The Weirdly Controversial History of the Monster Cereals: Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry

[@JamesRendek]

I was in Target. I saw a little girl pick up a box of Frankenberry and she was just so happy. Her dad assured her it was a great choice. What a moment.

[@spacejockeyindustries]

Booberry is my favourite one, frankenberry is my second

[@terrylann2654]

@@spacejockeyindustriessame

[@michaelmcclelland7075]

@@JamesRendek 🥲 great moments of the grocery store

[@Gigi-c8p]

Blue turds best

[@anthonythomas6593]

Never shop at Target…

[@redlion517]

In my last semester of college, I took a package design class, and for one of our projects we had to create branding for a food product. One of my classmates decided to try her hand at creating a sixth Monster Cereal: Cinna-Mothman. Almost makes you wonder just how many monsters you could milk (haha) this concept for.

[@Dargonhuman]

🤣 Upvote for the milk pun alone! But I get what you mean, too, with all the different types of cereals out there now, and the ever expanding roster of cinematic monsters to choose from, there could be a lot of fun to be had combining the two concepts. Speaking of, and in light of your milk pun, it would be fun to see the cereal company work with a milk manufacturer to make a skeletal cartoon character for the milk.

[@redlion517]

@@Dargonhuman They'd probably call it something like "Scary Dairy".

[@SwayRod836]

Honey-unchback

[@trixibellalestrange7232]

@@redlion517 Don't be.... don't be dunking my heart around.

[@CliffRoth]

Cinna-Bites

[@rttoonist4275]

Over forty years ago, when I was just two years old, I got a bad case of the flu and stopped eating. My mother was desperate to get me to eat. She tried everything, but the only thing that I would eat was Count Chocula cereal. So that's what I got. And as a result, Count Chocula was the very first thing I have a conscious memory of throwing up. Good times...

[@miltonhayek2494]

One time I got violently ill off some bad lasagna. I couldn't eat lasagna again for years. I just associated it too much with the event.

[@montekristo5048]

I had same issue with grape juice and fruit and Fibre cereal! 🤒

[@DoctorElleGrumpy]

It was Peppermint Schnapps for me.

[@jchow5966]

💟🙂

[@keymaster430]

Did it turn your dookie brown?

[@jonsingle5703]

The sad part of my fav childhood monster cereals....THEY DONT Taste The Same ANYMORE....WHY DID THEY CHANGE THE INGREDIENTS AND FORMULA

[@bryantaylor4956]

I remember this one. The fed gov involved itself and wanted the sugar out of cereals. They even had to change the names to not say sugar. (Like super sugar crisp, sugar frosted flakes, etc.)

[@BrianRoberson-k7g]

​@@bryantaylor4956 Not true. There was no government intervention. The companies were simply following the ebbs and flows of the market and the 1980's were a time when physical fitness was trendy and sugar was on the outs.

[@tenebrae23]

​@@BrianRoberson-k7gIt was like KFC not wanting "fried" prominently displayed for awhile.

[@905if6was9]

Corn is cheap, and corn syrup is bad shit. These cereals are not what they used to be.

[@MackPaddy]

@@tenebrae23 I heard recently that the only 'Vegan" option on their menu is the gravy. Still have to check if this is true, but if it is, that's hilarious. (Wouldn't a pepper or ketchup packet count as vegan as well? LOL)

[@scotsmith2391]

Childhood magical moment: One Saturday morning while watching the onslaught of cartoons, a commercial played for Fruit Brute. I immediately went to the pantry and lo and behold there was a box. My mom tried to deny that she had bought it and said it just appeared there. It became my favorite of the monster cereals and I was super disappointed when it got discontinued.

[@kristinehardy6424]

Sam's club had Brute in a 4pk a few years ago but they replaced him with a zombie chic wasn't impressed...

[@Giran_0]

Never understood why the monsters were only for one month but the leprechaun got to be all year round

[@nicks4802]

And nothing about a non-flavour themed leprechaun makes me wanna eat cereal.

[@BrianRoberson-k7g]

It's because of magic.

[@tenebrae23]

​@@nicks4802Leprechaun? Rainbow? It was all different flavors.

[@tenebrae23]

We always had them year-round. That was before they changed the marshmallows into different shapes. They used to just look like tiny marshmallows. But in the 70s, we also had Fruit Brute in the monster cereal universe.

[@johnpatz8395]

I don’t remember them being limited time items for their first several years

[@mickshealthjourney3635]

If they ever decide to make another character, a jack-o-lantern/headless horseman type would make sense: a pumpkin spice flavored cereal with vanilla marshmallows that looked like little pumpkins. Call it something like Smack-o-Lanterns or Ichabod Grains.

[@Sanguivore]

You're on to something here!

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

I’d love to have a Jack Skellington cereal but I don’t think Danny Elfman wants to promote junk food seeing what a health freak he is.

[@theexpresidents]

Stupid idea.

[@Yo_DynamoJoe]

@@theexpresidents funny, that's also what your dad said when your mom decided to keep you, but hey, here we are.

[@junibug6790]

​@@theexpresidents Clearly, someone pissed in your cereal.

[@SuperNicktendo]

Pink poop story delivered with a straight face was hilarious.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

Dan is a truly a professional. Though I must wonder how many takes that actually took.

