Cereal Killer: Movies you didn’t know had cereal tie-ins

Tons of movies and TV shows have has some sort of cereal tie-in over the years, but even so, you may not have realized these bizarre cereals ever existed.

When I was a kid one of my favorite things was to bounce out of bed and plop myself down in front of cartoons. As I was watching those beloved cartoons my mother could always be counted on to pour me the biggest bowl of sugar laden breakfast cereal. Most of the times, the bowls consisted of marshmallows shaped like my favorite movie characters…sort of.

Let’s take a trip back and look at some classic films you may never have realized had a cereal tie-in. If I could procure a time machine my first stop would be the Kroger cereal isle for all my sweet childhood memories.

5. E.T.

While not exactly a horror film, the sight of E.T. is enough to scare any man. I would have loved instead for a Critters cereal but I guess beggars cannot be choosers. Surprisingly this one was not the brain child of Ralston but rather General Mills. Released in 1984, this peanut butter and chocolate flavored cereal was the breakfast of champions for those trying to hide their pet alien from the government. Commercials touted this cereal as “A glowing part of a good breakfast.”

4. Gremlins

Yep Gremlins had a cereal. Introduced in 1984 after the smash hit Gremlins, once again Ralston would be the geniuses behind this one. The pieces of cereal looked like characters from the film including Gizmo. The boxes came with stickers and an ad where people could send away for a plush Gizmo with 2 proofs of purchase. Critics of the cereal say it tasted just like Cap’n Crunch and the tie-in began to get discounted after the film left theaters.

3. The Addams Family

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, and they have their own breakfast treat. The Addams Family cereal was released as a tie-in to the film of the same name in 1991. A description of the box declares “The creepy, crunchy cereal with the great taste you’ll scream for.”  With pieces that resembled hands and headless dolls The Addams Family cereal was sure to scare away hunger.

2. Jurassic Park

Instead of getting eaten by dinosaurs, kids across the globe got to make the first strike and eat a bowl full of dinosaurs. Released in 1997 by General Mills, Jurassic Park Crunch  marshmallows came shaped like Triceratops, Velociraptors and T-Rexes and the main pieces of the cereal looked like dinosaur footprints. After the success of the original Jurassic Park and the impending sequel The Lost World, these babies began to hit the store shelves. Legend is if you sat still your bowl of cereal couldn’t see you.

1. Ghostbusters

When I was a kid Ghostbusters was everything to me. If it had the Ghostbusters logo on it, that meant I had to have it. One of those items was the Ghostbusters cereal. Made by Ralston shortly after the film premiered in 1984, they chiefly continued due to the success of the film and The Real Ghostbusters cartoon as a result to cash in. Ralston actually released three separate brands consisting of Ghostbusters, The Real Ghostbusters and Slimer!

Next: Big Trouble in Little China gets new steelbook

At last, there you have it folks. Five films that you possibly didn’t know had cereal tie-ins. This list was a tough one and I feel like I have missed so many. In the comments let us know what your favorite cereal was.