Category Archives: News

National Cereal Day News Round-Up

Happy National Cereal Day! Y’know, the day that always sneaks up on me because it falls on such an innocuous date that I end up scrambling to write something for it around 7 at night.

I wish I could celebrate this National Cereal Day with better news, but you’ve probably noticed Cerealously posts have been pretty few and far between lately. The reason why is a little hard to admit, but nevertheless I must be honest: keeping up with this blog just isn’t as fun as it used to be. Don’t get me wrong, I still love cereal, but as with anything you do again and again for a long time, after nearly 8 years of cranking out wordy reviews for every new cereal to hit shelves, it’s gotten a little tiring—and often feels more like an obligation than a relaxing hobby. Not to mention, changes in my personal and professional spheres, as well as new writing and creative projects, have taken up a lot of my free time and energy.

So, sorry to say, but probably don’t expect an uptick in posting frequency any time soon. For Cerealously’s first 7 years or so, I almost never took more than a couple days between posts, so I hope you can understand why I need a little break—until I can confidently say that cereal blogging is fun again, rather than because I feel I have to. I won’t call this a formal hiatus, since I’m sure I’ll pop in with a review or two now and again, but I nevertheless look forward to returning refreshed and hungry when the time is right. My deepest thanks to all of you, long-time readers and newcomers alike. If it weren’t for you all, I would’ve stopped years ago. Be sure to sign up for email updates through the site’s sidebar if you’d like to be immediately notified when I make my grand return.

Rest assured, though: I’ll still be doing The Empty Bowl and posting cereal news etc. on my Twitter. Again, it’s all about time, rather than a lack of subject matter passion, and recording a podcast or shooting off a tweet is way easier than a 700-word blog post.

That said, I’d feel bad leaving you on National Cereal Day with only a sad little “see ya later”—that’d be like getting broken up with on Valentine’s Day. So let’s round up a handful of exciting cereal-aisle developments from the past week or so, shall we? Continue reading

News: 3 New Special K Flavors, Coming this January

Special K Chocolate Almond

Wow, three whole Special K flavors? Hitting stores this January? What a tr—hey, you: wake up! I get it, new Special K news doesn’t exactly wow me, either, but that’s not excuse to fall asleep in the back of class. This will be on the test, you know.

And hey, new Special K cereals aren’t always (entirely) boring. I mean, c’mon, there was that okay chocolate-dipped one last year, the genuinely tasty blueberry lemon yogurt one five years ago, and the cinnamon apple one from…aw, geez. Seven years ago? Fine, I agree: three above average new cereals over the entire tenure of this blog isn’t exactly a storied legacy, but at least the first of this incoming Special K trifecta looks promising. High Protein Chocolate Almond sounds decadent, and since “high protein” usually correlates to “high calorie” in the breakfast aisle, we can at least trust this one to be sweet and filling enough to be worth the effort it takes to chew its densely grained nuttiness. Continue reading

News: Cap’n Crunch’s Birthday Crunch

New Cap'n Crunch Birthday Crunch

Dang, Cap’n: you look good for 60!

Wait, actually, this is probably the first time you’ve actually looked your age, like, ever. You’re telling me you were rocking that same ivory ‘stache from K–12? Must’ve made the chocolate milk cartons a nightmare.

Anyway, everyone’s favorite seafaring cereal mascot will soon be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the original Cap’n Crunch cereal’s 1963 debut with this colorful Birthday Crunch. And even though I infamously loathe birthday cake-flavored cereals, what with their historic lack of substantial taste and all, it’s hard to stay mad at ol’ H. M. Crunch when this box looks like a ’90s Taco Bell.

Since 60 years would suggest a 2023 debut, you won’t be able to find this Crunch on shelves just yet, but it’s already up on Walmart.com, so it’s only a matter of time before you can have the Cap’n’s cake and eat it, too.

News: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Stuffed Puffs Marshmallows

New Cinnamon Toast Crunch Stuffed Puffs Marshmallows

S’more…s’more never changes…

Well, that is, until now. Stuffed Puffs is a small company looking to shake up the way you snack, toast, and play Chubby Bunny with marshmallows, via their signature process of cramming stuff into the center of the squishy little niblets.

And now via a coveted collab with General Mills, these indie darling ‘mallows are taking mainstream munching by storm. Coming exclusively to Walmart (no word when yet, besides the ambiguous soon), Cinnamon Toast Crunch “Big Bites” stuffed marshmallows are filled with CTC-flavored creme and then further flavor-blasted with Cinnadust.