[@BrotherApexx]

Those sound effects, tho 😂

[@itsagundam79]

I love when he starts cracking up at his own jokes!

[@ryanbwags]

'I feel like I've gone too far in a few places" The editing, as always, is top notch.

[@deboralee1623]

i haven't gotten to that part of the video yet, but i'm guessing it resembles (¿is based on?) a scene from _Cujo_: the food-coloring in a certain cereal produces interesting results.

[@Adoozyofaday]

80s kid here. My parents bought plain cheerios and cornflakes only my entire childhood. With the exception of these monster cereals. Once a year we were each allowed to pick one box during October. It was a really big deal for us kids and I still remember them fondly. As an adult they don't taste that great to me, but I still eat them every year with my kids (my kids like them) purely for nostalgia. Happy memories 🥣😋

[@Denise-t4z]

It was Cheerios & corn flakes in our house too. But, my grandma would buy them for us when we visited. Count Chocula, Frankenberry, & later they added Booberry. I had them all as a kid. 😊😊😊

[@Scottocaster6668]

Because they don't taste the same as they did back then.

[@Atomykpimp]

The Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns is looking for a box of cereal that looks like him and see’s the Count Chocula and says “this one sorta looks like me” is absolutely hysterical.

[@RatelHBadger]

Wasn't Count Chocula a member of the Republican Party that Burns used to meet with.

[@stephenr3910]

There was one where he was trying to come with a logo and drew a Kelloggs "k" and said, "How about this 'special' k?"

[@Monkeyboy1138]

The whole middle section of this video, the science and the sound effects, and the fact that Dan could keep a straight face, pure perfection.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

I have to admit I was not expecting a scientific breakdown of how artificially flavored and colored cereal affects ones bowels. But yes tip of the hat to you Dan Larson for keeping a straight face the entire time.

[@aaronorenstein5963]

It’s like something out of a Dav Pilkey book.

[@comix1017]

Ohhh the science, the wonderful, glorious science of it all. And the fart noises!! :)

[@comettamer]

Facts.

[@Fuzzy_Barbarian]

Using chocolate icecream to represent normal poop was genius.

[@robert6007]

In the 90s they made a limited edition Count Chocula box that had lenticular eyes that would follow you around. Walking down the cereal aisle was pretty trippy with all of the boxes looking at you. Still kick myself for not saving one of those boxes.

[@machupikachu1085]

THAT is awesome!!!

[@TonyGearSolid]

I remember those for all the monsters, but Count Chocula is the only one that matters.

[@mbern4530]

Next time you're in the cereal isle, notice how almost every mascot character is looking down. This intentional so they make eye contact with children who then ask their parents to buy it. Lenticular eyes is just taking that concept to the extreme.

[@captainmartin1219]

dude that needs to come back.

[@captainmartin1219]

@@mbern4530 never heard that before. Interesting how the environment is used to alter peoples actions.

[@jokelanddotcom]

“Count Chocula’s excused from these regulatory concerns for obvious reasons…” How on earth did Dan keep a straight face while uttering that line?!?

[@tekende3242]

Took me a minute to get that one.

[@Velsero]

Multiple takes...

[@PitchToTheRhino1]

Because he looks like shit? Oh no! Because he's brown already.

[@luislaplume8261]

Because he is an underrated great actor!

[@altheamuirin4901]

And now theyve added Carmella Creeper. Looks like it would taste like apple jacks but just tastes like straight caramel.

[@VeracityLH]

Being 4 years old when the first two monster cereals came out, this was a helluva trip down childhood memory lane. I remember begging my mom for Frankenberry and Count Chocula. Thanks for the fun, as well as the reason I never enjoyed them much as an adult--the change in grains. I had never been able to figure that part out.

[@WendyCR72]

Had Count Chocula again a few years back after not really eating it since I was a kid in the '70s. TOTALLY different now. And no, it wasn't just nostalgia. The marshmallows used to be chocolatey like the cereal. Same for Frankenberry (not strawberry-flavored marshmallows) and Boo Berry (the marshmallows used to have a blueberry flavor!) .Now they are "just" marshmallows. The cereal is a totally different consistency, too. I miss the originals!

[@IceManTX69]

Yep! They used to be made out of oats, kind of like Lucky Charms. But now they are made out of corn more like Cap'n Crunch. I don't care for it either.

[@WendyCR72]

@@IceManTX69 THANK YOU! I wondered what the difference was, and you got it! As I said, I miss the original '70s recipes. Whatever happened to, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"?

[@theunknowngamer5477]

I only had one box of the original Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy. The last box of Boo Berry, around 5 years back...so disappointing.

[@kingwilly8041]

@@WendyCR72 Exactly. You get these know-it-alls coming out of Business school thinking they're going to increase the bottom line by cutting costs and they end up destroying the product. The same thing happens in the Fast Food industry. Just look at how terrible Wendy's, Carl's Jr., etc. are compared to how they used to be when their founders were running things.

[@davidr1676]

@@theunknowngamer5477 I had Fruit Brute in the 70s but I swear it was either like Fruit Loops or citrus like. Yummy Mummy I think hit shelves in 88 and I bought some before they left. They say both types were around until 82 and 92(?) but I couldn't find anything but Count Chocula by the 90s except at the Mall of America in the GM store while it lasted.

[@phoule76]

I only eat pun-themed food because of these cereals.

