The Cereal Incident

Remember the days you could go to the grocer with your mother and rely on the cereal aisle to have box after box brandished with the words, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘Free Toy Inside!’ Few and far between these days.

I can remember hiding a box of Corn Pops under my bed overnight to be sure to get my hands on the sticky football that would tumble down any wall you chucked it at. (I was young, naive, and my brother already had one, so, fair play)

Furthermore.. do you remember the days when that fun toy was actually hidden, imbedded within the sweetness of the cereals for you to dig your hands in and excavate your prize? These days if you do luck upon a box with a toy inside, it is sealed in its own baggie, safely outside of the cereal bag itself.

Now..I understand the modern desire to sanitise everything, but spelunking the box through masses of flakes or loops or puffs or what-have-you was one of the funnest parts of childhood. You earned that free toy inside. Allow me to tell you a story..

When I was four years old my mother brought a box of cereal home from the crunchly club. The crunchly club is what, in my childlike innocence, I had dubbed “The Country Club”. A grocery store that once resided in the space that is now a Gold’s Gym just down the mall from Donatelli’s, near Century College. I’m sure many of you know the spot.

As I recall I spent many-a-time side tracked from play, repeating those words, “crunchly club”, to my parentals, who assured me they weren’t laughing ‘at’ me. The aforementioned box of cereal was a big box of the Cap’n. Cap’n crunch. So delicious, then and now. Of course, being the good old days, this box contained a free toy inside. A robot..which perhaps did something that I can’t recall. I wanted this robot.

Taking the box to my room I assured my mother I just wanted to look at the box. “Just don’t open it” she said. I closed the door. My first attempt to open a box of cereal culminated in an explosion of miniature yellow biscuits all over my childhood room. I immediately started weeping uncontrollably, much like a four year old, which I was.

Frantically, and in a panic, I started cramming handful after handful of cereal pieces and carpet fibers into the mangled bag and box, chanting a mantra of ‘mom is gonna be so mad at me’ ad nauseum. When all was done I confessed my transgression to my mother between the dry hiccupy spasmic inhalations that only come to children after the most intense bouts of sobbing. I never got the robot.

To this day I’m not sure what it did, if anything,aside from being plastic and robot-y. The cereal was likely tossed. Nobody should be eating that many foreign particles and carpet fibers.

Looking for more from fuschnikt?

READ 188121 TIMES

ThatDudeintheHoodie looks at Disney's One Saturday Morning

What is there to say about Saturday Morning Cartoons? They were a staple of our childhood when we would get up early Saturday morning make a big bowl ...

Guided by Light and Tales of a 1,000 Toys

What do Modulok (from Masters of the Universe) and Glimmer (from Princess of Power) have in common? On the surface not very much, but they were rele...

Toy Talk with Miss M- Reunion Special

Announcer: It’s an all new Toy Talk with Miss M! Today’s episode is a special reunion show gathering the greatest villainous minds of the 90’s...

Flipped Out for Power Rangers!

While perusing one of my favorite blogs on the internet, Erik the Illustrator, I learned that Power Rangers is going into its 20th Anniversary Seaso...

Some of my First Sailor Moon Merchandise (bootlegs)

I have been collecting Sailor Moon merchandise since about 1995. Not bragging or anything, but I do think I have a pretty sizeable collection. I don�...

For the Love of V-Day! Part 4

Valentine’s Day is this week, which means that for the love of all that is good, the sharing of my past Valentine’s Day memories are almost over...

For the Love of V-Day! Part 3

Don’t get sick just yet, there are some more trips to the heart for this upcoming Valentine’s Day. Instead of the sweet candy treats and ode to ...

Rad Retro Ads

We can't help it, advertising has a huge influence on our growing up. Especially as vulnerable kids. Companies would spend millions bombarding us with...

For the Love of V-Day! Part 2

My trip down memory lane for Valentine’s Day continues with this second part devoted to everyone’s favorite mutant super hero team! Valentine ca...

MOST RECENT RETRORATING FEATURED OFFICIAL

Go to page: