Review: Oreo O’s Cereal (South Korea)

South Korean Oreo O's Cereal Box 2016

In the distant future, when all food is eaten in pill form and my great-grandkids ask me to describe the magic of breakfast cereal, I’ll oil my cyborg jaw motor and tell them about Oreo O’s.

I’ll tell them about the 10 glorious years America spent eating those cookies ‘n’ creme flavored rings. I’ll tell them about Oreo O’s 1997 introduction, orange-sprinkled Halloween Oreo O’s from 2000, and 2002’s marshmallowy Extreme Creme Taste Oreo O’s. I’ll captivate them with tales of sunglasses-wearing milk glob mascots who closely resembled PSY from Gangnam Style.

Then there’ll be a brief intermission as I explain what the heck Gangnam Style was. Seriously: I don’t know how it got over 2 billion views either, children of the future.

Then I’ll tell them about the tragic 2007 discontinuation of Oreo O’s. I’ll pause to build suspense, and then I’ll tell them about the legal loophole that allowed South Korean food manufacturer Dongsuh Companies Inc. to keep producing Oreo O’s as the rest of the world mourned the loss of milk’s favorite cereal. With my own eyes glistening, I’ll tell them about the E. coli contamination that forced Dongsuh to recall Oreo O’s in 2014, as well as the two-year Oreo O’s drought that followed—known globally as “The Second Dark Ages.”

But then I’ll finish with the story of Fall 2016, when an unexpected tweet from a Korean food account alerted me that the dawn of a new age was upon us.

Sure enough, sellers began flooding eBay, and after an arduously long waiting period—during which Cerealously’s friend Gabe Fonseca had his own Oreo O’s boxes opened and inspected by customs agents who probably just wanted to taste this forbidden cereal fruit—this arrived on my doorstep:

Oreo O's Shipment from South Korea

Ready? I hope so. It’s time to give my all-time favorite cereal the up-close tribute it deserves.

If my two above box images seem different, that’s because each side of this new Oreo O’s box switches between Korean and nostalgic English lettering. This is different than the first run of South Korean Oreo O’s (seen on the left below), which had a charming Korean cartoon on the back, instead.

South Korean Oreo O's Cereal Boxes Compared

But enough about the box. Because even though that dancing milk glob mascot belongs on a museum wall, we really care about what he’s hiding inside.

South Korean Oreo O's Cereal 2016

Just look at ’em: corrugated chocolate rings studded with creme sprinkles like cookie asteroids sent from another dimension. Every Oreo O extraterrestrial life form has double helix DNA made of cocoa powder and butter, and those dominant flavor strands twist together into a wonderful, cocoa buttery whole. The rings don’t quite crunch with the density of real Oreo wafers, but they sure as heck taste the same as their cookie relatives. Imagine a slightly oily milk chocolate, pulsating with raw creamy cacao energy.

The marshmallows may not be shaped like rainbows or skeletons, but I like to pretend they’re shaped like the glob mascot’s Doughboy-esque belly. Their shape doesn’t matter, though, because these ‘mallows are at the perfect textural intersection of crisp and spongy. Before long, they magically dissolve on your tongue into happy puddles of crackling, slightly browned vanilla sugar. They’re like roasted campfire marshmallows coated in a glaze of distilled Oreo creme filling.

South Korean Oreo O's Cereal with Milk

But Oreo O’s need milk because of course Oreo O’s need milk! Milk’s creamy goodness soaks into every cereal piece’s Oreo pores (pOreos?). Milk makes the cookie sprinkles sparkle brighter than Homer Simpson on a box of Japanese dishwasher detergent. And most importantly, milk turns those marshmallows into semi-solid frosting nuggets.

Eaten altogether, Oreo O’s provide a wonderful cookies ‘n’ creme experience that’s unparalleled in American breakfast aisles. As I continued eating my bowl, more complex dairy notes emerged: it almost became like a custardy, cream cheesy Oreo cheesecake.

I better go grab the defibrillator after that description.

South Korean Oreo O's Cereal Resealable Bag

And the best part about South Korean Oreo O’s? The durable foil bag comes with its own adhesive “fresh tape” to keep the glorious cereal inside from going stale. American cereal manufacturers, take note: not all cereal bags have to split violently down the sides like a cartoon rifle barrel that Bugs Bunny stuck his finger in.

South Korean Oreo O's Cereal Mascot

Oreo O’s are a testament to the power of teamwork, especially when it’s between cookies, cereal, and milk. Oreo O’s are proof that, if two wrongs make a right, then two rights make the best darn breakfast money can buy. But most of all, Oreo O’s are a reminder of a simpler time, a time when a wacky new snack was all it took to forget the world’s worries and get excited about eating Oreos in the morning.

I don’t know what I’ll tell my future great-grandkids about after Oreo O’s 2016 chapter. Maybe the cereal will come back to America. Maybe it’ll be too pure for this world and transcend our earthly plane. Maybe South Korea will carry a bowl over the border and finally make peace with North Korea over a happily shared spoonful of Extreme Creme Taste.

Or maybe I’ll just blow my life savings by continually importing boxes.


 

The Bowl: South Korean Oreo O’s Cereal

The Breakdown: When the only gripe I can think of is “could use more sprinkles,” you know a cereal is good. From the first chocolate cookie taste bud smack to the last sip of cheesecake endmilk, Oreo O’s are a cereal worth researching South Korean citizenship requirements for.