[@DrTopGun]

Jajajaja 🤣

[@emperortrevornorton3119]

I believe that you tried spotteddick because of it because of a pun

[@Michael-bk5nz]

You must be starving

[@JosephCRVourteque]

Same

[@blackc1479]

It's a good habit to have ingrained. I'll see myself out.

[@thachocolategod]

Say what you will but Count Chocula,Frankenberry, and Boo-Berry stand as my favorite cereals of all time and I think it's a crime against humanity that GM only releases them around Halloween now. Highly underrated.

[@dalemoyers8881]

Well said!!! 😎

[@kurtshastany1945]

Its supply, demand and a marketing gimmick, but also cereal boxes unopened are good for about a year. Just stock up

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

What about Peeps cereal for Easter? I couldn’t even find it on Easter. Had to order it online for an outrageous price.

[@alucard624]

@@kurtshastany1945 Truth. Got several boxes of each of them this year when I saw them at Wal Mart.

[@fencefirst2722]

Highly overrated.. pebbles destroys those..

[@braziliantvhd2768]

The original recipe was so much better. I pick me up some Count Chocula every Halloween, this year they had a new apple/caramel flavor by a Cruella, a female. Guess she's a zombie. Oddly enough, the Boo Berry sold out faster than the others.

[@therealCrazyJake]

Boo Berry is my favourite, but I love all of them.

[@WopRicci]

Yes, I saw that one. I loved all the Halloween cereals growing up, later got them for my kids, then grandchildren. I don't buy any of them anymore. Most of the colorful cereals, especially cereals with those marshmallows contain dyes that are carcinogenic and trisodium phosphate, An industrial cleaner that used to be sold as TSP among other horrible ingredients. Check the ingredients on all cereals, especially cereals marketed to children before buying. Most of them should be classified as a hazardous material.

[@Lzzeecrkrs]

I tried that caramel apple. Something not right about it.

[@mcarp555]

I'm stunned to find that these cereals are still around. I had Count Chocula back in the day (along with King Vitamin), but don't remember much about it. My cousin (three years younger than me) ate Frankenberry. She passed away last year, so this is very nostalgic for me.

[@BigEpinstriping]

I've loved monster cereals since I was a kid, every Halloween I still buy a few boxes every year (Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Frute Brute when it's available) If it were available year-round instead of seasonal, I'd be buying it all the time.

[@darrenheideman2546]

Man, I can remember when they were available year round.

[@darrenheideman2546]

Man, I can remember when they were available year round.

[@theskyybay420]

Isn’t count chocula year round?

[@jeremybaker195]

I alwats get Frankenberry and booberry. The chocolate cerials don't ha e the same appeal as they did when I was little. Maybe I ate to much then. I ate enough to last me a life time hahaha 👻🫐

[@darrenheideman2546]

@@theskyybay420 Not anymore sadly.

[@micshork]

I’d love to see them add a sixth cereal. Perhaps something like “Witch’s Brew” and it could be apple-cinnamon flavor or something else to make it stand out.

[@ameliadiaz8040]

🧙 Good idea! 🧙‍♀️

[@Gatorade69]

Gooberry. Turns your milk green and slimy. Zomberry with little marshmallow brains.

[@jaustill237]

Caramel Apple?

[@ameliadiaz8040]

@@jaustill237 Yes, something like that, with apple/cinnamon flavor.

[@ToyInsanity]

Creature Crunch. Like Creature from the Milk Logoon.

[@sydneyhalliwell2513]

Thank you for this historical undertaking of my favorite cereals. Boo Berry will always be my favorite. Really do miss the fact that Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy are mostly forgotten. But we have Fruit Brute this year! I mixed half a bowl of Fruit Brute with Boo Berry and made Boo Brute. It was amazing

[@taborturtle]

Must have given you a Brute Poo!

[@forgottenfilmchannel1194]

last year the had the cereals mixed with the monster mash band on the box. cereal was super sweet but the box graphics so great that I framed it and use it as part of my halloween decoration

[@trollking99]

Me too. Although I don't like the current box art.

[@TheoRae8289]

I didn't know about Fruit Brute but I did wonder why I hadn't seen the mummy in forever.

[@margraveofgadsden8997]

Boo berry turned my poop green

[@henrykujawa4427]

Strange but true: I had NEVER seen or heard of "Frute Brute" until last week when I saw a box while shopping with my home care client! I thought it was brand-new, not something revived from the 70s. Amazing.

[@SmashAtoms]

You can see a box of Fruit Brute in Reservoir Dogs. Mr. Orange has it in his apartment before Mr. White picks him up.

[@OverlordZeroULTIMA]

Same! Never heard of him or Yummy Mummy until seeing a box of fruit snacks showcasing these characters on it. I wish I got a box, tbh...But of course I didn't because I still had plenty of others at home. And go figure, Halloween's over, so they're gone until next year if they pop back up at all.

[@TheCharleseye]

I, myself, fell victim to the Boo-Berry blues (or greens, as it were). It was pretty freaky.. Fortunately, as a lab technician, my mother was prone to research a problem, rather than to jump to conclusions. She checked out the label on the Boo-Berry (the only new thing in my diet) and decided that was probably the culprit.She kept me away from my new cereal for a day and things went back to normal. Good times.

