I read a blog recently where the writer was wanting to see a documentary made about the General Mills Monsters cereals. Though that probably won’t happen, it did get me looking into the Monster’s history. While Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry are well known and still available (seasonally), many don’t know of or remember their fallen brothers, the Fruit Brute and the Yummy Mummy.

   Released in 1971, the first 2 were Count Chocula and Franken Berry. Chocolate and Strawberry flavored cereals with marshmallows, that would color and flavor the milk in the bowl also. Franken Berry had a bit of trouble starting off, when it was discovered a dye used in the cereal didn’t break down properly during digestion. It caused a condition that became known as “Franken Berry Stool” because it turned a person’s poo the same bright pink as the cereal. But, they started using a new dye, which took care of that problem.

   1973 brought us Boo Berry. It was supposedly the first major market cereal to taste like blueberries. It was also apparently the last Monster that the public had any lasting love for, as the final 2 are no longer with us.

   They would be The Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy. Fruit Brute came out in 1974, and was a fruit flavored cereal with lime flavored marshmallows. But in 1983, General Mills discontinued it due to poor sales. In 1987, they tried to replace The Fruit Brute with Yummy Mummy, another fruit flavored cereal. The difference being it had vanilla flavored marshmallows instead of lime. But, the mummy didn’t do well either, and was discontinued in 1993.