The Bottom Line: 10 Oreo O/Pillsbury Doughboy crossover cartoons out of 10

(Quick Nutrition Facts – my best translation – 120 calories, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 1.2 grams of protein per 1 cup/30 gram serving)

***Bonus: if you’re as hyped about Oreo O’s as me, then you’ll love this brand new South Korean commercial, specially produced for the cereal’s 2016 reintroduction. I want this video screened at my wedding.***

31 responses »

    • They’re amazing! I’ve finished two boxes on my own since I got them, and yes, they’re delicious 🙂

      I managed to find three small (250g) boxes at the local store, but since my Korean isn’t very good yet I haven’t been able to convince them to keep a larger quantity in stock haha

      • ahh man! really that good? i mean… yeah there must be a reason why dan is so in love with them ^^

        I’m crossing my fingers you’ll be able to convince them, since it turns out they coul’d become your regular dessert. 🙂

        btw: did i understand you right, you got 3 of the smaller boxes?

        … you know what… it’s hard to talk over comments without any further notice of a new comment:
        Just give me a “HELLO” and we continue this amazing conversation via e-mail: yaku.mo@web.de
        ^^

  1. Update: It’s getting hard to find Oreo O’s! Both supermarkets I’ve visited so far are wiped completely out. I’ve heard that the local shops may have some limited supply, but it’s hard to come by! http://tinypic.com/r/2ytzgqw/9

    Also, I’m willing to send you guys some once I find it… I’ll figure out the total cost and you can PayPal me the actual cost or something 🙂

        • or cereal in general ^^
          It’s always great to talk, meet and get to know other great people with the same pation for cereal 🙂

          ah and before i forget it: Thanks Luke for all the trouble you incur for us fellow cereal fanatics xD

          As Dan said: Keep us updated!
          I cross my fingers, that you can get your hands on some boxes, though Post probably underestimated the real consumer demand xD

          • Exactly!

            I found some more boxes, but the ones I found were the 500g size. The 250g ones are much cheaper to ship because they weigh less than a pound. Of course I bought about four big boxes for myself, but I’m still looking for the smaller ones so I can ship them easily to friends, strangers, and customers on Ebay 😛

  2. I picked a great time to move to South Korea! Like you, I used to order a box of these on Ebay a couple times a year to ship to the states, but a week ago I just completed a move to Korea. I thought the Oreo O’s drought was still in progress, but to my surprise I found them on Ebay again – and then in the stores! What a time to be alive. I wasn’t sure I’d ever have my favorite cereal in my hands again <3

      • Dude, I haven’t even bought any yet but definitely will be once I finally move in to my permanent place on Friday! Not sure about the popularity amongst the locals, but I’ll ask my Korean friends and let you know 🙂

          • hmm… so “kinda small costs” for shipping and an awesome Luke who’s so amazing that he’s not just able to get oreo o’s but also able to send it to fellow cereal lovers?
            We should talk! And Dan: You should too ^^

  3. I loved this stuff as a teenager. But by the time the stuff was discontinued, I had developed an extreme aversion to it. Whether the ingredients changed between my teen/young adult years, or whether my tastebuds just matured, I dunno.

    • I know a lot of people said it didn’t taste as good when they added the marshmallows. Maybe a formula change came along with that, but I don’t remember any flavor fatigue.

  4. Hey Bro! 🙂
    I was just able to watch Gabes Video about the “new” Korean Oreo O’s and he mentioned a distinctive difference in taste between the “old” amrican oreo’s and the korean ones.
    It’s not really unusual for the amrican versions to taste differently especially ’cause they normally use corn syrup and a lot of ingredience far better available in the us (and the international versions do the same too), but my question to THE fan of oreo o’s: what was the difference? Sweeter? More or less chocolate? ^^

    • Old American Oreo O’s were definitely more overtly chocolatey. Now it’s more of a buttery cocoa——slightly oilier.

      • not that chocolately anymore sounds actually better for me, but i’m not sure if oilier cocoa is better (never put butter in my cocoa xD).
        As always thanks mate for your reply to my many and probably stupid questions. ^^
        (keep enjoying them and don’t spare them until they expire… like i did with my sprinkled donut crunch -.-)

  5. I actually hated this cereal when it was sold in the US – many years ago in my youth, haha. But everyone I talk to loves it!

  6. Great write up but now I feel my life will never be complete without ever having sampled the goodness that is Oreo O’s 🙁 Bring it home Post!

    • The eBay prices for Oreo O’s are getting more and more reasonable by the day. Pretty sure you can get one for about $17 with free shipping now…half the price I paid!

      • wait…wait…wait… i wasn’t able to read the review yet, though i’m really looking forward to it (i mean it’s OREO Os!), but you really paid 34 bucks for the cereal? O.O
        I heard so much about this legendary cereal and there was never any bad word spoken about it (on the contrary just choruses of praise), but i never imagined it to be THAT good. Are they that good or was it just for the blog? (be honest!)
        btw now i feel bad for not paying 8euro+shipping for “Superman Caramel Crunch” which could be “my” cereal (besides those probably discontinued dulche de leche cheerios ^^).

        • Yep, that’s how much I paid, and I’m not ashamed, either. I didn’t buy it for the taste or for the blog: I bought it for me and my inner child.

          • fair enough! Enjoy them! (you deserved them! :))

            I should also grow balls and get me an assortment of all the cereals i still need to try out and aren’t available here 🙂
            So: KUDOS! (for just doing something for your self aka self care :))

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