[@Writh811]

Man I loved the monster cereals as a kid. I use to mix Booberry and Frankenberry in my bowl and call it "Night of the Living-Berries." As a kid I even drew a pair purple Zombie (one in a blue shirt one in a pink shirt) that I would pretend hung out with the other cereal monsters.

[@Sarika38]

It’s so fun to hear someone who did the same thing I did!😊 I Loved mixing those two cereals so much!

[@Pink_Elephants_on_Parade]

Mascots are such cool things to research. Seeing thier evolution over time or subsequent replacements is like a trip in time.

[@raymondhopwood9393]

You could also include The Cheerio Kid & Sue and Sugar Bear.

[@reiddutchess9955]

The Rob Zombie joke and it’s delivery was the best part of this episode.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟

[@ChrisDreher]

Came here to write the same (at 17:26) 👍

[@glenmo1]

Brings back a lot of memories from my childhood . I remember originally mailing box tops to the cereal manufacturers for prizes later on you would cut the square with the code on it and mail that in... Some of the prizes I had gotten via mail in .. a Ford pinto model... A airboat on little pontoons that.. had a little electric motor in prop and you put a AAA battery .. and drive it around in your bathtub.. great memories

[@ReddNSlymmProductions]

I've noticed this year that the characters now have cross marks instead of eyeballs on the packaging. This sort of disturbs me as I never recalled from my younger years the characters having and "X" instead of an eyeball and this video confirmed that was never a thing. It makes me wonder why General Mills have chosen that concept. Also, I may have missed it, but Boo-Berry was off the shelf for a very long time, even when the cereals became seasonal. Awesome video though. I love that you dove into this category.

[@Wis_Dom]

I never knew about the package design controversy. You could literally do a whole channel based on cereal history alone. I will always remember when the Batman cereal launched, it came with a giant plastic bank shrink-wrapped onto the box! I had my mother buy it based on that alone, lol!

[@northofnashira2575]

People already have channels about cereal. I know that a retro video game guy I watch, John Riggs, has a book all about cereal.

[@Wis_Dom]

@@northofnashira2575 People already had channels about cartoon and toy history too before this one.

[@northofnashira2575]

@@Wis_Dom Your post implied that you might be interested in something like that, so I responded. You don't have to be a dick for no reason.

[@Wis_Dom]

@Rob Mikels Oh wow! I forgot all about that one. I literally had to google it, just now. lol! I remember my childhood friend actually having one mixed in his kitchen dishes back then and I had no idea where he got it from, lol! Thanks! Now I know.

[@webs538]

I had that too

[@superpaul79]

My mom wouldn't let me have those monster cereals when I was a kid. Now that I'm 43, she still doesn't.

[@Flint-Dibble-the-Don]

My mom didn't quit smoking when she was pregnant with me. Different strokes.

[@konglives4453]

I was addicted to Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch cereal, so I don't remember ever eating these monster cereals. I remember my cousins eating Frankenberry Cereal and drinking milk with Strawberry Quick.... yuck !!

[@danicegewiss862]

My mom died when I was 26. Give her a hug and tell her you appreciate her.

[@forgottenfilmchannel1194]

your not missing anything. They all remind me of fruit loops

[@darthgorbag]

I went shopping with my mom at Target a few weeks ago, and we saw these cereals for sale. I bought myself a Boo Berry (it was pretty good), and she bought one of each for my brother. I'm also in my 40s, btw.

[@Getwright-]

If we dont get a Lime flavored “creature from the Sweet Limegoon” flavor, i say we riot!

[@michaelhunziker7287]

There is a green one with the Creature

[@roguekris9483]

Franken berry was my absolute favorite as a kid. Was delighted to see them at a discount store near me.

[@sallyhamilton7202]

Afterwatching this, I now finally understand why I loved them as a kid and now I don't. I thought my taste buds had changed when in actuality they've changed the recipes. I was very disappointed when I tried a box of Count Chocula after 40+ years of not eating it only to discover it wasn't at all how I remembered it and I honestly didn't even like it. Now I know!

[@TrueYellowDart]

Ooooo, Magic Spoon bowed out of this one. Count Chocula was just too intimidating.

[@wstine79]

I've enjoyed the General Mills Monster Cereals since 1988. Count Chocula was my favorite, but now it's Boo Berry. Finally tried Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy in 2013 when they came back.

[@chinabluewho]

Gen mills should do a Halloween special with those tiny mini boxes having an 8 pack of the monster cereal with of course the main 3 getting 2 boxes each in a pack and other two getting 1 pack each.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

I want to try Fruit Brute. As for Yummy Mummy... I don’t like orange flavor.

[@edwardrasmussen3465]

@@chinabluewho If you recall the flak from the FTC that Post cereals got with the Linus the Lionhearted cartoons (with Sugar Bear, Rory the raccoon, Lovable Truly (the postman), and So Hi) in the 1960s, that should nix that idea. The FTC frowns upon shows that sell cereal.

[@chinabluewho]

@@edwardrasmussen3465 we didn't have Tv or running water in the 60's as we were dirt poor

[@spookyhappyfun]

I love the monster cereal monsters and have boxes as decorations in my office. Turns out the Monster Mash box from last year fits in perfectly with the retro boxes from 2013. I never got to try the original Fruite Brute or Fruity Yummy Mummy flavors. The new cherry Frute Brute is fine but not my thing. But the new Orange Cream Fruity Yummy Mummy? It was sooo good! Definitely my favorite of the five. It's a shame it hasn't come back since 2013. But with Frute Brute coming back again this year, I remain hopeful.

