I wonder if any Boomer kid in the US ever grew up without breakfast cereal in the morning? Sure, some days we would be treated with Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, or perhaps full-blown bacon and eggs, but by and large mornings were busy times for families. This was particularly true in the case of my own dual-income household. Dad would be getting ready for another day at his truck garage, and mom would likewise be preparing for her own vocation of teaching a first grade class at Wilson Elementary, on the other side of town from my own alma mater of Nichols.
Needless to say, cooking breakfast was a difficult venture. So most mornings, it was one of a bevy of cartoon characters who provided me with the essential sugar that a kid used to get going in the early hours.
These friendly faces included So-Hi (I'll bet the clueless execs who named the stereotypical Chinese Rice Crinkles pitchman were the butt of many jokes among the younger staffmembers at Post over that moniker), Tony the Tiger, Capn' Crunch, King Vitaman, The Kellog's Corn Flakes rooster, the Blue Gnu, and the very weird Apple Jacks apple face.
I loved Rice Krinkles, but was also quite partial to Alpha-Bits, particularly in the postman/Lovable Truly era.
Alpha-Bits had a variety of mascots, including inanimate blocks, a big smiley-faced kid, and blowups of the cereal letters themselves. But it was the postman who caught my seven-year-old eye during a commercial break while watching Mighty Mouse one Saturday morning. I was struck with a craving for letters made of wheat, oats, and sugar. It was one of mom's most regular purchases afterwards.
The postman was such a hit that he soon received a name, Lovable Truly, and his own spot on the Linus the Lion Hearted show.
Alpha-Bits cereal was perfect. You see, the perfect breakfast cereal not only tasted good in a bowlful of milk, but also was a delight to the senses when eaten right out of the box while planted in front of the one-eyed-monster after school.
But back to breakfast.
What would a kid do while seated at the kitchen table? He could read a comic book, of course, but more often the morning's entertainment was provided by the back (and sides) of the cereal box itself.
There was something about the back of a cereal box that made it an object of fascination for a kid of the 60's, even though he had read the words the previous day, and the day before that.
Eventually, though, the words would become tedious, and it was time to switch to the sides. Thus did many a preteen learn of such terms as potassium hydrogen sulfite, calcium propionate, and my personal favorite, calcium disodium EDTA. I wasn't sure what all of those chemicals did, but the cereal tasted great, so if they contributed to the experience, more power to 'em!
Of course, the average kid's memory didn't store the additives' names for long. But I still recall them. After all, if it wasn't for my above-average memory, I Remember JFK wouldn't exist. ;-)
Next, we'll explore games on the back of the boxes, variety packs, and, of course, the toys that came inside.
A huge thanks to The Imaginary World for the cereal box graphics. There are hundreds more there for your browsing pleasure!
Comments (4)
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Posted by Tommy | July 16, 2008 1:58 AM
Posted on July 16, 2008 01:58
I still stick to the fact that I did not like cereal. I HATE MILK! YUCK!
Rice Krispies were only good in rice krispie treats and still to this day I love them!
I would put them in the freezer so they would harden faster. When they came up with colored mini marshmellows, I thought I was in heaven, I loved the colors!
Rice krispie bars are right up there under 3 Musketeer Bars and a Zero bar!
Thank you for all of the golden memories and sharing your family with us.
Southern smiles and rice krispie bars...
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~
Author of http://www.BabyBoomerAdvisorClub.com
Posted by Sharon | July 16, 2008 5:00 AM
Posted on July 16, 2008 05:00
I loved and still love my breakfast cereal! While I now mostly eat healthy-ish (ick) stuff like shredded wheat, I loved all the brands you listed here.
From some reason Qisp (think I spelled that right) also popped into my head while reading. As I recall, it was vanilla flavored and circles. I can recall gunning down pretty much a whole box while watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Posted by Mark Pilipczuk | July 17, 2008 2:54 AM
Posted on July 17, 2008 02:54
From Prelude: Breakfast Cereals
Soon, I would be bolting out the door heading for school, my metabolism resembling that of a hummingbird. My second-grade teacher certainly had her hands full with twenty-nine other kids as wired as myself.
No wonder I start the day with strong coffee. I really miss that buzz.
From Breakfast Cereals part 2:
So most mornings, it was one of a bevy of cartoon characters who provided me with the essential sugar that a kid used to get going in the early hours.
Ron,
There seems to be a persistent meme embedded in your belief system regarding the effects of sugar as a stimulant. As an exercise (exorcise) see if you can update your by value neural pointer to that memory location and replace it with one by reference for future flexibility.
Due to the pervasiveness of this myth, major cereal brands (probably most brands) changed the names from their original ones e.g., Sugar Pops to Corn Pops, Super Sugar Crisp to Super Golden Crisp, Sugar Frosted Flakes to Frosted Flakes, Sugar Smacks to Honey Smacks etc. to keep memed moms purchasing products. Today, one is hard pressed to find any product with Sugar in the title except Domino’s and the ilk.
I repeat Sugar does NOT get kids or anyone else going (save diabetics but that’s going the wrong way!!!)
If you don’t believe it, check these links among hundreds available.
WebMD: Sugar Myth
Sugar Buzz
The Straight Dope
Kids are naturally wired because they are not jaded or psychologically weighed down by adult responsibilities. Theirs is a world of seemingly infinite possibilities, full of enthusiasm, and wonder. Unless they are adversely challenged, abused, or in a war/disaster zone they are hard to keep down.
Strong coffee’s buzz OTOH is definitely real. My drug habit (caffeine) costs my wife and me approximately $25 a week for beans, milk, and bottled water and I’m not altering this aspect of my lifestyle as long as I can afford it.
I eat cereal for breakfast just about every day but it is almost invariably oatmeal. (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal – but I also eat old fashioned rolled oats as well – never “Quick” or “Instant” – many times I eat it with runny fried eggs, HOT salsa, and raw Vidalia or other sweet onions – I recently cut out the fresh cilantro after the Salmonella scare.) If I’m in hurry I have a big bowl of Kashi GoLean Hi Protein Hi Fiber cereal with Kefir. Before I became svelte challenged, I used to eat practically any cold cereal and like them all (each has its own redeeming qualities – my favorite was Kellogg’s Concentrate (sadly no longer available) with Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup and milk – perhaps that was the beginning of my climb up the corpulent ladder?) I also poured the milk first and added and ate the cereal in small amounts to minimize sog except for Shredded Wheat which IMO improves with sogginess.
My family usually avoided “Name Brand” commercial products opting to save a few cents by purchasing generic cornflakes, crisped rice, puffed wheat and rice etc. without prizes or premiums unless they had a coupon which made the name brands competitive. The one exception was the Kellogg’s Variety Pack which they bought for trips as one could cut along the perforated lines on the top of the boxes being careful not to puncture the wax paper lining and the box was a little bowl that was a leak resistant horizontal cabinet with open doors ready for milk and no dishes!!! You couldn’t dawdle or the wax paper would eventually succumb to the liquid.
Now with our misguided congressional reps having mandated corn for fuel instead of food, the price of cereal (not to mention everything else) has skyrocketed so my eschewal of processed breakfast food has resulted in a welcome cash benefit.
Posted by Burt | July 17, 2008 4:00 PM
Posted on July 17, 2008 16:00