Review: General Mills Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy

The biggest cereal story this year has been the major re-launch of General Mills' monster cereal family. Since the announcement this summer I have wanted to do a review of the two recent re-additions: Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy, but it has taken me until this past week to finally get my hands on Frute Brute. For some strange reason, despite checking numerous stores across my state, I couldn't find it.

My hunt is over, and it is time to take a closer taste of what all the marketing hype is about. In many ways this is a somewhat unusual review for me. Instead of doing just one cereal, I am doing two at once. The reason is quite simple. The fruit-flavored monster cereals are essentially the same products, just with different flavors, colors and marketing applied. For General Mills this is a fairly simple way for them to make cereal, and probably profitable considering the boat loads they must be selling leading up to Halloween.

So, let's get out our bowls and pull up a chair. It's time to go down memory lane!

To no one's surprise these are sugared cereals laden with flavor. For those who do not remember these two lesser known monster cereals Frute Brute is cherry flavored, and Yummy Mummy features orange cream. Of course, the key word to go along with these descriptions is the adjective "artificial". In fact, without the insane use of artificial flavors these cereals wouldn't be worth eating. Between the two, Yummy Mummy has much more pronounced flavor. The cherry in Frute Brute is much more subtle. In fact, I'm not sure I could even identify it as cherry without having first known it. Having said all this, one or two bites of these cereals is fun for the palate, but beyond that the taste ends up being too much. I'm not crazy about them.

The monster shaped cereal is lightly crunchy out of the box, and surprisingly retains its shape and remains somewhat chewy even after considerable time in milk. Texture is average.

 

Let's be honest, these cereals would hardly sell if it weren't for the brilliant marketing. Even the fact that General Mills only makes monster cereals available at this time of year adds to the excitement. These cereals are just plain fun to eat, probably more than any other cereal out there right now. The boxes are fantastic, both in the new wild, colorful designs, and the vintage boxes especially targeted to adults wanting to relive their childhood. The experience is absolutely fantastic!

Now another downer: nutrition. Anyone who purchases these cereals for their health value is either completely stupid about nutrition or delusional. Having said that, however, the modern version of monster cereals are not as bad as the originals or compared to a number of other sugared-cereals on the market. There is actually less than 30% of weight as sugar - not as bad as I would have thought. And, of course General Mills alleviates guilt by emphasizing the token whole grains. Still, not a truly wholesome breakfast, but deserving nonetheless of more than a one bowl rating.

What can I say? Overall this cereal ends up quite average, but because of the experience alone they are highly noteworthy, and worth at least one taste this fall. Enjoy!

 

(Review protocol HERE)

All the monsters are back!

One of the most celebrated cereal franchises is General Mills' monster cereals. For decades the company has had a cult following of its monster-themed cereals, which in recent years have only made their appearance around Halloween.

Cereal fanatics will be overjoyed to learn that one of their biggest fantasies is to be re-lived. According to a photo on Serious Eats it appears that for 2013 General Mills will be releasing the entire monster family. In addition to the regulars (Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Franken Berry) we will see the return of two lesser known monsters who made their debut approximately 40 years ago: Frute Brute (although notice the spelling change from the original "fruit") and Fruity Yummy Mummy. These latter two cereals did not last long in the market, and to this day are rare, collectible boxes. If this photo is legit, this will give several new generations an opportunity to try to them for the first time, and us old folks a fun trip down memory lane.

Good move General Mills! Nostalgic cereals are a great marketing opportunity. We want more!

(Tip from Cereal Fix)

UPDATED 8/20/13: Official statement from General Mills

UPDATED 09/10/13: Even better - Target is now selling vintage versions of these boxes!