[@forgottenfilmchannel1194]

love that box. Band image was so great!!

[@airtiki2374]

I got 3 of those boxes last yr A future collectors item

[@carolharris2357]

50/50 ice cream was my favorite as a kid, still right up there with chocolate anything.

[@forgottenfilmchannel1194]

@@airtiki2374 I got the last one they had, I framed it, looks great as an art piece!

[@deemz312]

I have the Kaws collaboration ones that just came out.

[@michaelmartin4552]

One of my favorite references to these cereals was the 2003-2004 TV series "Dead Like Me". An item that the main character loved when she was a live was a "Franken Fruity" doll, which was just a painted Franken Berry doll. Even to this day, I still find myself calling him "Franken Fruity".

[@marscaleb]

I think of that so often; like were they really so strapped on budget that they couldn't make a simple doll? They had to make a legally-distinct copy of Franken Berry?

[@michaelmartin4552]

@@marscaleb I think it was more that they wanted something recognizable, and did not want to go through the mess of licensing. And during that era the company was sold multiple times and the cereal was discontinued.

[@IKFKSwitch]

I haven't seen those 70s commercials since they were on the air, and seeing them now, I'm surprised at how expressive and appealing the animation was. Limiting their sales to Halloween was a brilliant strategy, and us gen xers are nostalgic enough to snatch that up. (I have bobbleheads of frute and yummy) Frute Brute was totally disgusting though. Only tried it once.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

What did it taste like? I just assumed it'd be like Trix back when it only had a few flavors.

[@davidnec571]

One of my earliest childhood memories was when my family went camping in Yellowstone in the mid-1980s. A couple days before, my mom took me to the grocery store to pick out some cereal for the trip and I chose a box of Count Chocula and Franken Berry. To this day, everytime I see this cereal, I think of Yellowstone.

[@littlekissrecords]

“Pink Stool” sounds like a viable sales gimmick to me.

[@fungiplays2289]

"For obvious reasons" Yep. Nailed it.

[@davidlium9338]

Did anybody else notice the characters in railroad uniforms and “stop, look, listen .” The words “stop look listen” used to be on every railroad grade crossing.

[@KevinKaufhold]

I ceased eating sugary cereals decades ago, but these cereals bring back memories of my childhood. After Halloween this year, I found these on sale for $1.23 for a 16oz box and I couldn’t resist. I picked up Franken Berry and Count Chocula. The Franken Berry is actually much better tasting and visually appealing than when I was a child, possibly due to the change from oats to corn. The cereal bits are shaped like the ghosts in Pac Man and the marshmallows are bats and ghosts. I think producing them only around the Halloween season is a wise decision since I probably wouldn’t eat them otherwise. I love Halloween and the energy that surrounds it. I really enjoyed your video. Being a child of the ‘70s, this brought back many memories. I like learning the history behind them as well.

[@charlesrense5199]

The problem with Fruit Brute is that he just reads as a cartoon canine character, not a werewolf. And the name provides no clues to that either.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

I do think it's funny that Tarantino had enough of an affinity for it to include it in two different movies.

[@ivane5110]

Story of my childhood; I was a Fruit Brute, Moonstones and probably every other quickly discontinued cereal fan. My food choice luck was only matched by my comic book (Shogun Warriors, SSSV) and TV show savvy (Logan's Run TV show, Blackstar, Drack Pack).

[@Gatorade69]

You can't say fruit brute anymore. It's a derogatory term.

[@itsagundam79]

I also always start loving quickly discontinued flavors and shows. If I love it, it will be shitcanned. Burgers with everything Pringles, Mantis, V, V reboot, War of the Worlds, and every flavor of Dew I vote for in contests never gets made. There was one a few years ago that tasted exactly like carbonated Calpis, that lost & was never re-released either. Between that and Black Sesame Pocky being gone, my life has no meaning anymore.

[@itsagundam79]

@Intergalactic Dust Bunny I think I remember the mascot, if not the cereal. I'd have to see a picture of it to be sure, I'm a visual sort of guy.

[@skree_fpv436]

@Intergalactic Dust Bunny I'm 44, I remember Fruit Islands cereal. The cereal was various fruit flavor discs with pieces of apple bits on them. I distinctly remember the commercial because the only thing the chief of the tribe would say is "A Yumma-Yumma!"

[@tekende3242]

The delivery on that "Dragula" joke was absolutely top-notch.

[@kevinwilson9589]

I sure wish I could go back in time and tell my child self to save and care for all those old cereal boxes so I could today sell them on E-Bay.

[@jonbrewer297]

The switch from oats to corn was probably related to corn being cheaper.

[@LKaramazov]

I just asked if it was my imagination that there was a switch! I’ve been telling my wife that no way was frankenberry as bad as this corn crap they’re selling now! I knew it!!!!

[@justicierodelaliga]

Love the concept and how they added more characters. They should also make a tradition of releasing an animated movie each year for October.

[@Maxx_XIII]

I always thought the cereal monsters should have had Rankin/Bass (Rudolph) styled stop-motion Halloween specials every year.

[@finejustgivemeaname]

Movie would be a good tradition.

