocolate cereal on the market, but it does have a good chocolate flavor - it's very creamy, like chocolate milk. As a chocolate cereal, it might not be my first pick, but in the hierarchy of Honey Bunches cereals, its easily among the varieties I've liked the most (along with Frosted Bunches and Real Strawberries). I'll consider it the lineup's redemption after Maple & Pecans.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: A deep, smoke-colored chocolate milk.

Arctic Crunch

Name: Arctic Crunch (Vanilla Frost)
Variation: Cap'n Crunch
Manufacturer: Quaker Oats

Review: Continuing Quaker Oats' campaign to donate a portion of sales to Ocean Conservancy, this new variety of Cap'n Crunch would seem to be a sequel to last year's Sea Berry Crunch. I only wish last year's unfortunate recall hadn't hamstrung Sea Berry Crunch's chances at popularity (I've noticed that Cinnamon Crunch - which was also affected - appears to be poised for more longevity). I like the idea of the Cap'n sailing to the Arctic - it's entirely on-brand. But I think I've established by now my feelings on vanilla. I'm just glad the "frost" part doesn't refer to that mouth-cooling menthol effect that I've had quite enough of already.

Opening the box, you can definitely smell the vanilla. The white and blue color mix looks suitably arctic. I feel like the Crunch Berries are softer than usual - they almost melt in your mouth. The vanilla flavor is not overpowering, but I do miss the Crunch Berries' usual, fruity flavor. I really like this cereal's presentation and thematic consistency - I believe those are things that deserve recognition. But the bottom line is that this is a breakfast cereal, and a commercial product. And I don't know that I like eating it enough to buy it again, especially when there are better Crunch Berry cereals already on the market...

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Cool blue vanilla.

Chocolate Strawberry LOADED

Name: Chocolate Strawberry LOADED
Variation: LOADED
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I was excited to see that General Mills is continuing to expand their LOADED lineup this year. Previously, the only flavor not tied to an existing brand (Cocoa Puffs, Trix, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch) was Birthday Cake LOADED. Now, I introduce to you Chocolate Strawberry LOADED - and just in time for Valentine's Day!

The great thing about this cereal is that it's the first LOADED cereal to use chocolate (creme) filling instead of vanilla. How exciting is that? The color of the cereal is vividly red, and it smells of strawberry. It could have a more vibrant flavor, but I think what sells these LOADED cereals is the satisfying mouthfeel. They soften up in milk, without tasting soggy, and are a lot of fun to eat. Kellogg's Krave might very well have a new competitor!

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Vividly pink but faintly flavored.

Sea Berry Crunch

Name: Sea Berry Crunch
Variation: Cap'n Crunch
Manufacturer: Quaker Oats

Review: I've been on the lookout for this cereal ever since the last box I bought (all the way back in January) was recalled (along with Cinnamon Crunch). So you can imagine my excitement - and relief - when I finally saw it back on the shelves late in the year. I thought it would just be like a blue version of Oops! All Red Berries. But then I read that it was "berry" flavored, so I've been eager to try it.

The "blue" is actually more of a turquoise, and it looks beautiful. Does it have more of a blueberry (as opposed to strawberry) flavor? Maybe. It's hard to tell; and you can't figure it out by looking at the ingredients, because all it says is "natural and artificial flavors". Regardless, it tastes great, as expected. I'm not sure I'd choose it over the regular version of Oops! All Berries, but I enjoyed having it as an alternative.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Sweet, and mildly fruity.

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.

Trix Mystery Color

Name: Trix Mystery Color
Variation: Trix
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Honestly, I'm getting a little annoyed with all these minor variations of Trix. I don't even like Trix that much* to begin with. I was fed up when they kept throwing different versions with marshmallows at me, and now they don't even have marshmallows!

First it was "silly rabbit turned milk pink", and now it's "turns milk a mystery color". The mystery color better not be pink. >.> In fact, I would hope that it would be a different color each time, based on the combination of cereal pieces - although I don't know how that would work, if it's all pretty much evenly mixed in the box.

Anyway, it tastes just like Trix (with the fruity shapes, not the puffs), and the mystery color reveal is anti-climactic. My default rating for Trix is 2 bowls, but I'm tempted to rate it a 1, just because the novelty is so lame, and I feel like I've been "Trix'd" into buying another box...

