18 Cereal Mascots That Quietly Disappeared
Many cereal mascots that once filled TV screens and cereal boxes have quietly disappeared over the years.
- Sophia Zapanta
- 5 min read
Cereal mascots have long been used to make breakfast more exciting for children and to help brands stand out in crowded aisles. While some mascots remain household names, many others vanished without much notice. These forgotten characters show how marketing trends and consumer tastes have changed over time.
1. Sugar Bear (Golden Crisp)
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Sugar Bear was a cool, laid-back mascot who sang in commercials and promoted Golden Crisp. His popularity peaked in the 1970s and 1980s. Concerns about sugar marketing to kids reduced his presence over time. Today, Golden Crisp still exists but without the same mascot-driven branding.
2. Cookie Crook and Cookie Cop (Cookie Crisp)
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Cookie Crook and Cookie Cop were the original faces of Cookie Crisp. Their police-and-thief chase storyline defined the brand’s commercials for years. They were replaced in the 1990s by Chip the Wolf. The new character took over completely, leaving the original duo behind.
3. Quisp Alien (Quisp Cereal)
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Quisp was a pink, propeller-headed alien created in the 1960s. The mascot had a playful, cartoonish personality. While Quisp cereal still appears in small releases, the mascot is no longer widely used in advertising. Most younger buyers have never seen the character.
4. Big Yella (General Mills’ Monster Cereals)
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Big Yella was one of the lesser-known additions to the Monster Cereals lineup. He was promoted briefly in the 1970s but failed to gain the same popularity as Count Chocula or Franken Berry. The cereal was discontinued, and the mascot disappeared with it. Today, only the core monster characters remain.
5. Freakies (Freakies Cereal)
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The Freakies were a group of colorful monster-like characters created in the 1970s. Each had its own personality and design. The brand tried to build a whole world around itself, but it never became as popular as other cereals. The Freakies and their cereal were quietly pulled from shelves.
6. King Vitaman (Quaker Oats)
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King Vitaman was a royal character who promoted a cereal meant to appear healthier. His commercials often showed him as a cartoon king protecting his kingdom. The cereal was discontinued in the 2010s. With it, the mascot vanished as well.
7. Dig’em Frog (Honey Smacks)
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Dig’em Frog was a popular mascot for Honey Smacks in the 1970s and 1980s. He wore a baseball cap and had a friendly personality. Over time, Kellogg’s reduced his presence due to changing marketing strategies. The cereal packaging now highlights the product itself rather than the character.
8. Crazy Craving (Honeycomb)
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Crazy Craving was a wild, furry creature introduced in the 1990s. Its catchphrase was “Me Want Honeycomb!” The character was loud, hyperactive, and designed to appeal to kids. Eventually, it was dropped after criticism that it was annoying and unappealing to parents.
9. The Soggies (Cap’n Crunch)
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The Soggies were villains in Cap’n Crunch commercials. Their goal was to ruin cereal by making it soggy. While memorable, they faded from advertisements in the 1980s. Cap’n Crunch remains, but his enemies were removed from the brand’s storyline.
10. Crispy, Crunch, and Snap (Crispy Critters)
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Crispy Critters was a cereal in the 1960s that featured a lion mascot named Linus the Lionhearted. Supporting characters like Crispy, Crunch, and Snap were also promoted. The cereal and its mascots were discontinued in the 1970s. Few traces of them remain today.
11. Sir Grapefellow (General Mills)
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Sir Grapefellow was a purple, World War I–themed pilot mascot. He promoted a grape-flavored cereal in the 1970s. The cereal had a short lifespan and was discontinued quickly. The mascot disappeared along with it.
12. Baron von Redberry (General Mills)
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Baron von Redberry was Sir Grapefellow’s rival, promoting a berry-flavored cereal. His branding was styled after a German pilot character. Like Sir Grapefellow, he did not last long on shelves. Both mascots are now considered rare examples of cereal advertising experiments.
13. Ice Cream Jones (Ice Cream Cones Cereal)
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Ice Cream Jones rode around in an ice cream truck in the 1980s to promote Ice Cream Cones cereal. The mascot was cheerful and designed to connect directly with kids. The cereal had a short run before being discontinued. Ice Cream Jones has not been used since.
14. Newton the Owl (Triples Cereal)
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Newton the Owl was tied to Nabisco’s Triples cereal. He was presented as a wise character who explained the cereal’s appeal. The cereal never became a strong seller. Both the mascot and brand quietly disappeared.
15. Klondike Pete (Golden Nuggets)
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Klondike Pete was a cartoon prospector mascot for Golden Nuggets cereal in the UK. He wore a cowboy hat and had a western theme. He was later dropped to modernize the brand’s image. Today, the cereal still exists but without Pete.
16. Twinkles the Elephant (Twinkles Cereal)
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Twinkles the Elephant was introduced in the 1960s with his own short cartoons. He was created to launch Twinkles cereal, which featured animal-shaped pieces. The cereal never gained popularity. The mascot and cereal were discontinued within a few years.
17. All Stars (Ralston Cereal)
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Ralston introduced All Stars cereal in the 1990s with sports mascots. Each mascot represented different sports like basketball, soccer, and baseball. The branding was an attempt to link cereal to active lifestyles. The product faded quickly, and the mascots were not reused.
18. Cornelius the Rooster (Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, early years)
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Cornelius the Rooster once had a stronger role in Kellogg’s Corn Flakes advertising. Over time, his presence became smaller on packaging and eventually disappeared from most campaigns. The rooster was originally chosen because “cock-a-doodle-doo” linked to breakfast. Today, Corn Flakes packaging no longer relies on him as a central figure.