[@noeroa]

This was such a joy to watch! I love the animated backdrop and seeing Dan in his costume, it just ups the ante. I’m a child from the 80’s and I remember these characters fondly, even though I myself ended up at the doctor thanks to Boo Berry, as my blue number twos alarmed and shocked my poor mother, although we caught on pretty quickly. Love your videos, thanks for bringing back such cool memories guys! XX

[@dragonmaster613]

the only reason I like that the stores start Halloween in September, COUNT CHOCULA!!!! I buy 5+ boxes every year!

[@Journey-of-1000-Miles]

I was very fortunate, because throughout the 1970s and 80s, my parents owned a grocery store. I was able to see all of these products come through the store, and sometimes I was lucky enough to try something! I still dream about the cereal aisle, and the ice cream freezer.

[@houseofdracula]

The original Fruit Brute was actually more like rainbow sherbet. It had a strong orange flavor along with the lime marshmallows. There were also red cereal pieces that could have been cherry or raspberry, but it'd be hard to tell because the orange flavor was so strong. I know that many online sources say that Fruit Brute was discontinued in 1982 , but that information is incorrect. It was actually discontinued in 1977. Once the other 3 (Count Chocula, Frankenberry, and Boo Berry) stopped using the "Big Face" style box art, that's when Fruit Brute was discontinued, and that's why there were never any other styled Fruit Brute boxes aside from the "Big Face" version.

[@scottcampbell9515]

I never ate these either as I was on Apple Jacks and Frosted Flakes. …and Trix. …and Fruity Pebbles. I’m glad you Dragulaed us through this one. Well done.

[@heidifedor]

Trix was my favorite when it was the original 3 flavors, but ruined it when the added grape.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

Trix doesn’t come in fruit shapes anymore. Cheapasses.

[@tariamani]

I moved to the US from the UK 5 years ago, and we didn’t have any of these cereals when I was growing up (and still don’t, I don’t think). I had vaguely heard of Count Chockula before watching this video (probably seeing him referenced in other media) but had never heard of the others or had any idea about their history - or that they are now a seasonal Halloween tradition. Anyway, long story short, I’m gonna go to Vons and buy all of these tomorrow. This will now be my new Halloween tradition! Thanks Toygalaxy! Excellent work!

[@eonaon6914]

I recommend Booberry, it always tasted the best to me. Of course, YMMV.

[@cuthulux]

You won't be able to get Yummy Mummy this year, but Frute Brute is on shelves. Enjoy.

[@charlieevergreen3514]

Welcome to the US. Sorry about our government. But hey, no Brexit. Anyway... Hope you enjoy the cereals!

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

The modern incarnation of Monster Cereals are disappointing sad nuggets of nothingness. They cut out most of the sugar and added flavorings from the original recipe to make them "healthier", as if one buys sugary artificially-flavored breakfast cereals marketed to children because they're "healthy".

[@RyanRead]

Great memories with these series. I was sad when Boo Berry disappeared and Yummy Mummy came into existence. I was barely 4 months old when Fruit Brute was around.

[@TheSniperGTO]

Yeah. I was born in 72. Boo Berry was my favorite. I remember going down to Bills IGA where it was always a treat for me when mom let me pick out my cereal. Only there was no Boo Berry. My little kid self even asked Big Bill himself. He told me they didn’t send any, next truck probably. As the weeks went by, I realized they were gone, and started my love affair with Captain Crunch.

[@davidr1676]

@@TheSniperGTO I saw my final box of Boo-Berry in a cornerstore in a very small Iowa town sometime between 83-87 when we'd go and visit an elderly lady my parents had met in California in the 60s. The lady and her slightly older uncle had traveled to California and my parents had moved there from Minnesota. I don't remember when I saw Booberry again but I'm pretty certain it was in mid to late 90s and Frankenberry I found in '95 while following a certain band on a partial tour. Ended up giving a couple strangers a ride to the next state on the itinerary and they had several jokes about my cereal and they propped it up in the back window. Simpler times. I remember Booberry from somewhere between 95-2003 because the release had a very stoned looking ghost on the box and reminded me of one of my friends who inhaled way too much for anyone, or rather he was super unproductive at those times but looked just as pasty as a Blue Ghost.

[@ObsessedCollector]

In 1982, General Mills teamed up with Trend to make 3 diff Scratch and Sniff sticker sets. The stickers came 3 per strip of either Chocolate, Strawberry or Bluberry in each package. There was a mail in offer for a small sticker keeper book. Today the stickers are extremely rare sealed and rare opened. The mail away is exceedingly rare, and the empty box is the holy grail.

[@TimCooper-y7y]

Had the Boo Berry stickers for years in a junk draw at my mom's house they kind of lost their blueberry odor by the 90s.

[@MartinJones-h9d]

_"Count Chocula cereal is coming your way, how 'bout a monsterful breakfast, today?"_ That's how I remember one commercial sounding...

[@robk.6591]

Thank you for talking about the results of Red Dye Number 2. The "condition" was also known as Franken S***s. Lol

[@thomassalvador5906]

Dan, I always enjoy both your series as well as your hosting abilities coupled with your wonderful, insightful and hilarious commentary. Thank you for providing such a great channel. Cheers.

