If you were lucky enough to grow up in the 60s and 70s, you remember two things; Saturday morning cartoons all morning and going to the grocery store and heading to the aisle loaded with cereals, which was probably your favorite aisle as a kid.
Ironically, If you talk to anyone that grew up in the 60s and 70s, they will tell you, “Mmm, hmm, back in my day when I was a kid, we used to fly out the door early in the morning and run and play all day long. And your mother would come to the door and yell out your name before dark, or if she needed you for something, one of your friends would tell you, ‘Your mother's calling you!' That was our cell phone.”
All of this is the absolute truth, but we played and ran all day for one reason … we were HIGH from the sugar caused by the breakfast cereals we ate. Of course, we were completely unaware of this at the time, and we just thought we were loaded with energy when we busted outside the door each morning, running through the neighborhood bouncing off the walls, cars, and streets.
Unfortunately, by the time the 80s rolled around and Crack was introduced to the black community. Those days were gone. Kids didn't play together anymore, and it was much safer to stay in the house. Kids born in the 80s and 90s and after will never know what it was like when we grew up in the 60s and 70s. Even today, technology has taken over, and kids today won't know what it's like to experience Sat mornings (the commercials still run) watching commercials, cartoons and playing outside. Those were absolutely some fun times.
On a lighter note, I want to talk about some of the breakfast cereals that many of us grew up on and which are the best and which were the worst. Let me know if you remember these cereals.
Frosted Flakes
Frosted flakes weren't bad, but they were very sweet, and they were actually a better version of cornflakes. On a scale of one to 10, I will get frosted flakes and 8. I'm sure everybody remembers this cereal being very heavily marketed in the 70s with the cartoon spokesman “Tony the Tiger” and his famous line “Theeeeeeeeere Greaaaaaaaaat.”
Lucky Charms
Lucky Charms used a leprechaun as a cartoon character, which was probably racist in today's terms, as a spokesperson for the cereal. Of course, as kids, we didn't know what a leprechaun was, but most of us remember the Lucky Charms motto. It was corny, but it was pretty funny.
“Frosted Lucky Charms, they're magically delicious!” What the hell did that mean? Regarding quality, Lucky Charms was confusing. It was crunchy with these nasty marshmallowy soft things. It wasn't a good combination; it wasn't something you craved and didn't blend well with milk. It was usually something you ate once and never asked for another box. On a scale of one to 10, I give us a 2 but a 6 if you include the great marketing.
Cocoa Puffs
Who doesn't remember the famous line “I'm Cookoo for Cocoa puffs”? While they had a great ad campaign, the cereal was not great. It had a bland taste like Coco, but there was never enough sugar, and you didn't want to put sugar in it. It was just not a great cereal. On a scale of one to 10, I'll give this one a 3.
Froot Loops
“Just Follow Your Nose, it always knows the flavor of fruit wherever it grows” Toucan Sam was a spokesperson for Froot Loops. I remember the cereal was very sweet, and it was OK, but once again, it wasn't something that you craved or desire a second bowl, but it was pretty good on a scale of one to 10. I'll give us want to 8.
Cap'n Crunch and Crunch Berries
“Cap'n Crunch stays crunchy even in milk!” That was true. Cap'n Crunch's spokesperson was a ship's captain, Cap'n Crunch was basic. It was alright, but Crunch Berries were even better. But the berries were way too sweet, but it was better than Cap'n Crunch by itself or the other spin-offs that flopped like the Peanut Butter version. Also, if you ate it too fast, you could easily cut up your mouth because the edges were sharp. On a scale of 1 to 10 and get this one a nine. It had a great taste.
Apple Jacks
“A is for apple, J is for Jacks” Kellog's Apple Jacks had an acquired taste. I don't remember a spokesperson for Apple Jacks. The cereal wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great. Either you loved it, or you hated it, but it wasn't something that most people craved or that you saw in a lot of houses in the hood. On a scale of one to 10 I give it a 5.
Corn Flakes
I hated cornflakes. They were very bland, and you had to put a ton of sugar on them to get any taste out of them, and if you left them sitting in the milk for one minute, they became soggy and nasty, but you saw it in every house in the ghetto. Everybody had Corn Flakes, and it was a staple, along with Wonder Bread, Crisco oil, Oreo's, and Colt 45. This was a hood favorite, so I'm sure people will give it a much higher score, but I give it a 2. Ironically, not only did you see it and all the houses in the hood, but you always saw the real big boxes.
Count Chocula
This cereal was really bad. I remember they had Count Chockula, a vampire, as the spokesperson for the cereal, and it was god-awful, the worst on the entire list. This was the worst cereal of all. Did I mention it was bad? On a scale of one to 10, I give it 2
Trix
Another famous line for this cereal was “Silly Rabbit, Trixs are for kids” Who can't remember that he was raised in the 70s? This cereal was good and one of my favorites besides Crunch Berries. I had just enough sugar A good taste and it was manageable, and just enough flavor. On a scale of one to 10? I'll give us a 10.
Rice Krispies
“Snap, Crackle, Pop Rice Krispies.” Rice Krispies are only good for one thing Rice Crispy Treats. Otherwise, it was the most bland, boring cereal on the planet. Once again, you had to add a lot of sugar to get any taste out of it, and it just wasn't that good. It was like eating crispy air. It had no flavor, and you had to have a second bowl to feel full.
It was so light. This was the cereal that was the last box left in the cabinet that nobody wanted, and you only eat it because it was the last one left on a scale of one to 10. I get this a three.
This commercial even pushed Rice Krispies at night
Corn Pops
Sugar Corn Pops were another weird one. It was like corn kernels but sweet. It was not that good because you can't imagine sweet corn kernels. I don't understand the purpose of the cereal, and it could have been better. I don't remember a spokesperson for this cereal was not that popular, but I do remember seeing commercials for it in the 70s On a scale of one to 10. I give it a 4.
Frankenberry
I said Count Chocula was the worst serial on the list, but I forgot its cousins, Frankerry. They both came out around the same time and both tasted like shit. I can't remember any kid talking about this cereal, and it was certainly something you skipped past when you were looking for cereal to put in a grocery cart. The cereal didn't last that long. It was so bad that I remember having one bowl in my entire life, and I knew I would never have it again. On a scale of one to 10, I give us a solid 1.
Honeycomb
What did they think when they came up with Honeycomb, this cereal was not meant for anyone to eat. It was hard, and I didn't do well with milk. I remember you could only get one of your mouth at a time, and it was like a rock. It was not enjoyable or tasty, and it was hard to eat. I'm sure I had one bowl of this and never returned.
Raisin Bran
“2 Scoops (raisins)” (who cared) The last thing on a kid's mind is fiber. But if you were raised around old people, they probably gave you this. Raisin Bran was nasty, and it wasn't sweet enough, and it couldn't provide the energy that we needed to run it through the neighborhood and bounce off the walls. It shouldn't even be on this list. It should be on the same list as Oatmeal, but I decided to include it anyway. I'll give us a three on a scale of one to 10, but as an adult, I'll give it a 12. Comments?
