The cereal aisle is full of options, but what if you could combine your favorite movies and TV shows into breakfast? This list includes some of the most popular cereals based on popular films and television shows.
13 Cereals Based on Movies and TV Shows is a list that includes cereals brands based on popular movies and TV shows.
We’ve spoken a lot about video game cereals, but what about TV and movie cereals? In the 1980s, they were popular for promoting big films and television programs such as E.T., THE A-Team, Ghostbusters, and Star Wars. However, how about more recently? What are some of the promotional cereals that have been on store shelves in the past 10 years that we may have overlooked? Or are they the ones we wish we had?
Finding Nemo is a film about a boy named Nem
RELATED: Cereals From 80s Movies You’ll Never Eat Again
Kellogg’s launched this cereal at the same time as Disney/Finding Pixar’s Nemo in 2003 (well, it’s been more than 10 years, but oh well). “Kellogg’s Disney-Pixar Finding Nemo Cereal” was the full name of this cereal. Everyone wanted to make sure they received a piece of the $949 million box office taker, give or take a few.
In terms of flavor and appearance, the cereal has been likened to Lucky Charms. The marshmallows were shaped like movie fish, and the Cheerio colored bits were fashioned like stars. Throughout the marketing campaign, the ad featured Bruce the shark, Dory and Marlon, as well as Nemo and a few more characters.
Unlike other cereals from the 1980s and 1990s, this one didn’t have a very appealing reward inside. Instead, the back contained cards that you were supposed to cut out and use in a memory game. Personally, I believe it is lacking in terms of interesting surprises or offers. They followed up in 2016 with a Finding Dory cereal, which was just a repackaged version of the previous cereal.
Age of Ultron is the sequel of The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the second chapter in the Avengers franchise, was released in April 2015 by Marvel. Kellogg’s chose to cash in on the popularity of the first film and Marvel in general by releasing a special cereal in celebration of the film. This limited-edition cereal, like so many others, had a marshmallow and oat combination. The marshmallows were in the form of a well… I’m not sure. Although they were labeled as “Avenger Team” marshmallows, the only one I recognized was Iron Man.
The team members were shown on the box, and given Marvel’s size, you’d think the reward offer would be on par, right? Wrong. There was a word game on the back for you to play. You had to go online once you worked out the phrases and submit them for a chance to win movie tickets. I’ve come up with a better plan; I’ll simply purchase the tickets and bypass the middle section.
Before the film was released in theaters, a special “Villain Edition” of this cereal was produced. The marshmallows did resemble Ultron in appearance….maybe?
Baby Pinkfong Shark
When it comes to cereal and marketing, this is a no-brainer. For years, the popular song has been lodged in the heads of every parent and kid. Of course, it got famous after a South Korean education business called Pinkfong converted it into a video, which became Youtube’s most watched video ever (8 billion views). Since then, the song has inspired numerous adaptations, including a Netflix film, a TV program, a live performance, and toys. As a result, it’s only natural that Kellogg’s would turn it into a cereal.
The cereal has “berry-fin-tastic” oat rings and, of course, marshmallows. However, instead of being in the form of sharks (which would have been much better), they are in the colors of the shark family, such as blue, yellow, and pink. Kellogg’s did say that this would be a limited edition and not part of the official lineup. Despite the fact that it has been out for a while, you can still buy family-sized boxes on Amazon and Wal-Mart.
Smurfs
For the official premiere of the live-action “Smurfs,” the Post business produced their own movie cereal in 2011. You know, the blue elf-like trolls that raced about high on mushrooms… wait, living in mushrooms. But, oh well, the other version may have produced a better film.
This is the third time a Smurf cereal has been released. Two of the others were for a Saturday Morning Cartoon. The fruit bits were blue and white to resemble the Smurfs, and the cereal was comparable to “Fruity Pebbles.” The unique aspect of this publication was that one side featured modern-day Smurfs, while the other had the vintage or original style. Aside from that, there is no reward. However, the cereal was really very tasty and lasted far longer than the film.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional superhero team created by Leonardo DiCapri
The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” cereal was released in 2016 by General Mills in collaboration with Nickelodeon. Although the cereal was designed to promote the cartoon series (which was in its fourth season at the time it was released), it also served as a tie-in to the 2016 film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.”