[@williamcrowe2576]

Coming in, I half expected the sponsor to be the keto-friendly line of breakfast cereals Magic Spoon.

[@M2Mil7er]

It crossed my mind too, but realised there'd be a conflict of interest.

[@ericross441]

These cereals tasted much better, years ago. I got a box of "Boo-Berry" last year and thought it tasted a lot less sweet

[@BaritoneUkeBeast4Life]

Great video thanks for a walk down memory lane. I grew up eating Franken Berry and Boo Berry as I was not much of a Count Chocula fan as a kid. If I wanted chocolate cereal I always preferred Cocoa Pebbles. I remember when each of the monster cereals first came out in the 70's. I have a friend who is a comic book art collector, retro toy collector, and funny enough has the largest collection of Monster cereal boxes known to exist. I think it took him around 3 years to acquire the multiple collections from all over the US. I was lucky enough to see his complete collection about 5 or 6 years ago, it was so cool.

[@plaztik767]

Growing up boo - berry was my go to cereal, but over the years they cut the sugar content significantly.. so the sweetness and flavor was drastically altered (Not for the better)

[@Mattytime]

I have believed that a ‘Yummy Mummy’ was something very different for a very long time

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

Some people actually eat human parts that have been embalmed in honey.

[@DoomedPaladin]

Well... now I need a 5e DnD conversion of these characters. Great job on the Dragula line there, it actually made me laugh out loud at work.

[@depalma13]

When I was a kid, I poured all three into a bowl and called it Monster Mash. I was decades ahead of my time.

[@jlarrybrewer1149]

In 1986 I was Count Chocula at an theme park in Nashville. Best summer job I ever had

[@photobygil]

Great episode! As always, everything works here, from the excellent costume choice to the spooky, changing background, plus it was packed with information I'd never heard before (& I am a HUGE Monster Cereal fan from the start). All delivered with your trademark dry observations & a sense of genuine interest. Thanks for putting it all together so neatly. It's the KZbin video I didn't know I needed!

[@timvanboening9432]

I actually ate Count Chocula last night while watching the BBC version of Ghosts! And tonight I’ll probably have a bowl while watching She-Hulk. I try to get three boxes of it over a Halloween season, to make sure I get my fill. Forget Pumpkin Spice crap, THIS is the sign of Fall for me!

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

Let me guess the BBC version of ghosts predates the US CBS version by at least a few years, I should have guessed they could never come up with a decent concept without stealing it.

[@TomMSTie1138]

Boo Berry has always been my favorite. I recently bought the commemorative four pack, and upon trying Frute Brute for the first time thought it tasted nasty. It's more cranberry than cherry. I wished they'd brought back Yummy Mummy I remember from my childhood in the 80s.

[@Statsy10]

I'm with you on Boo Berry being my favourite, but I somehow missed Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy. Maybe we didn't have those up here in Canada???

[@Scottocaster6668]

Do you guys remember "Kaboom" & "Freakies?" Those 2 were my favorite also, along with "Fruit Brute" (Werewolf cereal) 😆

[@marioncrane09]

Kaboom was a trip....clown would blow himself up....I was in a band that covered the Freakies theme song, lol

[@danielduquette5588]

I picked up this year’s batch from Target yesterday. I’m a big fan of how well the newest character and her cereal fits with the guys. Carmella Creeper (caramel apple flavored cereal). Her primary color is a light green, and the flavor veers toward the “sweets” side like Count Chocula’s, where the other monsters are “fruit” inspired.

[@atiredfloridian777]

I've always seen these on store shelves around this time of year but I never knew the whole history on them. Thanks for the insight!

[@thingfish000]

Here's the flavor they should have made: Marshmallow Martian, a green cereal with the flavor of a pawpaw.

[@Narboo77]

That poop story is hilarious! I remember when my older cousin’s poo turned blue bc of Booberry and my aunt frantically called my mom bc she was so scared and didn’t know what to do. This was the early to mid ‘80’s I believe. I was never allowed any of it then after they found out it was the cereal that did it. Lol

[@glazdarklee1683]

Four words: Black Licorice Ice Cream.

[@elainehill6504]

@@glazdarklee1683 Haha! I loved that when I was a kid. Stained my mouth and my teeth and yeah...

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

In Stephen Kong’s Cujo there’s a part where they get scared because of a kid pooping red dye from the cereal they were eating.

[@glazdarklee1683]

@@nuclearcatbaby1131 "Nothing wrong here....."

[@cheshirecat882]

For the 2023 release Carmella Creeper joined the gang with both a retro design and a modern one. Along with a monster mash cereal with Carmella featured. She is based off the cinema zombie with a caramel apple twist. Clearly General Mills liked the idea of adding a female monster to the Monster Cereal lineup, but didn't want to continue the trend of just fruit flavor (what even is that). However, I do not know if Carmella was used in subsequent releases since that would be in the future at this point. Future people feel free to update me on later releases if Carmella was used at all or not.

[@shawnpeterson3386]

We demand Creetch Crunch! The Creature from the Black Lagoon deserves love!

[@donnerdonner315]

BOO BERRY....HE'S MY FAVE!! I'm 59 and these cereals were my childhood!!! Thanks for the fun episode! Watching all those commercials brought back great memories!!

[@UteraWoman]

These cereals were very heavily advertised when I was a kid in the Seventies. They were NEVER available. We never saw them on store shelves. I finally saw them on store shelves in the late Eighties.

