10 Cereal Mascots That Quietly Disappeared
From mischievous frogs to quirky raisins, these cereal mascots once ruled the airwaves but have since vanished into nostalgic obscurity, leaving behind only sweet memories of their short-lived fame.
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
Cereal mascots have been a part of everyone’s childhood for decades; their offbeat personalities and catchy jingles promoted everything from sugary grains to vitamin supplements. However, some of these much-loved characters slipped quietly into obscurity, leaving nothing but hints of once-fashionable fame. From the thieving Trix Rabbit to the singing California Raisins, the fortunes and falls of these mascots mirror shifting marketing trends and shifting tastes among today’s youth.
1. Quake (Quaker Oats)
Image from Wikipedia
Quake, the big-mustachioed, beefy miner, was the image of Quaker Oats’ “Quake” cereal in the 1960s and 1970s. Quake was created as a rough, tough character that represented the wholesome, whole-grain character of the cereal. However, following a shift in the campaign to a more family-oriented, less frightening mascot, Quake disappeared from the scene by the early 1980s.
2. Sugar Bear (Golden Bear)
Image from Cereal Wiki - Fandom
Sugar Bear, the suave, smooth-mannered mascot for Golden Bear cereal, debuted in the 1960s with the popular jingle, “Gimme some sugar!” His endearing character won him over children during the 1970s and 1980s. Though he enjoyed enduring popularity, Sugar Bear was ultimately eclipsed by new, more exciting mascots and went away following the brand’s demise in the late 1980s.
3. Sir Grapefellow (Post Consumer Brands)
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Sir Grapefellow, the refined knight who endorsed Post’s Grapenuts cereal, was a popular 1970s icon. His upper-crust attitude and good-natured personality made him a favorite during the cereal wars of that time period. However, as the ad world changed and more contemporary mascots stepped into the limelight, Sir Grapefellow retired in the early 1980s without a public fuss.
4. California Raisins (Post Consumer Brands)
Image from Food & Wine
These claymation mascots made a short-lived but indelible impression as the marketing face for Post’s California Raisin cereal in the 1980s. Known for their musical abilities, they were a pop-culture sensation after showing up on television commercials. However, after their short-lived stint at fame, the Raisins gradually faded off the cereal shelf as Post shifted focus to more conventional, less gimmicky marketing.
5. Dig’em Frog (Sugar Smacks)
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This small frog with a large grin and lively personality was the mascot of Sugar Smacks, which was formerly Sugar Crisp. Introduced in the 1970s, Dig’em was a retro icon that chanted “Dig’em.” However, the character fell out of favor when the cereal got overhauled in the 2000s, which ditched Dig’em for more modern and glitzy marketing campaigns.
6. King Vitaman (General Mills)
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King Vitaman, a jovial, bearded king who advocated for General Mills’ Vitamin-fortified cereal, was popular among kids during the 1960s and 1970s. His image was a cheerful, kingly mascot who enhanced the cereal’s wholesome image. Although he started out well, King Vitaman gradually disappeared from the scene, finally vanishing when the popularity of the cereal ended in the early 1980s.
7. The Trix Rabbit (Trix)
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Although still officially a part of the Trix franchise, the original depiction of the Trix Rabbit has been gradually phased out in recent years. Originally, the Rabbit was more of a trickster character, always attempting (and failing) to lay his paws on the brightly colored cereal. In recent years, however, his mischievous behavior has been supplanted by more contemporary marketing strategies, relegating his original, iconic role to the background.
8. Elmer the Elephant (Rice Krispies)
Image from Elmer
Elmer the Elephant was a supporting character in early Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats commercials. His kindly, grandfatherly face was intended to advertise the marshmallowy, family-oriented cereal treat. However, Elmer was phased out in favor of more popular Snap, Crackle, and Pop, that held the brand’s spotlight for decades.
9. Lucky the Leprechaun (Lucky Charms)
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Although still there, Lucky the Leprechaun used to have a stronger and rascally role in the 1960s and 1970s Lucky Charms ads. As the years went on, his rascally personality was toned down for a warmer and less tumultuous character. As the cereal’s marketing strategy changed, so did Lucky’s antics, which lessened as he stepped behind the scenes from the limelight.
10. The Cuckoo Bird (Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs)
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The Cuckoo Bird was Cocoa Puffs’s eccentric, overly excitable mascot, famous for his frantic cry, “I’m cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!” First appearing in the late 1960s, he was a key figure in the cereal’s commercials. As tastes shifted in the 1990s, the focus moved away from his chaotic personality, and the character was retired, though he had some occasional guest appearances.