The grocery cereal aisle of the 1960s and 1970s was a vibrant, sugar-fueled battlefield. It was the golden age of novelty, cartoon mascots, and high-concept, highly sweetened breakfasts. Many brands that were once fixtures on the shelves, advertised heavily during Saturday morning cartoons, have vanished completely. They were ultimately victims of changing health trends, shrinking shelf space, or simply losing the perpetual marketing war. These eight brands offer a sugary, crunchy trip back to a breakfast time that only Baby Boomers truly recall.
Quisp
This unique cereal, manufactured by Quaker Oats, was famous for its saucer-shaped corn cereal pieces and its animated mascot, Quisp, an alien from Planet Q. The brand was aggressively marketed in a direct rivalry with another Quaker cereal, Sir Grapefellow. Quisp gained a cult following due to its bizarre, irreverent television commercials, often featuring viewer polls to decide which character should stay on the air. Though officially discontinued, Quisp occasionally reappears in limited runs, cementing its status as one of the most fondly remembered breakfast cereals of that era.
Sir Grapefellow
Released as the counterpart to Quisp, Sir Grapefellow was a brief but memorable entry into the breakfast wars. The cereal consisted of sweetened corn and oat pieces, notable for its extremely rare grape flavor, a profile almost absent from the market today. Its mascot was a British World War I flying ace, clad in a purple uniform, who frequently challenged the alien Quisp. The novelty of the flavor and the intense, cartoon-driven marketing campaign secured its place in breakfast history, even though the cereal itself did not last long on the shelves.
Corny Snaps
This long-forgotten creation from Kellogg’s was a simple, crunchy puffed corn cereal. Unlike later heavily sweetened or shaped versions, Corny Snaps offered a straightforward, satisfying crunch and a pure corn flavor. The boxes often featured tie-ins with popular animated shows, and while the cereal itself was not visually spectacular, its consistent texture and classic taste made it a staple in many households before being eclipsed by flashier, more heavily marketed competitor products in the late 1960s.
Waffle-O’s
Ralston Purina, a major force in the mid-century cereal market, created Waffle-O’s, a cereal that was exactly what its name suggested: small, crunchy, sweetened pieces shaped like miniature waffles. The concept appealed directly to children who loved the idea of eating a breakfast pastry in a convenient, pour-and-eat form. Its simplicity and playful shape were enough to carry the brand for several years before it was crowded out by cereals offering unique gimmicks or flavors.
Concentrate
Manufactured by General Mills, Concentrate was famous not for its flavor but for its extreme density. The name referred to its compact nature, suggesting that a small serving offered superior nutritional value and satiety compared to a typical bowl of puffed cereal. Its advertising often stressed its value, claiming a small box was equivalent to a large box of any competing brand. The intense, compact pieces were quite unusual, requiring a generous amount of milk to soften, and the brand faded as consumers opted for lighter, more appealing textures.
Sugar Jets
Post’s Sugar Jets, and its predecessor Post Jets, capitalized on the mid-century fascination with the Space Race. The cereal consisted of simple, sweetened wheat puffs designed to evoke images of rockets and intergalactic adventure. The packaging and advertisements heavily leaned into a futuristic theme, using space-age imagery to appeal to children. It was a typical example of the heavily sugared, single-grain puff cereals that defined the era before manufacturers were forced to address mounting concerns over sugar content.
Hearty B’s
Created by General Mills, Hearty B’s represented a temporary shift toward the “adult” market. The cereal was promoted as a low-sugar option, primarily aimed at parents and older consumers. It was often advertised with nutritional benefits rather than cartoon mascots. The pieces were simple. They are shaped like hearts and the letter B, and the flavor was milder than the heavily sweetened children’s brands. It was an early attempt to capture the health-conscious consumer. It ultimately proved too far ahead of its time, as the mass market still preferred sugary offerings.
Mr. Wiggle’s
Mr. Wiggle’s, a lesser-known entry from Nabisco, offered a unique twist on the chocolate cereal concept. The cereal was composed of plain, round oat and corn puffs that were coated with chocolate flavor crystals. The appeal was that the milk would turn brown as the crystals dissolved, making it an interactive eating experience. Its mascot, a perpetually wiggling character, was short-lived, and the brand failed to gain traction.
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