*It's funny how, being forced to repeatedly eat some cereals I kinda like (such as Trix) is making me like them less, while being forced to repeatedly eat some cereals I never really liked (such as Frosted Flakes), is making me like them more.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: 1 of 3 colors? All I get is orangey-pink.

Birthday Cake LOADED

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

Review: Having tried Cocoa Puffs, Trix, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch LOADED, I was surprised to see this new cereal on the shelves. It's the first one to break the mold of being based on an already established Big G cereal. I'm not even sure whose birthday we're celebrating... But given that I've described the other LOADED cereals as tasting like eating vanilla frosted cupcakes, it would seem to be a natural choice.

This time, the biscuits are pretty and pink. I don't know if it's just the power of suggestion, but I swear they taste faintly of strawberry. In milk, they actually do a really good job of imitating the texture and mouthfeel of a frosted birthday cake. Given that I'm not very fond of birthday cake to begin with (as has already been established), I like it better than I thought I would. In fact, this might just be the best birthday cake cereal on the market - better, even, than LOL Surprise!

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Pink, but kinda plain.

Very Berry Cheerios

Name: Very Berry Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: With "the taste of real berries in every bite", these Cheerios are pink with visible bits of fruit mashed into them. Surprisingly, it's not that generic, amalgamated "berry" flavor you usually get in these cereals - you can detect individual notes of strawberries and raspberries. It's good in milk; more refreshing and not quite as dry as Blueberry Cheerios.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like it, but I'm impressed with how pleasant and fruity it is, even without adding fresh fruit to it. I tried adding strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, but there was too much going on in the bowl. You're better off sticking with just strawberries; or you could try supplementing the included flavors with something that's missing - like banana. But even without add-ins, I can recommend it.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Blue, speckled, and very fruity.

Blueberry Cheerios

Name: Blueberry Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Isn't it interesting how much trouble we have making truly blue foods? These blueberry Cheerios are more purple. They smell and taste distinctly of blueberry, but are very dry - they don't have the sweet, juicy bite that real blueberries have. Although the milk helps to add a cool, refreshing note to the flavor. It's definitely improved by adding fresh blueberries (maybe even enough to raise its rating by one bowl, but how often am I going to make that effort?). Not being a blueberry cereal fanatic (Boo Berry has marshmallows, and I'm not even very fond of that cereal), I'd honestly rather have a box of Strawberry Banana Cheerios. But your opinion may differ.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Berry blue.

Froot Loops Wonka

Name: Froot Loops Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
Variation: Froot Loops
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Can I just say, this cereal has a ridiculously unwieldy name*? I get that it's a media tie-in, but where's the creativity and advertising savvy? Also, it's kind of heartbreaking to have a cereal with "Chocolate Factory" in the name that has absolutely nothing to do with chocolate. On the other hand, adding a berry flavor to what is normally a citrus cereal is an intriguing idea. I can't help but note a similarity to Post's release of Berry Pebbles this year.

Upon opening the box, I see Froot Loops, but with little purple specks. I'm reminded of Kellogg's other cereal tie-ins for Disney which used the star-shaped cereal pieces. Did Kellogg's catch on that their "berry stars" weren't very good, and decide to use the proven formula of Froot Loops instead? Or did they just take Froot Loops, and dumb it down to the level of The Little Mermaid?

It's unusual, digging into a bowl of Froot Loops and getting a berry flavor instead of a citrus one. I don't think I like it as much as regular Froot Loops. In fact, it does indeed remind me very much of Kellogg's berry stars cereals like Hocus Pocus 2. The more bowls I eat, the more I feel like I've been duped. The milk does turn pink (not really purple) and "berry-licious!" as advertised. But it's not enough to repair my impression of this impostor masquerading as Froot Loops.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Pink and berry...y?

*This is a case of me being punished for buying the cereal as soon as I spotted it, as later versions have shortened the name to "Froot Loops Wonka", and ditched Gene Wilder (which doesn't make a whole lot of sense anyway, given that this is a tie-in for a movie with a new actor cast as the character) in favor of giving Toucan Sam an opportunity to dress up. Plus, there's a fun-looking treasure hunt on the back of the box. I think the marketing is an improvement, but I'm going to assume it's the same cereal; anyway, it's not worth taking the risk of buying another box.