Unlike the 1989 edition of the cereal, this one included cereal that was shaped like the heroes’ faces. They do, however, resemble generic ghosts.
Frozen II
With Frozen II, Kellogg’s, the king of cereal, or at least when it comes to special releases, followed the Disney way once again. The actual ring-shaped cereal had no flavor. It was surrounded with marshmallow snowman components such as a carrot nose, a leaf, and white spherical shapes. Elsa and Anna, two of the major characters, were depicted on both sides of the box. Despite the popularity of the film, the cereal was a disappointment in terms of sales. I suppose no one really wanted to make a snowman out of marshmallows.
Hannah Montana is a fictional character created by Hannah Montana
This is a bit older than the past 10 years, but I felt compelled to include it. Miley Cyrus was Disney’s “Hannah Montana,” a high school student who is secretly a pop/star, before she came in like a wrecking ball and sported a mullet. The program was a huge success, and like so many others before it, it spawned a cereal.
The cereal was multicolored, similar to Fruit Loops or Trix, but it was marketed as “strawberry milkshake flavored” or something along those lines. The majority of reviewers compared it to a mix berry or a poor version of Trix. Miley apologizes for breaking your aching, broken heart. For some reason, I don’t believe that had much of an impact on her.
Operation Chocolate Mix for Penguins
Malt-O-Meal, a cereal made by MOM Brands, is a unique product. “DreamWorks Penguins of Madagascar Operation Chocolate Mix” is the full and official name of the cereal. Doesn’t it just flow off your tongue? The book was released six months after the film. It was claimed to be to promote the cartoon series and the film’s DVD release.
This was the Holy Grail of cereals for chocolate lovers, and it came with marshmallows because, well, why not? It also included a number of goodies, including spoons, chocolate milk mix, and more. So kudos to MOM for pulling it off.
Civil War (Captain America)
Kellogg’s saw the money in Marvel once again and produced another cereal, this time based on the film “Captain America: Civil War” (one of my personal favorites.) The box came in two versions: one with a profile of Captain America (half of him), and the other with a profile of Iron Man (again, half of him). When you put the two together, you get a fantastic movie poster vibe. The cereal was superior to all prior Marvel cereal variants.
The primary cereal resembled Cheerios but was puffier, and the marshmallows had symbols from both sides. It was simple, yet it looked and tasted great. But, once again, no toy, reward, or offer for us. If you haven’t noticed, this is a recurring subject for me.
Dora the Explorer is a fictional character created by Dora the Explorer
With the assistance of Nickelodeon, General Mills produced a version of their own cereal. Dora the Explorer was the star of the show. Cinnamon was the taste of choice, and the cereal was shaped like stars. I’m not sure why cinnamon was chosen as the taste, but it was refreshing to see something new.
Oger O’s Shrek
In 2015, MOM published the fourth installment based on the film “Shrek.” It’s no surprise they have four distinct cereals if the popularity of the movies and holiday specials is any indicator of how the market responds to Shrek goods. Ogre O’s are similar to fruit loops.
This one also included a free Shrek app download for your phone. I also discovered some photos of the original boxes, which claimed to contain Shrek tattoos. It’s preferable than nothing.
Sesame Street is a children’s television show that airs on
In January 2024, General Mill teamed up with the Sesame Street Workshop to produce two cereals.
Cookie Monster and Elmo appear on the box of “The C is for Cinnamon” variation. Cinnamon letter shaped bits make up the cereal. In case you were curious, here is the whole alphabet from A to Z.
The second variation, named “1,2,3 Berry,” was launched at the same time and featured Abby Cadabby and Elmo on the package. This cereal has a berry taste (obviously) and is shaped like the digits 0-9.
For me, the greatest part of this is…a reward. Aside from the activities on the box, the cereal comes with six different novels in both English and Spanish on the reverse. You did an excellent job! Finally, a reward with some monetary value.
Cookie Monster, on the other hand, got himself into a bit of a pickle. I realize this is just my opinion, but shouldn’t he be eating cookie cereal? At the very least, anything along those lines? He was forced to perform an alphabet-themed variety show. What about The Count, for that matter? Isn’t he supposed to be on the counting cereal? Isn’t that what he does?
