Topher's Breakfast Cereal Character Guide
Dead On Arrival
| This page features actual concept characters and/or cereals which for one reason or another never made it to the cereal aisle. |
 | Yosemite SamGeneral Mills Cheerios |
| Yosemite Sam, shown here as a gladiator, almost championed Cheerios in 1970. Three fully produced commercials were finished by Warner Brothers and tested but the spots never made it on air. The ad campaign was developed to replace Kid and Sue, the animated characters; and the "Groovy" campaign --- a musical ad for older kids. Apparently the research was pretty poor. In fact, years later it was discovered that "Groovy" appealed to little kids and NOT the teens who were the initial targets of that campaign. |
 | Honeycomb WizardsPost Honeycomb |  |
| Here are two Honeycomb Wizard concept drawings from the 1970's. Note that the blue wizard (at right) has Honeycomb cereal icons on his cap and chest. |
 | Pow |  | Kellogg's Rice Krispies
| This is an original concept cel for Pow (1955), an elf. He was created to join Rice Krispies' buddies Snap, Crackle, and Pop as their "silent partner". We understand he appeared in two 60-second commercials that aired on “The Howdy Doody Show.” He flies around in his bowl. Pow was apparenetly mute as his lines were read by a voiceover announcer: "Pow means power and power's nice! Rice Krispies power from whole grain rice!” "Now Pow doesn't say much...he just goes ahead and does things...like putting power into every...lightweight spoonful of Kellogg's Rice Krispies!" |
 | The Good KnightGeneral Mills Frosted Lucky Charms |
| Frosted Lucky Charms (1978) included "green clovers, yellow moons, orange stars, pink hearts and me on the box". Me, being the Good Knight. They were on the box, but never on the shelf." When you want Lucky Charms in the morning...just yell Good Knight!" |
| General Mills Sugar Frosted Total |
| Sugar Frosted Total was test-marketed by General Mills, but never went national. |
 | Axelrod, Hot Rod, Ichabod, and BruiserGeneral Mills Honey Glazed Cereal (1981) |
| While Powdered Donutz (1980) and Chocolate Donutz (1981) made it to market, Honey Glazed Donutz, while created and storyboarded, did not. Think Honey-Dipped Cheerios. |
 | Fearless Leider General Mills Frosty-O's |
| The Sweetbratten Band of America, directed by the dog “Fearless Lieder” was developed by Alan Snedeker and Rod McNicoll, the art director, who Alan describes as "one of the funniest cartoonists I ever met". The commercial was storyboarded on July 14, 1970 "probably in an effort to beat the on-air campaign which featured Dudley Do-Right". The inspiration for the band and it’s music was based on a 1950’s album Alan Snedeker owned which featured "deliberately badly played German Oompah music that was so incredibly well done and ridiculously funny that I’d pay $50 to get that album again". Alan recalls the campaign won whatever test it was in, but "unfortunately GMI decided to drop the brand all together". Only three characters were named in the storyboards: Fearless Leider (dog), Fritzel (mustache guy in green with clarinet), and Hinkleheimer (drum). Although two storyboards were designed, the actual commercial was never shot. Details: Frosty'Os Sweetbratten Band of America. Storyboarded (twice) on July 14, 1970. Actual commercial never shot. Courtesy of Alan Snedeker. [Click on small image for a full-sized image]. |
 | Waldo the WizardPost Amazin' Raisins |
| Post Amazin' Raisins (1968) was Post's first attempt to market a cereal under the name of Amazin' Raisins. They got it to market in 1988 but it failed anyway. "The honeyest, funniest, cereal ever!" was made of honey puffed oats with lots of plump honeyed raisins and featured a Waldo the Wizard as a spokescharacter. This was Waldo's first gig. He later appeared on packages of Lucky Charms in the mid-1970's). |
| Laughs, Snappo, CrispoPost Brunchos |
| Post Brunchos (1969) was Post's second attempt to market the original Amazin' Raisin cereal formula of honey puffed oats with lots of plump honeyed raisins. This promotion included a kid and a 3-piece mariachi band featuring "Laughs" on guitar, "Snappo" on tuba, and "Crispo" on trumpet. |
| Post Crazens |
| Post Crazens (1969) was Post's third attempt to market the original Amazin' Raisin cereal formula of honey puffed oats with lots of plump honeyed raisins. Storyboards were developed but none was manufactured. |
| General Mills Cherry-Flavored Lucky Charms |
| General Mills Cherry-Flavored Lucky Charms (circa 1978-1980) with pink cherry-flavored surprises for people who are wild about cherry. "If you are wild about cherry, try them". |
 | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes1991 Atlanta Braves |
| This box features Tony the Tiger in an Atlanta Braves uniform on the box front with the Atlanta Braves team picture on the back panel. It celebrates the Braves winning the 1991 World Series. Only problem --- the Minnesota Twins actually won! That's why this is considered a fictional box. It wasn't suppose to exist. Kellogg's had printed a warehouse full of Twins boxes and Braves boxes so that whichever team won Kellogg's could quickly get the box filled and shipped to grocery stores. The losing team boxes are usually destroyed. A few apparently got loose. |
 | Quaker Oats Corn Flakes |
| This is a 1965 prototype box of Quaker Oats Corn Flakes which we understand was never manufactured. |
| The ProfessorPost Huckle Flakes |
| Drawn by R.C Traverse, The Professor was to represent Alpha-Bits in 1961. It didn't fly. |
| Post Huckle Flakes |
| Post Huckle Flakes (1960) was the first attempt at a cereal with marshmallows. It failed. General Mills got it right when they invented marbits and introduced Lucky Charms. Like the other entries on this page, this cereal never made it to the shelf. |
 | Ralston TransformersOptimus Prime |
| Great 1985 concept cereal which never made it to market. Featured Optimus Prime on the front. The box itself transformed into a cereal-eating transformer complete with a spoon in his left hand. "More taste than meets the eye!" The cereal was essentially cocoa puffs that "transforms ordinary milk into chocolate flavored milk". |
| Phil FlashGeneral Mills Inside Scoop |
| (1972) Phil Flash was a reporter for Inside Scoop. Although this cereal is mentioned in Bill Crawford's Book "Cerealizing America" as "cereal puff filled with a sweet center", no collector I know has actually ever seen a box. This cereal was apparently in the works but never produced. |
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© 2002 Topher
Updated 2018
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Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial site with the sole purpose of assisting visitors in locating information on their favorite breakfast cereal characters. All of the names, characters, brands, and icons listed here are trademarks of their respective parent companies and cannot be used for commercial purposes. Enjoy cereal and support your favorite characters! Most of the non-icon images on this site have been painstakingly removed from cereal boxes or original advertising cels and enhanced for your enjoyment. You are welcome to link to this page, but please do not link to any individual images or borrow any images for use on another website. Thank you. |