Mr. T Cereal

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The front box cover of Mr. T Cereal

Mr. T Cereal was a sweetened breakfast cereal manufactured by the Quaker Oats Company from 1984 to 1993.[1][2] The cereal was prepared with corn and oats as primary ingredients, and it was fortified with iron and B vitamins.[2] The cereal box had a cartoon likeness of Mr. T on the box as the cereal's mascot.[1][3] The cereal pieces were manufactured in the shape of the letter "T".[1] It has been described as being similar in flavor to Cap'n Crunch cereal.[1]

History and marketing

Mr. T Cereal debuted in 1984[4] and was a popular cereal in the U.S. during the 1980s.[1] The cereal was the first licensed ready-to-eat cereal manufactured and marketed by the Quaker Oats Company.[5]

Elements of marketing and advertising for Mr. T Cereal were geared toward children,[6] per the popularity of Mr. T's media appearances such as in The A-Team and Rocky III.[7] To appeal to children, the cereal was manufactured with a significant amount of sugar.[6][7] Promotions for the cereal included television advertisements and a stand-up cardboard cutout that was used in supermarkets.[8] Catchphrases for Mr. T Cereal included "Team up with Mr. T, It’s cool" and "I pity the fool who don’t eat my cereal".[1]

A cereal box prize consisted of a packet of Mr. T. stickers, which were packaged inside boxes of the cereal.[2][3]

Some collectors have collected Mr. T. Cereal,[7][9] and some collectors have retained unopened boxes of it with the cereal still in the box.[8]

In popular culture

  • Mr. T Cereal appeared in the film Pee Wee's Big Adventure, in which Pee Wee Herman held a box of the cereal and poured it over "Mr. Breakfast," a face with fried eggs for eyes and bacon strips for lips on a plate, while imitating Mr. T saying, "I pity the poor fool that don't eat my cereal."[10][dead link][11]
  • A box of the cereal also appeared atop the refrigerator of Martin Lawrence's character in the 1992 movie "Boomerang."
  • Stranger Things season 3 episode 7 The Bite features the cereal prominently in a display of period goods in Bradley's Big Buy superstore.
  • The cereal would also appear in the film Bumblebee, seen being eaten by Hailee Steinfeld's character Charlie Watson.
  • In season 5 episode 16 of the television show Rules of Engagement, the character Audrey starts a job at a young internet company run by kids. After asking them for something to do, they task her with finding a box of Mr. T cereal for them, which she finds and pays $500 for.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "10 cereals that were too sweet to last". Fox News. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "25 Cereals From The '80s You Will Never Eat Again". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b Husfloen, K. (2011). Antique Trader Black American Price Guide. F+W Media. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-4402-2732-5.
  4. ^ Andrew Bales. "Into It: The Strange Life Of Discontinued Breakfast Cereals". Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  5. ^ Corporation Annual Reports to Shareholders. 1981. Retrieved February 20, 2016. Near the end of fiscal 1984, Quaker announced its first entry in licensed ready-to-eat cereals with Mr. T cereal, based on the very ...
  6. ^ a b Kanner, Bernice (December 1984). "Kellogg's Hard Sell". New York. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Frater, J. (2014). Listverse.com's Epic Book of Mind-Boggling Top 10 Lists: Unbelievable Facts and Astounding Trivia on Movies, Music, Crime, Celebrities, History, and More. Ulysses Press. p. pt156. ISBN 978-1-61243-335-6.
  8. ^ a b Roncace, Kelly (November 24, 2014). "T time: Clearview grad's collection of Mr. T memorabilia to go on view in Philly". South Jersey Times. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  9. ^ "The A-Team Of Collectors". Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  10. ^ "'Pee-wee's Big Adventure': Famous Lines & the Ones That Oughta Be". biography.com. February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  11. ^ "Mr. T Cereal". Mrbreakfast.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
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