Frosted Cheerios

Name: Frosted Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I can't avoid drawing a parallel to Frosted Krispies, another example of one of the dullest cereals on the market doing the absolute minimum to sweeten up their cereal and make it more palatable (remember, even plain Frosted Flakes are still frosted - unfrosted Frosted Flakes are just Corn Flakes...).

The difference is Krispies are dull across the board (Cocoa Krispies is okay, but still rendered obsolete by Cocoa Pebbles, which is very similar but superior in every way), while Cheerios actually has a lot of good flavors, if you just avoid the plain-as-white-bread original. So where does Frosted Cheerios stand?

They're sweet. The box is pretty. I have no doubt it's a huge improvement over regular, unfrosted Cheerios (to be honest, I'm not brave enough to try). And you know what? From the outset, I was fully prepared to give this cereal a one bowl rating. But even though there are many good flavors of Cheerios to choose from, and the only real flavor this one has is "sweet", the truth is, I've got a sweet tooth, and I find myself enjoying eating these. So chalk one more point up to Cheerios - the cereal I never thought I'd learn to respect this much.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Has a sweet, frosted flavor.

Frosted Mini Wheats Little Bites (Original & Chocolate)

Name: Frosted Mini Wheats Little Bites Original
Variation: Frosted Mini Wheats
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I think it's safe to assume that this cereal is going to taste just like regular Frosted Mini Wheats (which you shouldn't be surprised to learn that I don't like). The point of this review, then, will be to determine how I feel about the smaller size of the biscuits (as well as lay a groundwork for me to review the chocolate version of Little Bites, which is what I really wanted to do).

I don't have a lot of experience eating Frosted Mini Wheats, so when I see the size of these biscuits, to me they look like pretty standard size cereal biscuits. So I think that maybe regular Frosted Mini Wheats are just too big. As far as fitting them in your mouth, I think these Little Bites are an improvement. Unfortunately, it's still Frosted Mini Wheats, so I can't say that I like it. I mean, the frosting is actually good, but it's not worth eating shredded wheat when there are other frosted cereals on the market.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Plain and wheat-y.

Name: Frosted Mini Wheats Little Bites Chocolate
Variation: Frosted Mini Wheats
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: If ever there will be a version of Frosted Mini Wheats that I rate higher than one bowl, I imagine it would be this one. That's what I'm thinking going in to this. It's do or die.

The chocolate and frosting looks pleasant. Almost like a dusting of snow on the ground. But it's still just a flavor covering up a base of shredded wheat. I like the flavor - as I have with pretty much every variety of Frosted Mini Wheats I've tried so far. But I don't like the shredded wheat. And I haven't tried a flavor yet that I liked so much it was worth eating shredded wheat for, especially when you can get those flavors (even things like Cinnamon Roll and Pumpkin Pie Spice) in other cereals. Chocolate is certainly no exception.

If I were being forced under duress to eat Frosted Mini Wheats, this is probably the flavor I would prefer to have. But it's not an experience I would initiate voluntarily. Even Chocolate Frosted Flakes is better than this cereal - and that cereal has the benefit of actually turning the milk chocolate.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: not as wheat-y as other flavors of this cereal, but still very plain.

Apple Pie Toast Crunch

Name: Apple Pie Toast Crunch
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Technically, I've already reviewed this cereal, but I feel like the individual components were overshadowed in the Caramel Apple Toast Crunch experiment, and I've been meaning to give these two cereals their own spotlight (stay tuned for the other one).

Taken alone, Apple Pie Toast Crunch is very sweet and apple-y; it's reminiscent of pie filling and not just mashed apples, which is pretty cool. The sweet, fruity flavor dulls a little bit as you progress through the bowl and your tongue acclimates to it, but it's a fun holiday cereal that I enjoy. If you have some Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch to add to it, all the better! My rating of two bowls from before shall stand.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: If your tongue isn't completely desensitized by the end of the bowl, it's sweetened with apple and cinnamon.

WinterFest Fruity Pebbles

Name: WinterFest Fruity Pebbles
Variation: Fruity Pebbles
Manufacturer: Post

Review: This year, Post is offering a winter holiday version of its popular Fruity Pebbles cereal, which is functionally very similar to Halloween Fruity Pebbles, in that it's a cosmetic variation (red and green for Christmas) with the "same fruity taste!" you love (or so one would assume). That also means there are no surprises in store for you. Me? I'm still waiting for Cocoa Pebbles to get the holiday treatment. Any holiday. (How about... red strawberry pebbles mixed in with the usual cocoa, for Valentine's Day? Give me a call, Post).

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Fruity.

Gingerbread Toast Crunch

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

Review: I'm not crazy about gingerbread, but I was excited when I saw this new holiday edition of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, because it's a clever idea, and on point for the brand (what's a holiday version of bread? Gingerbread!). Visually, it looks like regular CTC. Digging my spoon into it, I'm reminded of CinnaGraham Toast Crunch; my predominant impression being that this is CTC, but blander.

There is an unmistakable gingerbread flavor, which is pretty neat. But I'm not in love with it. Maybe it needs some frosting. As far as holiday versions of Cinnamon Toast Crunch go, I think I'll stick with Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch, or Apple Pie Toast Crunch. Or even Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls. There are a lot of options, and this isn't going to become one of my favorites. But it was a fun idea, at least.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Gingerbread-y.

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.

Lucky Charms Hidden Dragon

Name: Lucky Charms Hidden Dragon Reveals in Milk
Variation: Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Check it out - Lucky's new charm gives him the power "to reveal what is hidden"! (Now there's a great power). I have mixed feelings about the appearance of the new marshmallows. Dry, they have a multi-colored, speckled look that effectively imitates the pattern of dragons' eggs (as if that were a real thing). But they do have a tendency to look just like messier versions of the unicorn marshmallow. The way they change color in milk (the white parts dissolve to reveal more color) is cool, but they don't change shape, so it's not like you can't tell what you're gonna get. I like the vibrant colors (the green eggs and the red and yellow flames look great), but I fear the dragons might suffer from the same problem as Galactic Lucky Charms' marshmallows did, in simply being too busy.

I've also seen boxes without the hidden reveal.

Nonetheless, it's a great concept for this cereal. And it tastes just like regular Lucky Charms, so there's no gamble there. That said, I'm a little disappointed that Magic Gems are already nowhere to be seen. What's the point of getting new marshmallows if none of them stick around? And how many different marshmallows does this cereal need, anyway? But I guess that's the nature of the novelty market...

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Mildly oat-y and sweet.