The Great American Cereal Book Brings Back Wonderful Memories
Cereals have contributed greatly to popular culture since their introduction in the late 19th century and grew exponentially larger with the introduction of sugary cereals in the middle of the 20th century. Indeed, when the major brands, including Post, General Mills and Kelloggs, catered to younger consumers, cereal became a pop culture phenomenon. Those products include Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops and Capn Crunch, and many arrived with a mascot, such as Tony the Tiger (Frosted Flakes), DigEm (Smacks) and the Monsters Cereals (Franken Berry Boo Berry and Count Chocula). Many of those classic cereals are still produced today, although not all of them are sugar based. More healthy cereal options, such as Cheerios, Shredded Wheat, Grape Nuts and Fiber One, are also discussed in the 2012 effort The Great American Cereal Book (Abrams Image) by Marty Gitlin and Topher Ellis.
The authors trace the history of cereal in the United States, from its beginning in 1863 to the 21st century. Much of the book is dedicated to a listing of cereals, some still being produced and others long gone, which will bring back memories for many readers. Countless rare photos of cereal boxes and assorted advertising campaigns also add to the overall enjoyment of this book. Information about each product is included and feature the year of introduction, main ingredients, related varieties and fun facts about their history.
As a child growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, advertising for breakfast cereals was immense and inescapable. The fact that so many of those cereals are still being produced today is staggering and the breakfast (and lunch and dinner) staple remains immensely popular. I never fully graduated to the more mature breakfast cereals (meaning more healthy). Even though I do enjoy Grape Nuts and Corn Flakes, I inevitably add something unhealthy to them, so I usually opt for the classic "childrens" varieties. I remember trying just about any cereal that had a mascot or that I saw advertising for, particularly while watching Saturday Morning Cartoons, including Super Sugar Crisp (now Golden Crisp), the Flintstones Pepples cereals (I much prefer Cocoa to Fruity), Froot Loops and, in the 1980s, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Some of the more popular cereals that have survived that I never cared for include Alpha-Bits, Honeycomb and the aforementioned Count Chocula and Capn Crunch. Of course, I would purchase Count Chocula and other Monsters cereals just for the packaging.
Potential readers who want to learn more about the history of cereal or who may enjoy reliving their childhood by reading about some of the more popular and bizarre brands will likely enjoy The Great American Cereal Book. To anyone doubting the impact of popular culture on breakfast cereal and vice versa, think about the number of movies (Gremlins), television shows (Hannah Montana) and games (Pac-Man) that have had their own cereals. Granted, many of them do not last long, but they are introduced just long enough to capture their pop culture significance and make money in the process.
download file now