Some breakfast cereals disappear for good. Others vanish for years, then return after fans refuse to forget them. That is what makes the cereal aisle such a strange time capsule. These 15 brands all disappeared from U.S. shelves at some point, although a few eventually earned another run.
Oreo O’s
Post launched Oreo O’s in 1997 and discontinued the cereal in the U.S. in 2007. It returned in 2017 after years of fan demand, but that comeback also ended. Post later replaced Oreo O’s with Oreo Puffs, a similar cookie cereal with marshmallows.
Quisp and Quake
Quaker Oats introduced Quisp and Quake together in 1965, pairing a space alien with a miner. A 1972 consumer vote favored Quisp, and Quake was discontinued. Quisp later disappeared from widespread distribution too, but it has resurfaced in limited retail runs over the years.
French Toast Crunch
General Mills launched French Toast Crunch in the 1990s and discontinued it in the U.S. in 2006 while keeping it in Canada. Fans kept asking for it, and General Mills brought it back to U.S. stores in late 2014. It is still sold today.
Waffle Crisp
Post introduced Waffle Crisp in 1996. The maple-flavored cereal was temporarily discontinued beginning in 2018, then returned in 2021 after fans pushed for a comeback. The post still lists Waffle Crisp as a current product.
Kaboom
General Mills introduced Kaboom in 1969. The cereal paired colorful oat pieces with marshmallow shapes and a clown mascot that became hard to miss on the box. Its unusually long run ended in 2010, and it has not received a national comeback.
Sprinkle Spangles
Sprinkle Spangles was introduced in 1993 with star-shaped pieces, a sugar-cookie flavor, and a genie mascot voiced by Dom DeLuise. General Mills discontinued it in 1994, giving this heavily advertised cereal a surprisingly short life.
Hidden Treasures
Hidden Treasures turned breakfast into a guessing game. Some of the sweetened corn pieces contained fruit-flavored centers while others did not. General Mills sold the cereal from 1993 to 1995 before pulling it from shelves.
Body Buddies
General Mills introduced Body Buddies in 1979 and marketed it as a kid-friendly cereal with a healthier image. Sports scenes appeared on the packaging, and the cereal had small corn pieces similar in appearance to Kix. General Mills says Body Buddies remained on shelves for 17 years, making its run much longer than its strongest 1980s nostalgia might suggest.
Croonchy Stars
The Muppets’ Swedish Chef fronted Croonchy Stars, a cinnamon cereal introduced in 1988. The ads leaned into his comic pronunciation of “cinnamonnamony.” The original run lasted about a year, and the cereal briefly returned in 1992 before disappearing again.
Ice Cream Cones
General Mills launched Ice Cream Cones cereal in 1987 with cone-shaped pieces and round pieces meant to look like scoops of ice cream. The original run was short-lived. General Mills brought the cereal back in 2003 to mark the ice cream cone’s centennial.
Nintendo Cereal System
Ralston’s Nintendo Cereal System put two cereals in one box. One bag featured fruity Super Mario Bros. pieces while the other was tied to The Legend of Zelda. The novelty cereal reached stores in 1988 and was discontinued in 1989.
Mr. T
Quaker Oats introduced Mr. T cereal in 1984, when the actor was a major pop-culture figure thanks to Rocky III and The A-Team. The cereal pieces were shaped like the letter T, and the advertising played off his famous persona. The cereal lasted until 1993.
Urkel-Os
Ralston introduced Urkel-Os in 1991 during the height of Steve Urkel’s popularity on Family Matters. The strawberry-and-banana cereal later appeared in an “Urkel for President” promotion. It was a short-lived tie-in and disappeared after its early-1990s run.
C-3PO’s
Kellogg’s released C-3PO’s in 1984, a year after Return of the Jedi reached theaters. The honey-sweetened pieces were shaped like linked rings, and some boxes included cardboard character masks on the back. Kellogg’s retired the cereal in 1986.
Pac-Man
General Mills launched Pac-Man cereal in 1983, combining corn pieces with marshmallows inspired by Pac-Man and the game’s ghosts. It stayed on the market longer than many novelty cereals from the era, with General Mills dating its run from 1983 to 1989.
When Cereal Nostalgia Wins
A cereal disappearing from the aisle does not always mean it is gone forever. French Toast Crunch and Waffle Crisp both returned after years away, while Oreo O’s managed a comeback before disappearing again. For cereal fans, nostalgia has occasionally been strong enough to earn an old favorite another shot.