Mr. T Cereal

The front box cover of Mr. T Cereal

Mr. T Cereal was a sweetened breakfast cereal manufactured by the Quaker Oats Company.[1][2] The cereal was prepared with corn and oats as primary ingredients, and 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 was 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

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

Advertising and marketing

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] The cereal was manufactured with a significant amount of sugar, which is appealing to children.[6][7] Promotions for the cereal have 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]

Promotions

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

Collectibility

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 stated "I pity the poor fool that don't eat my cereal."[10][11] After this, Pee-wee opened the box and poured the cereal over a dish of eggs and pancakes.[10][11] It is part of the "I pity the fool" catchphrase that Mr. T popularized at the time.[11] In the scene, Pee-wee impersonated the sound and style that Mr. T used when stating the line.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "10 cereals that were too sweet to last". Fox News. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "25 Cereals From The '80s You Will Never Eat Again". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 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. 1 2 Kanner, Bernice (December 1984). "Kellogg's Hard Sell". New York. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 "'Pee-wee's Big Adventure': Famous Lines & the Ones That Oughta Be". biography.com. February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Mr. T Cereal". Mrbreakfast.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
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