Top 5 Greatest Sugar Cereals

by Rusty

1) Lucky Charms
2) Cap’n Crunch: Crunch Berries
3) Golden Grahams
4) Honeycomb
5) Frosted MiniWheats

If Cracklin’ Oat Bran is considered a sugar cereal then it’s #1.

39 Comments

  1. Golden Grahams
    Clusters
    Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs (better w/o milk)
    Lucky Charms
    Rice Krispie Treat Cereal

    Comment by Tim J. — August 24, 2006 @ 4:42 pm

  2. Cookie Crisp is #1 hands down. It’s like eating actual cookies for breakfast.

    Comment by Jeremy — August 24, 2006 @ 5:09 pm

  3. Frosted Flakes
    Honey Nut Cheerios
    Alphabits
    Lucky Charms
    Golden Grahams (but only to eat dry, not as a breakfast cereal)

    Comment by a random John — August 24, 2006 @ 5:41 pm

  4. 1. Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch
    2. Cap’n Crunch: Crunch Berries
    3. Honeycomb
    4. Cocoa Pebbles
    5. Frosted Flakes

    For non-sugar cereals it’s Corn Chex and Great Grains.

    Comment by Tom — August 24, 2006 @ 6:22 pm

  5. Where’s the Fruity Pebbbles love? Granted, I can only eat them about once every 6 months or so, but that one bowl is utopia itself.

    Comment by Brian V — August 24, 2006 @ 7:16 pm

  6. Close, but you’re way off.

    1. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
    2. Cookie Crisp
    3. Fruity Pebbles
    4. Cocoa Pebbles
    5. Old-school Trix (when they were still spheres)

    Comment by NFlanders — August 24, 2006 @ 7:23 pm

  7. As someone who often does eat real cookies for breakfast I have to veto Cookie Crisp as a poor substitute.

    As for Golden Grahams, I never liked them, and can’t forgive them for immortalizing a horrible song that infects my mind at their mention, even today. I much prefer the Trix song, and don’t even mind the new fruit shapes.

    Lucky Charms is still the king, but I can’t countenance Chocolate Lucky Charms. In fact, chocolate of any kind in a breakfast cereal is a kind of defilement of chocolate.

    1. Lucky Charms
    2. Corn Pops (formerly known as Sugar Pops)
    3. Honey Smacks (formerly known as Sugar Smacks)
    4. Frosted Mini-Wheats
    5. Trix

    This site will provide many happy memories on the topic.

    Comment by Bill — August 24, 2006 @ 8:55 pm

  8. Oooh, forgot about Pops and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Good ones.

    Frosted Mini Wheats are good because you actually convince yourself you’re eating something healthy.

    Comment by Tim J. — August 24, 2006 @ 9:01 pm

  9. Rusty, Cracklin Oat Bran (which I would have to be very hungry to eat) is definitely not a sugar cereal. Neither is Raisin Bran, despite some versions of it having sugared raisins.

    My favorite non-sugars:

    1. Blueberry Morning
    2. Product 19
    3. Cranberry Almond Crunch
    4. Wheat Chex
    5. Raisin Nut Bran (with slivered almonds)

    Best of all, some homemade granola. All of these are filled with sugar, of course, just not as the primary ingredient.

    Rusty, who do you think is the best character/logo/advertising gimmick? (the site I linked to has many great choices I don’t even remember, such as Bixby Beaver and Hill Billy Goat)

    I think my choice would be Toucan Sam.

    Comment by Bill — August 24, 2006 @ 9:14 pm

  10. When I was a kid, I remember being fascinated by Frankenberry, Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and the elusive Fruit Werewolf, Fruit Brute (I now know that it was discontinued in 1982, the reason I could never find it after sampling it only one time). My mother never liked to buy these cereals, despite my repeated entreaties. But she redeemed herself, years later, when her persistence in a letter-writing campaign led General Mills to reverse its poor decision removing the slivered almonds from the above-mentioned Raisin Nut Bran.

    Comment by Bill — August 24, 2006 @ 9:25 pm

  11. Dude, C3POs!

    Comment by David J — August 24, 2006 @ 9:32 pm

  12. First of all, Frosted Mini-Wheats are a health cereal, not a sugar cereal (as Tim J has suggested). Same for Honey-Nut Cheerios. If they counted, they would definitely be numbers 1 & 2.

    Sugar cereals need to make your teeth kind of hurt.

    1. Golden Grahams (dry or with milk)
    2. Peanut-Butter Capt. Crunch
    3. Fruit Loops (I like the smell better than the taste though).
    4. Apple Jacks / Trix - a tie
    5. Life. The sugar is hidden - but they’re really sweet.

    Here in Malaysia, the Trix are still little round balls. I feel so lucky.

    Comment by meems — August 24, 2006 @ 11:15 pm

  13. Apple Jacks!!!
    Fruit Loops
    Frosted Flakes

    And that’s it. Period.

