If you’ve read Stephen King’s novel CUJO, you might remember the plight that faces the novel’s hapless protagonist. He’s an advertising type, and has to contend with a PR nightmare when a popular cereal brand his company represents turns out to be responsible for a nationwide panic. The food coloring in the cereal caused kids to vomit what looked like blood and parents panicked accordingly. This scenario was probably inspired by a real-life incident that took place in the 1970s. Franken-berry cereal hit the market and became an immediate success. It also caused kids feces to turn pink, which caused parents to—you can guess this part, I’m sure—Right. They panicked. The dye used for the cereal was harmless but didn’t break down during the digestion process, so the results were colorful but, for some parents, frightening.
Franken-berry is still around, although today it uses a different dye. Count Chocula is still around, as is Boo Berry. But a pair of General Mills monster cereals that get far too little notice or shelf space are Yummy Mummy and Fruit Brute, featuring a mummy and a werewolf, respectively. These two compete with each other, as they are both fruit-flavored cereals. Sadly, neither make the guaranteed annual appearance of the other three on grocery shelves. I have yet to see them this Halloween season. Anybody spotted them?
