Wicked and Stranger Things are in a competition to see which property can collab with the most food and drink brands. At least, that’s what it seems like. Everything’s upside-down or pink and green. And you’ll find the latest pink and green entries from Wicked in the cereal aisle. Today, we’re tasting two new cereals—one Glinda coded and one Elphaba coded. Because we can’t just enjoy our IP, we must ingest it.
Pros: Upon first bite, I was mostly hit with the sweetness of a faux caramel flavor. But the next bite revealed some faux green apple tanginess. It’s fake, yes. But the caramel apple flavor is balanced and present. It tastes a bit like the seasoning in a packet of cinnamon apple instant oatmeal—but in a nicely familiar way.
Cons: It’s not reinventing the wheel. We tried General Mills’ (currently discontinued) caramel apple-flavored Carmella Creeper cereal last year and really enjoyed it. This tastes like a slightly less punchy version of that—and it’s missing the marshmallows that Carmella included.
Pros: Want sweet? This is sweet. Want pink? This is pink. And it holds its crunch well enough.
Cons: This tastes like a scratch-and-sniff sticker. It’s like sweet perfume you eat. I don’t even get a generic berry flavor. If you told me this was actually cotton candy cereal, I’d believe you. If you absolutely need to support Wicked with your breakfast dollars, stick with Elphaba’s green puffs.
Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now).
Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test!
Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Justine Sterling
Luke Field
Makenna Stark
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!