Ryan’s Adventures
Let me catch you up on the YouTube program “Ryan’s World” if you’re not acquainted with it.
Ryan Kaji is a YouTube celebrity that has his own program and is nine years old (maybe older now). It was formerly known as “Ryan’s Toy Review,” but in 2016 it was renamed “Ryan’s World.” Basically, he goes around with his family and engages in various adventures while displaying particular items. Some (if not all) of them are handed to him to use as a commercial. It must be working since, as of November 2024, he has sixty of YouTube’s most popular videos, 2.8 billion views, and over 28 million followers. If that wasn’t enough, he made $22 million from 2018 to 2019.
Ryan also has his own apparel brand, as well as a number of games for the iOS and Android platforms, as well as books and a toy line. Ryan was eleven years old when his first toy line got an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart. It seems that his mother made the correct choice when she quit her day job as a teacher to pursue the YouTube program that her kid desired. You know I’m in the wrong line of business.
Let’s discuss cereal now that we’ve all been startled that someone playing with toys can earn that much money. Kellogg’s will introduce ” Ryan Worlds Red Titian Vanilla Cereal” in 2024. The cereal was created to promote Ryan’s new program, “Super Spy Ryan,” which aired on Amazon Kids+. He also said that he will be developing a video game on the “Roblox” internet platform.
Red and yellow colored circles surround white marshmallows in this cereal. The rings were supposed to be vanilla in flavor, and the white marshmallows were supposed to be in the form of Ryan’s superhero persona. The cereal states that it is still available, however it is out of stock in most stores. So Ryan will either have to go back to playing with his toys or eat something else. Which doesn’t seem to be an issue, since speculations of a Ryan’s World Netflix spin-off program have just surfaced. Perhaps a fresh round of cereal as well?
The Truth in Advertising Commission and the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against the program in August 2010. According to the lawsuit, they failed to adequately disclose that the program was paid to promote the goods. The problem was that almost all of the toys shown on the program were part of a sponsored suggestion aimed towards toddlers. The issue was that it wasn’t mentioned, and the kids weren’t old enough to understand the difference between a commercial and a review. It also alleges that a number of the items were harmful. Ryan clearly needs a break or a competent lawyer.
Although the cinema has taken a big financial blow in terms of theatrical releases over the past year, maybe now that we’re getting back to “normal,” movie cereals will find their way back into the shelves and into your cupboard. What about Spider-Man, Black Widow, and 007? Wouldn’t a Mortal Kombat cereal have been cool? Maybe some heart-shaped marshmallows that have been torn out? That’s something I can get behind.
What about the films Soul, Luca, Mulan, and even some of the programs that have been published on Disney+? “The Mandalorian,” should we say? It’s possible that Netflix may enter the brunch market. Stranger Things, Boss Baby, and The Ozarks, to name a few. Unless it’s a frosted flakes motif, the final one is definitely not the greatest idea for a cereal. But, with streaming movies and programs becoming a bigger part of award ceremonies and cable television, why not go out into the realm of food marketing? What do you prefer: fruit snacks, cereal, or candy?
In the future, one thing we should do is take a leaf from the early days of themed cereal, or cereal in general. Give the youngsters a gift or a unique opportunity. As a parent, I can attest to the fact that it aids in the shopping decision-making process. To be sure, a decent cereal is more essential, but if consumers are willing to pay extra for a “limited” release item, a little additional reward never hurts.
On the back of the first “Star Wars” cereal, there was an Anakin Skywalker Force Ghost figurine with a mail-in forum. Back in the day, I also received a few baseball, basketball, and hockey cards from “Wheaties.” Alternatively, many cereals recently provided a free book with purchase if you took a photo of your receipt. Needless to say, last summer I received eight different novels. I’ve also just discovered that I’ve grown older…again.
What are some of the cereals you recall seeing on TV or in movies? What about some products that you’d want to see in stores? “Do you think the concept of a themed cereal is helpful for marketing?” I ask again. Perhaps they aren’t receiving the same sales or outcomes as they had in the past in this day and age. Perhaps the concept of a themed cereal requires more effort than the end result? What are your thoughts?
Cereals are a popular topic.
Related Tags
- breakfast cereal
- new cereals 2024
- when was cereal invented
