Cereal Box Toys Are Back to Make Your ’90s Dreams Come True

I don’t recall a better feeling than when I was a kid at the grocery store with my parents and they let me choose the cereal for the week. I would always choose a cereal with a toy in it. Then I was excited for the rest of the day and all night until the next morning when I got to open the box, rip open the bag wrong (getting cereal everywhere), and stick my unwashed hand in that clean fresh cereal until–voila–I found the toy!

Did this toy actually do anything? No, never. It was usually an action figure of a cereal-themed character I had never heard of before, but swore I would cherish it forever—until 24 hours later when I forgot all about it, and all that was left behind was a dirty cereal box and a piece of plastic trash. Why am I telling you all this? Because General Mills has brought cereal box toys BACK, people!!! And of course I want one, because I have learned NOTHING from my past mistakes!!! 

This is not a drill, the cereal box toy is actually back. But what are the toys, and in which cereals?

Well, I’ll tell ya! General Mills has decided to pay homage to the ’90s by bringing the “Cereal Squad” toys back to six of their popular sweetened cereals. Who are the members of the Cereal Squad? Surprisingly, not me. Instead, it’s Buzz the Bee (of Honey Nut Cheerios fame), The Cinnamojis (of Cinnamon Toast Crunch fame), Lucky the Leprechaun (you know where he’s from), Sonny the Cuckoo Bird (he is Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs), Trix the Rabbit (who is, I’m told, for kids), and lastly, Chip the Wolf (the Cookie Crisp dude). You can now find one of these characters in every specially marked box of the above cereals. 

But here’s the fun part: just like in the 90s, you don’t know which figurine will be in which box, so it’s just one big gamble (but legal, and for kids). These figurines even look like the ones from the ’90s, and the boxes will be 90s-style as well. And for a limited time, some EXTRA lucky cereal eaters may find a toy based on a popular ’90s character, Wendell the Baker, who is canonically the maker of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and will appear in a “limited number of boxes” for a limited time. Dang! Now I want a Wendell. These people are good. 

These ’90s-inspired cereal boxes were released in early September and can now be found in stores nationwide. And upon learning this, I am definitely not writing this from outside the door of my currently closed local supermarket, where I will remain until tomorrow morning when it reopens and I go in and purchase a box of cereal with a toy inside. “Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?” Me? No way, never!


About the Author

Jessica Block

Jessica Block is a freelance contributor to Sporked, a comedian, a baker, a food writer, and a firm believer that Trader Joe's may just be the happiest place on earth. She loves spicy snacks, Oreos, baking bread, teeny tiny avocados, and trying new foods whenever she can. Also, if you give her a bag of Takis she will be your best friend.

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  • We got a Wendell on the second box of cereal! Makes me wonder if they are as rare as they say 🤔

    Reply
  • I wasn’t even looking for a toy in my cocoa Puffs I opened up. But, Wendell the Baker was in it. I happened to see it is part of 90’s retro collection while I was eating my cereal. The ‘rare’ one. I don’t have any of the other ones.

    Reply
    • I have 3 bunny,cinnamon,yellow guy with the glasses

      Reply