[@chasonlapointe]

Well now I need Dan to do a full cereal based parody of Dragula .

[@Getwright-]

I swear when i was a kid in my area you could get count chocola year round (i grew up in northeast Ohio)

[@BigEpinstriping]

You definitely could, it was sold year round until the early 2000's. a short while later, it became seasonal, as nostalgia and Halloween drive sales, they still sell just as much, but I wish they would make it available year round, even if it was just Count Chocula.

[@sparky694]

Brings back memories of being elbow deep in a bag of Puffs trying to find the prize before my sister got to the cereal

[@francoisregis2155]

Ahhh yes the price 😂

[@M2Mil7er]

Being elbow deep in puffs means something completely different in the Northeast of England.

[@sparky694]

@@M2Mil7er oh lol, Puffs was a brand of cereal we had in the 70's and 80's in Canada, came in bags. Something like SugarCrisps but without the honey coating, you had to add your own sugar

[@M2Mil7er]

@@sparky694 I gathered haha. It's OK, we had Sugar Puffs here the UK too. I was being coarse. Don't mind me!

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

Dude...why would you ruin ice cream like that? LOL I'm glad I wasn't eating anything during that part.

[@brynnrogers5081]

my neighbor worked at general mills, and they had frankenberry, count chocula, and boo berry before they were on the market - testing them on their own employees (children). This must have been late 1960's, very early 70's.

[@mccallosone4903]

"Count Choc-u-luh-uh!" made me laugh an obscene amount. yeah my mom would never buy these cereals for us either, for some reason. we were a trix/fruit loops house

[@jinpei05]

I still haven't had Frute Brute or Yummy Mummy individually. I only got bits of them last year, thanks to Monster Mash cereal.

[@tenebrousoul9368]

I've never seen those two in stores, unfortunately

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

Yeah those are the two I really want to try also.

[@gustavohernandeza.890]

Great video. Making cereal history fun and interesting!

[@nameandaddresswithheld1890]

I've been watching KZbin videos for over a decade and this is one of the most well crafted videos I've ever seen.

[@MoThZ-123]

I remember in the third grade I had the biggest crush on this new kid (I soon figured out that I had a thing for red heads) but every time we would talk it would just be embarrassing. But one day I brought up the monster cereals and we both talked for the rest of recess about those cereals. Every recess when we would try to talk about something else it would get weird but when one of us started talking about these we didn’t wanna go back inside. This also has a special place in my heart because I would always go over to my grandmas house and she would have boo berry . I don’t love these cereals because there festive I love them because they have a special place in my heart.

[@Dragonrider1227]

I enjoy Frute Brute in its current form but if the original flavor was indeed lime I can see why it didn’t work I remember thinking Fruity Yummy Mummy wasn’t all that great either. Feeling remained when they brought it back XD

[@chrisdaugherty8265]

I love the concept and character designs, but I have only tried Count Chocula(which I absolutely love). I really need to try the other ones.

[@TitularHeroine]

Dan. Your costume is *phenomenal.* Beautiful textures and colors, at least on my screen. I promise I am not scared at all. ;) Edit: Your rendition of 'Dragula' near the end had me laughing tears 😂

[@JungleJayAdventures]

I remember these cereals as a kid growing up in the 70s. I haven't ever eaten a box, but I had always loved the characters. The design and the cool ads and colors. However! This is the first year that I have ever noticed "Fruit Brute". I commented tonight while shopping with my wife, "Fruit Brute? I've never seen him before. He must be new." Strange.

[@stephenr3910]

I remember watching a news story about Red Dye # 2 on TV in the 1970s and writing a composition about it for school. They would put it in dog foods even though dogs can't see colors. It got taken off the market. Red M&Ms disappeared for a while.

[@rwfrench66GenX]

I was curious what the controversy was about the cereal that could take over 18 minutes to explain. I’m 56 so 70’s cereals were a major part of my diet. One of my brothers was into Count Chocula than me. I liked Sugar Crisp with Sugar Bear who strutted like a pimp! I liked Lucky Charms too. The cool thing I liked was General Mills had a syndicated radio program on Sunday evenings called Radio Adventure Theater!

[@Powherkrangunch]

Part of me does wish that I could buy Count Chocula and the others all year round, however in some ways I think saving them for Halloween is actually a very fun idea and a good way to make them a special treat. Great job on this video!

[@PlayWearTalkRed]

I've always been a spooky kid, so this one hit my nostalgia button. Thank you for putting so much into your Halloween videos. I revisited Boo Berry in my 30s and, lemme tell ya, I did NOT need that medical scare a few days later.

[@thingfish000]

In that case, I am obligated to tell you that Famous Monsters has relaunched its website.

[@PlayWearTalkRed]

@@thingfish000 Thank you for your service. 🖤

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

What kind of medical scare? Eating Boo Berry for a couple of days is not going to make you diabetic if you aren’t already in poor health.

[@MrDeathpilot]

Remember "Pitch Black" (grape) Mountain Dew a few years ago? Yeah......

[@kewlztertc5386]

Frankenberry , was my favorite as a kid. It was hard to find, but a great treat when in stock.

[@joaocisne556]

fun fact: now we know a 6th monster, a female zombie DJ called Cramila, and her flavor is caramel apple