Cereal has been around since the late 19th century – the very first one was created by health reformer and doctor, James Caleb Jackson, in 1863 – but it wasn’t until almost 70 years later, in the late 1930s, that sugary cereals were introduced. The first sugared cereal in the United States, introduced in 1939, was called Ranger Joe Popped Wheat Honnies, a pre-sweetened cereal that kicked off the sugary breakfast revolution (the company also had another cereal called Rice Honnies.) It was eventually bought out by Nabisco and renamed Wheat Honnies.
Eventually, other companies began following suit, and shortly after, Kellogg’s introduced Sugar Frosted Flakes and Super Sugar Smacks, which contained 56% sugar by weight and were a huge hit with children. Large corporations began to market these sugary breakfasts specifically to children, adding mascots that told a story and appealed even more to the younger demographic. A recent study found that children were more likely to try a new item if it had a popular character on it. (One cereal company even had a dog as a mascot but it looked nothing like Wild Thang, the Pekingese who won the 2024 “World’s Ugliest Dog” contest).
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 92% of cold cereals contain added sugar, and while sugary cereals were once highly popular in the United States, according to a 2023 article in the Wall Street Journal, they have been on the decline in recent years as people focus more on protein and less on sugar and carbohydrates. But throughout much of the 20th century, it wasn’t out of the ordinary to eat pure sugar in ice-cold milk for breakfast. For those who grew up on breakfast cereal, the nostalgia runs deep for our old favorites, especially those we’ll likely never taste again.
24/7 Tempo compiled a list of beloved breakfast cereals no longer available. While it is not a complete archive of discontinued flavors, it includes many cereals that were released in conjunction with a popular movie or cartoon and subsequently disappeared when the hype died down. Also listed are cereals that have since been reformulated to appeal to changing tastes or, interestingly, to address parental concerns over the color of their children’s stool. It is not always clear when some of the cereals were discontinued. We contacted customer relations representatives to confirm each cereal was removed from the market. For cereals without an exact end year, we listed the decade.
Major food companies employ virtual armies of chefs, food scientists, and marketing gurus dedicated to rolling out new products. They please us with their vivid flavors and attractive textures — and when they eventually disappear from the shelves, as many of them do, we end up missing them — here are 40 popular discontinued snack foods we really miss.
Vanilly Crunch
- On the market: 1971 – early 1980s
- Manufacturer: Quaker
- What they were: Birthday cake-flavored Cap’n Crunch balls
Pink Panther Flakes
- On the market: 1972 – 1974
- Manufacturer: Post
- What they were: Neon pink frosted corn cereal
Fruit Brute
- On the market: 1975 – 1983
- Manufacturer: General Mills
- What they were: Fruit-flavored cereal pieces with lime-flavored marshmallows
Moonstones
- On the market: 1976 – 1977
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Fruit-flavored, space-shaped cereal of stars, half-moons, and planets
Donkey Kong Crunch
- On the market: 1982 – 1984
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Barrel-shaped crunchy corn cereal
Strawberry Honeycomb
- On the market: 1983 – 2002
- Manufacturer: Post
- What they were: Strawberry flavored, honeycomb-shaped cereal *Temporarily made a come-back in 2015
Pac-Man
- On the market: 1983 – 1988
- Manufacturer: General Mills
- What they were: Corn cereal with Pac-Man-shaped marshmallows
Smurf Berry Crunch
- On the market: 1983 – 1988
- Manufacturer: Post
- What they were: Red and blue corn puffs in berry flavor
C3POs
- On the market: 1984 – 1986
- Manufacturer: Kellogg’s
- What they were: Infinity-shaped, honey-sweetened oat, wheat, and corn cereal, that tasted like Lucky Charms but without the marshmallows
Ghostbusters Cereal
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: General view as Alamo Drafthouse dedicates new Manhattan theater to legendary Ghostbusters filmmaker Ivan Reitman and unveils Life-Sized Stay-Puft marshmallow man installation in lobby on November 15, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for for Alamo Drafthouse)
- On the market: 1985 – 1990
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Oat cereal shaped like the Ghostbusters logo with ghost-shaped marshmallows in a glow-in-the-dark box
Nerds
- On the market: 1985 – late 1980s
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Featured two separate tangy flavors divided in one box, like the candies
Rainbow Brite Cereal
- On the market: 1985 – 1990
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Fruit-flavored, rainbow-shaped cereal pieces in multiple colors
Spiderman Cereal
- On the market: 1985 – 1990s
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Spiderweb-shaped cereal with marshmallows
Yummy Mummy
- On the market: 1987 – 1993
- Manufacturer: General Mills
- What they were: Fruit-flavored cereal with vanilla-flavored marshmallows
Smurf Magic Berries
- On the market: 1987 – early 1990s
- Manufacturer: Post
- What they were: Fruit-flavored multigrain cereal with marshmallow stars
Morning Funnies
- On the market: 1988 – 1989
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Fruit-flavored cereal shaped like goofy faces, in a box covered in comics
Dunkin’ Donuts Cereal
- On the market: 1988 – late 1980s
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Shaped like donuts, came in glazed donut and chocolate flavors
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal
- On the market: 1989 – 1995
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Net-shaped cereal with crunchy marshmallows that left your milk green
Batman Cereal
- On the market: 1989 – 1990
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Bat-shaped corn cereal
Breakfast with Barbie
- On the market: 1989 – early 1990s
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Multigrain fruit-flavored cereal in the shape of hearts, bows, cars, stars, and the letter B
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Cereal
- On the market: 1990 – 1991
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Toasted oat squares with music note-shaped marshmallows
Cinnamon Mini-Buns
- On the market: 1991 – 1993
- Manufacturer: Kellogg’s
- What they were: Corn and oat cereal shaped and flavored like a swirled cinnamon bun
The Addams Family Cereal
- On the market: 1991 – early 1990s
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Spooky-shaped cereal with a memorable lack of flavor
WWF Superstars
- On the market: 1991 – early 1990s
- Manufacturer: Ralston
- What they were: Vanilla-flavored, star-shaped cereal
Reptar Crunch
- On the market: 1999 – 1999
- Manufacturer: Post
- What they were: Purple rice crisps with green Reptar-shaped pieces
Homer’s Cinnamon Donut Cereal
- On the market: 2001 – 2002
- Manufacturer: Kellogg’s
- What they were: Donut-shaped cinnamon-flavored cereal
Bart’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch
- On the market: 2001 – 2002
- Manufacturer: Kellogg’s
- What they were: Peanut butter chocolate-flavored orbs
Monopoly Cereal
- On the market: 2003 – mid-2000s
- Manufacturer: General Mills
- What they were: Cinnamon-flavored cereal with marshmallow houses, hotels, and deeds
FiberPlus Berry Yogurt Crunch
- On the market: 2010 – 2013
- Manufacturer: Kellogg’s
- What they were: Wheat and rice flakes with berry yogurt-flavored clusters
Cupcake Pebbles
- On the market: 2010 – 2011
- Manufacturer: Post
- What they were: Cake batter-flavored rice cereal
Sesame Street C is for Cereal
- On the market: 2011 – 2014
- Manufacturer: Post
- What they were: Apple-flavored oat and corn cereal pieces shaped like Xs and Os, made for toddlers