Walmart’s New Cinnamon Toast Crunch Boxes Are So ’90s

As a ‘90s kid, anything that harkens back to the decade is a winner in my book – oh, to feel like a kid again! To be wearing an oversized flannel shirt, listening to Alanis Morrisette and The Spice Girls blasting through the radio! What a time. 

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And clearly, that’s what Cinnamon Toast Crunch thinks, too. The cereal brand has just brought out a new box that captures the spirit of the ‘90s, and it’s a Walmart exclusive. Let’s discuss.

Smells Like Breakfast Spirit

A couple of days ago, @candyhunting brought us the news that General Mills had made the curious, but not altogether unwelcome, decision to debut…a scratch-and-sniff box for its new, limited edition Root Beer Float Cinnamon Toast Crunch (one of the cereals we were most excited to try this spring). Yes, that’s right! You can now scratch away at those little pictures of breakfast cereal on the front (or the back) and get a heady whiff of the flavor that lies within. Pretty fun, right? 

We’re not sure if General Mills was planning to invoke the feel of the ‘90s with this one, but it’s definitely done that: Seeing this one immediately reminded us of sitting on a bench after school with our friends, scratching away at a sticker pack with a coin. Man, those were the days. You’ll need to be a Walmart shopper to pick one of these up, though. Right now, they’re only being sold at that one chain – and shoppers have reported that they can be a bit of a rare find. Walmart may only be stocking these at certain stores, so it might be worth checking ahead before you make the trip. Customers have said that the boxes are showing up on the Walmart app, so that’s a good place to start. 

A Gimmick? Or A New Future?

For something that feels like innocuous fun, some customers have found the concept of a scratch-and-sniff cereal box a little beyond the pale. One person on @candyhunting’s post commented with a .gif indicating that it’s all a bit much (perhaps the combo of a root beer float-flavored cereal and the accompanying scent emanating from the packaging was simply too far).

We’re taking this one with the spirit in which we think it’s intended, though — and we don’t think scratch-and-sniff boxes will become the norm. Or will they? Are multi-sensory breakfast cereal experiences the new norm? Probably not, but nothing’s off the cards these days.