Almost every sweet breakfast cereal has a mascot. From Tony the Tiger to Cap’n Crunch, many of these cereal characters have become household names. Here are four old cereal characters you either forgot about or never met, along with their respective stories about American culture.
Old Cereal Character from the 50s: Pow
Snap, Crackle and Pop comprise the most famous trio of cereal box mascots. During the 1950s, they had a fourth partner, named Pow. Pow was a forerunner of many old cereal characters. While the other three are named for the sounds Rice Krispies make in milk, Pow represented its nutritional power.
Old Cereal Character from the 60s: Kream Krunch Cone
In 1965, Kellogs released Kream Krunch. This old cereal, which featured “real ice cream” with “nutritious cereal,” was only on grocer’s shelves for a year. The upside-down ice cream cone that offered kids ice cream for breakfast had freeze-dried ice cream three years before NASA. However, he could never convince parents the cereal was healthy.
Old Cereal Character from the 70s: Jean LaFoote
Jean LaFoote actually appeared on cereal boxes in the 1960s and 1970s. For years, Jean LaFoote was Cap’n Crunch’s antagonist. One fateful day, he attempted his greatest feat: his own cereal. Jean LaFoote’s Cinnamon Crunch, as he called it, may have been healthy. But, he was a less appealing cereal character than Cap’n Crunch.
Old Cereal Character from the 80s: Cookie Crook
Cookie Crook had a good run stealing cookies; he was a cereal character during the 1980s and 1990s. Always trying to steal cookies out of Cookie Crisp, Cookie Crook tried to sneak past Officer Crumb. However, he was sentenced for life in 1997 by General Mills.
These old cereal characters are retired, but they should never be forgotten. Each one’s story tells something of American culture during its respective era. Pow was retired to keep the fairytale of Snap, Crackle and Pop realistic. Kream Krunch’s failure showed parents had a nutritional standard. Both Jean LaFoote and the Cookie Crook were retired to clean up their cereal’s brand. Every old cereal character tells us a story.
Main Source for All Old Cereal Characters:
Mental Floss, Jan.-Feb. 2012
Secondary Sources for Specific Old Cereal Characters:
Kream Krunch
Pow
Scott Brodie writes on anything that interests him. This includes news, sports and fun facts.
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