    Comment by Tracy M — August 24, 2006 @ 11:26 pm

  14. Finally — a little Apple Jacks love…

    Comment by Geoff J — August 24, 2006 @ 11:31 pm

  15. I raise my spoon in salute to all those who nominated Frosted Mini-Wheats. That’s what I’m eating for breakfast as I type.

    When I was little I used to sneak next door to my grandparent’s house. They were nice people, and often served me Sugar Pops with half and half. So Sugar Pops gets my vote.

    I’ve wondered why the guy who created Calvin and Hobbes didn’t sign a contract with Kellogg’s or somebody to market a cereal called Chocolate Covered Sugar Bombs. Everybody would buy it at least once, just to try it.

    Comment by Mark IV — August 25, 2006 @ 6:32 am

  16. 1. Golden Grahams
    2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
    3. Cocoa Krispies
    4. Honey-Nut Cheerios
    5. Apple Jacks

    We can finsh a box of Cocoa Krispies in one morning.

    Comment by Last Lemming — August 25, 2006 @ 8:09 am

  17. Oh. And it doesn’t count unless there is a brown-sugar cinnamon Pop Tart to go with it.

    Comment by Last Lemming — August 25, 2006 @ 8:11 am

  18. I like oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar and milk.

    (ducks …)

    Comment by danithew — August 25, 2006 @ 8:13 am

  19. I love oatmeal Dan.

    Whatever happened to Fruit Loops?

    Comment by D. Fletcher — August 25, 2006 @ 8:48 am

  20. I agree with Bill.

    Lucky Charms, Corn Pops and Honey Smacks are the holy trinity of sugar cereals.

    Apple Jacks are like the Flaming Lips of sugar cereals.

    Honeycomb is boring. Original Captain Crunch has it’s place, but it’s a little hardcore for my tastes (it really cuts up the gums).

    All the sugar cereal versions of Rice Crispies can’t get around the fact that puffed rice is wimpy. The only reason for Rice Crispies exist is to be stuck together with butter and melted marshmallow.

    D.: Fruit loops went technicolor and added a color. They’re not as good as they were.

    Comment by William Morris — August 25, 2006 @ 11:04 am

  21. Sugar pops with half and half.

    I think I gained weight just reading that!

    Comment by S. P. Bailey — August 25, 2006 @ 11:12 am

  22. To this day, the artificial flavor/high fructose corn syrup bouquet of Trix and Froot Loops transports me to our 4-to-6-kids-in-the-back-of-a-station-wagon family vacations. Sugar cereal in my family was only consumed early mornings in motels on the way to Disneyland.

    Not that I was sugar free. On the contrary. The sugar cereals of my childhood: corn flakes and shredded wheat (the big fibery bars) with about three heaping tea spoons of sugar in each bowl. My mom frowned upon my short-circuiting of her healthy parenting. I took to hiding my sugar habit behind the milk jug and cereal box, which (pretending to read) I positioned between me and her at the breakfast table.

    Comment by S. P. Bailey — August 25, 2006 @ 11:23 am

  23. We used to get the little boxes of sugar cereals in our Christmas stockings.

    That should tell you something about how my parents viewed sugar cereals.

    I’m not entirely sure … but I think to this day my father eats wheat mush for breakfast.

    Comment by danithew — August 25, 2006 @ 11:59 am

  24. In Russia, in the mid 90’s, they were trying to get the hang of American food trends, as if our breakfast cereals were the cause of Communism’s collapse. To that end, I used to buy “little pillows” which were, in fact, a layer of graham cracker coating on what amounted to a ball of chocolate frosting. It is the closest I have ever come to the “Chocolate Frosted Sugar Balls” experience. Mind you, we didn’t eat them with milk…

    Cracklin Oat Bran is the best cereal, period. Excellent with or without milk. Corn Pops and Honey Nut Cheerios are also excellent, but milk is required. Golden Grahams are best without milk.

    My top 5 cereals would then be:
    Cracklin Oat Bran
    Corn Pops
    Honey Nut Cheerios
    Golden Grahams
    Captain Cruch with Crunchberries

    Comment by HP — August 25, 2006 @ 12:50 pm

  25. I don’t like the Rice Krispies bashing. The puffed rice serves the important function of delivering texture. Once you add “cocoa” or “frutie” to the beginning, you’ve got everything you need.

    My favorite thing when I was a kid was to eat regular Rice Krispies, but with chocolate milk instead of regular milk. Try it, I promise you’ll absolutely love it.

    Comment by Jeremy — August 25, 2006 @ 12:55 pm

  26. In a related story, child-obesity in the country has increased rapidly in the past twenty years.

    Comment by Tim J. — August 25, 2006 @ 1:54 pm

  27. Jeremy, that’s, like, the exact inverse of Cocoa Pebbles in milk. I’m intrigued.

    William, I’m doing my best but I can’t figure out how Apple Jacks are the Flaming Lips of breakfast cereals.