How do you feel about this upcoming crispy, chewy, creamy confection? Would they be perfect for a Nutella graham s’more, or are they perhaps a bit too niche to get enough use?

News: General Mills’ 2023 New Cereal Lineup

General Mills New 2023 Cereals

Ugh, every year they just keep moving it up, huh? I mean, the squirrel-munched remnants of Halloween are only just starting to mushify on our nation’s porches, yet their noble decomposition is already being overshadowed by all this jolly merriment. It’s really the ultimate disrespect to Thanksgiving, if you ask me, to see its stuffing of legends snubbed in favor of the feasting to come.

The break-feasting, that is.

Oh, sorry, did you think I was talking about the Christmas creep? Oh (ho ho), no: I’m referring to a different phenomenon I’m dubbing the Cereal…uh, squirm? See, January is the hottest month of the year for new cereal news, and usually the industry’s big-name breakfasters at least wait until late November to tease their New Year’s Resolution busters. But it seems General Mills just couldn’t wait to spill the beans, oats, and marbits, because their January lineup was announced just today. In fact, you might even be able to find them in the nebulously unnamed “select stores” this very month.

And folks, this munchable menagerie’s a good’n. Let’s take a look (long before we can take a bite). Continue reading

News: Reese’s Big Cups with Reese’s Puffs

New Reese's Big Cups with Reese's Puffs

When it comes to cereal brands, Reese’s Puffs is a weird one. Despite the interminable innovation of its forerunning parent candy—and despite the deep potential for flavor infusions like white chocolate, marshmallow, or honey—Reese’s Puffs rarely experiences any bombastic feats of gastro-engineering. Just new shapes and….debatably legitimate remote-controlled boats?

Well luckily, Big Reese seems to have noticed its lil breakfast brudder forever resting on its corn-puffed laurels and is offering the cereal a chance to let loose for once, with a joyous joyride inside its own belly.

Yes, thanks to Snackolator, we now know that Reese’s Big Cups with Reese’s Puffs will be hitting shelves on November 11th. And just as 11 + 11 = ’22, I think the math here is equally logical: one delightful candy plus one iconic cereal is sure to equal a crispy-creamy, momentously mouthwatering success.

News: Kellogg’s Insta-Bowls

new-kelloggs-instabowls

Finally, I can leave my hip flask of 2% at home and enjoy cereal & milk on the go, with just a little H2O!

For the better part of the 2010s, a struggling cereal industry seemed convinced that the source of their woes were highly mobile professionals who didn’t have time to sit down and enjoy a meticulously milked bowl of crunchy stuff—so they tried everything from cereal shakes to pouched snacking cereals in an attempt to keep cereal top of mind and stomach alike.

That kind of failed, to be honest, and now that working from home is much more common, on-the-go cereal innovation seems to have stalled, with most companies pivoting toward the idea of cereal as a nostalgic anytime indulgence. But that apparently hasn’t stopped Kellogg’s from attempting one more alchemical metamorphosis to make breakfast a malleably mobile meal.

Introducing Kellogg’s Insta-Bowls: debuting in Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and Raisin Bran Crunch varieties, these little cups contain both cereal and powdered milk, so all you have to do is add water, stir, and you’ll theoretically have a complete bowl of cereal with milk—without having to leave a half gallon of milk in your hot car with the window cracked and its favorite tunes playing.

Will these Insta-Bowls be good? It’s too soon to tell, but I’ll be interested to give them a shot. It’s just a shame these don’t come with little telescoping utensils, too, so while an Insta-Bowl is more convenient, I’ll still have to keep a secret spoon sheathed in my belt loop like Napoleon Dynamite’s thrifted sai.

Special thanks to reader Laura for tipping me off about these!

News: CinnaFuego Toast Crunch

New CinnaFuego Toast Crunch

“And Big Cereal wept, seeing as they had no more worlds to conquer…”

Well, they’ve finally done it: the big bad breakfast barons have made a spicy cereal. Of course, sweet is a well-covered cereal territory, while salty, sour, and umami have likewise been covered. So with the release of this flamin’ hot CinnaFuego Toast Crunch, I suppose the final frontier would be a bitter Black Licorice Cereal….but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

But I digress—and hesitantly digest. Releasing August 12th, CinnaFuego Toast Crunch will be exclusive to both Walmart.com and 5.9oz pouches. It’s basically the same Cinnadust-slathered squares you know and love to inhale, but with the addition of an intimidatingly nebulous “spicy pepper” ingredient.

I look forward to doing a live taste-test on a Hot Ones edition of The Empty Bowl….