Breakfast cereal is a competitive industry. Food manufacturers have used a variety of colorful gimmicks to capture the attention of young consumers, and while some products have become fixtures in the cereal aisle for decades, others have enjoyed only a fleeting lifespan, existing now solely in our memories — and in old commercials recorded on VHS tapes. If you’re craving a nostalgia trip, take a look at these discontinued cereals.
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| The makers of the General Mills cereal Crazy Cow understood that the best part of a bowl of cereal is often the sugary milk it leaves behind. That’s why the cereal in each box of Crazy Cow was coated with flavored powder that dissolved when wet. The chocolate variety made its own chocolate milk, while the strawberry-flavored cereal made pink milk with a fruity punch. Despite the clever gimmick, Crazy Cow didn’t make it out of the ‘70s. |
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| Frosted Flakes has come in many special flavors over the years, but few have gained the cult status of the banana variety from the early ‘80s. Banana Frosted Flakes came with pieces of real banana baked onto each piece. Unfortunately, the fruity cereal didn’t make it into Kellogg’s regular rotation. |
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| Waffelos was a bite-sized waffle cereal that came in maple and blueberry flavors and featured a cartoon cowboy in a 10-gallon hat on the box — the perfect combination to pop off the shelves. Unfortunately, this discontinued breakfast cereal was yanked off the market in 1982. |
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| Kelloggs debuted Cinnamon Mini Buns in 1991, and two years later the company replaced it with Mini Swirlz Cinnamon Buns, adding another cereal shaped like a traditional breakfast item to the list of cult-favorite treats. The rebranded cereal was pulled from the shelves for good in 2009. |
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| While some people can handle cookies for breakfast, ice cream cereal was apparently a step too far. Ice Cream Cones was available in vanilla and chocolate chip flavors when it debuted in 1986, but was off the shelves by the time 1987 rolled around. |