    The most abonimable of all cold cereals is Rice Puffs. My mom would buy bags of that stuff that were as big as me. Several scoops of sugar couldn’t even make that stuff edible. Which reminds me, you know the sugar/milk slurry that you get at the bottom of the bowl when you put too much sugar on your cereal? That’s disgusting.

    Comment by Tom — August 25, 2006 @ 2:05 pm

  28. Rice Puffs are almost as bad as Cracklin’ Oat Bran…almost.

    Comment by Tim J. — August 25, 2006 @ 2:09 pm

  29. A someone who was raised on sugar cereal and Oreos (and is not diabetic):

    1. Cookie Crisp
    2. Trix (they’re not spheres anymore?)
    3. Cap’n Crunch (with berries–can’t believe they now have all-berry cereal, it’s just not fair)
    4. Cocoa Pebbles
    5. Cocoa Puffs

    Comment by Susan M — August 25, 2006 @ 2:17 pm

  30. Growing up, the only “sugar” cereal we got regularly was Honey Nut Cheerios — only because you got one box free with every two boxes of regular Cheerios. I o.d.’ed on those and still can’t eat them.

    The occasional treat (a couple of times of year) was Life cereal. I still feel like I’m getting away with something when I eat those. I still fill my bowl as full as it can possibly go — it’s ingrained after years of knowing that the box would be certainly be empty by the next day anyway. When Life was in the house, my brothers and I would just keep eating it until it was gone. Going to the cupboard now and seeing a half full box of Life is still a mild shock.

    Comment by Greg Call — August 25, 2006 @ 2:40 pm

  31. 1. Corn Pops
    2. Honeycomb
    3. Cookie Crisp
    4. Cap’n Crunch a la Crunchberries
    5. Lucky Charms, or Chocolate Lucky Charms — you choose.

    Comment by Supergenius — August 25, 2006 @ 3:46 pm

  32. I used to love eating Cracklin’ Oat Bran right out of the box, until I saw how much fat was in it. It makes Cocoa Puffs look like health food.

    Susan M– Trix is now shaped like different fruit (I think they changed in the mid-90s) and it has really ruined the texture. It’s much harder now and not half as good.

    The sugar-sludge in the bottom of the bowl was the only reward for eating the horrible non-sugared cereals.

    Comment by NFlanders — August 25, 2006 @ 4:57 pm

  33. You can tell I typed my above post on my husband’s laptop in some lobby somewhere. I meant to say “AS someone who was raised on sugar cereal and Oreos (and is NOW diabetic):”

    That sucks Ned. About Trix.

    Comment by Susan M — August 26, 2006 @ 8:12 pm

  34. 1. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
    2. Cocoa Pebbles
    3. Fruit Loops
    4. Frosted Flakes
    5. Golden Grahams

    Amazing I’ve lived this long. Lucky my mom actually cooked real meals, if I’d had it my way back in the day I would’ve become a pretty large guy.

    Comment by Seb — August 30, 2006 @ 11:18 pm

  35. Alphabits
    Peanut Butter Crunch
    Fruity Pebbles
    Apple Jacks
    Pops

    Comment by Summer — August 31, 2006 @ 6:57 am

  36. Quisp and Krazy Kow are the best cereals ever to enter and exit the human body

    Comment by vile bastard — November 2, 2006 @ 10:22 pm

  37. I thought no one was going to mention it!! Krazy Kow was the best of the best.

    1. Krazy Kow (the same as Cocoa Puffs, but maybe a bit more chocolaty and with a better spokesanimal)
    2. Cookie Crisp
    3. Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch
    4. Regular, old, cut your mouth Cap’n Crunch
    5. Froot Loops
    Honorable Mention:
    Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms, Corn Pops, and Pac Man cereal (which was just Kix with marshmallows)

    In my opinion, Cocoa Krispies / Cocoa Pebbles were gross. All you really had was a bowl of brown, semi-chocolaty milk and some soggy, white rice. And crunchberries were nasty… ick. I saw that no one mentioned Frankenberry, Count Chocula, or Boo Berry which were not really very good but worth remembering.
    It is a shame that some of you grew up thinking that Honeycomb, Golden Grahams, Apple Jacks, Honey Nut Cheerios, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch were as good as cereal gets. Poor Bar Stewards!

    Comment by benjamin bunny — January 6, 2007 @ 4:18 pm

  38. wait… did someone say that there were Chocolate Lucky Charms? Is this a store-bought product or something you cooked up with a bottle of Hershey’s syrup? I would have been pretty excited about them!

    Comment by benjamin bunny — January 6, 2007 @ 5:04 pm

  39. Benjamin Bunny, Chocolate Lucky Charms are available in some stores. The marshmallows are the same, but the rest is chocolate. See here.

    BTW, Frankenberry, et. al. were mentioned in post 10

    Comment by Bill — January 6, 2007 @ 6:20 pm