Representational Cereal

[urbpan]

I'm eating Boo Berry cereal, and it occurs to me that there are marshmallow bits in the shape of something, and I never thought to check what they are. This is my last bowl of it, and I don't think I'm going to buy another box, as I bought it basically on a whim. How can eat something and not know what it represents?! (this is probably not a problem for most people, but it really bothers me)

After a moment of staring into my bowl I realize that the marshmallow bits represent the three main Monster Cereals: bluish blobs for Boo Berry, Pink lobed heads for Frankenberry, and purple bats for Count Chocula. (The actual cereal itself is shaped like Pac Man ghosts.) I then think about these characters. Boo Berry is a ghost--cuddly with stoned eyes, wearing a hat and bowtie, and flavored like blueberry--but a ghost nonetheless, the spirit one who has departed the earthly coil. Frankenberry, we must assume, is a strawberry flavored monster made of reanimated corpses. And of course Count Chocula (famous for being the cereal most resembling Mr. Burns) is a cocoa flavored vampire, cursed to a living death as a nocturnal blood sucker who turns milk chocolatey.

(note to my brother and others: Shut up about the werewolf. 1. I've never seen the cereal, 2. It doesn't fit in with my point) ((the mummy probably does fit in, but I haven't seen that one either))

Are these the only group of cereals with mascots that are the living dead of one form or another? (If Mr. T dies, will Mr. T cereal count? and will the value of the boxes skyrocket?)

The infantilization of halloween icons has meant for some fascinating characters. The Count, from Sesame Street comes to mind--does he feed on the blood of monsters that have been lured to the castle and hypnotized by his obsessive counting? (For a very nice cross between the Munsters/Addams Family and Peanuts, see Steven Weissman's "Yikes," and other comics.)

My fascination has some distance to it, because even though I like horror movies, I don't much care for ghost and vampire horror. I prefer mutant and monster animals and robots. Zombies are pretty good, because they are kind of mutant/monster animal/robots.

Are there any zombie cereals (besides Frankenberry)? Robot cereals? Mutant animal cereals? Does Tony the Tiger count? Should I go back to writing about Urban Nature (don't worry, there are only four more months of winter, then I'll be out there taking pictures of bugs and weeds again!)

Comments

[melannen.livejournal.com]

You may know this already, but Sesame Street's count is based on a real characteristic of folklore vampires - they often have an OCD-ish need to count anything numerous near them, so you can foil a vampire by throwing a handful of seeds or beads in his path and running away while he counts them (or scattering them over his grave so he spends all night counting and has no time to stalk the night.) So actually, the monsters have to keep the Count counting in order to *protect* themselves from his sanguinary rampages ... it's kind of sad and pathetic, really.

And I have to admit I've never ventured past Lucky Charms in my exploration of representational cereal. Although really, eating a bunch of anti-evil talismans (like the hornéd crescent moon, that keep the night vapours sweet; horeshoes of cold iron, that mustn't be turned over lest all the luck pours our;e; the pink heart-shape that's descended from ancient vulvar talismans; and the four-leaf clovers that let you see the fair folk - so long as the fair folk don't catch you and put your eyes out for it. And then there's the red balloons, and what are they symbolic of? Nuclear apocalypse?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that about vampires. Do they wash their hands obsessively, too, or compulsively touch certain spots on certain objects? That was smart of the SS monsters to distract the count, without hurting him (except for the torment of undead existance, and no food). What would happen if Cookie Monster wasnt' fed cookies (and edible letters, numerals, and set pieces)?

According to an unscientific google search, red balloons are symbolic of friendship, happiness, and the Holy Spirit. Don't forget the rainbows, which are symbols of Gay Pride and Liberation, or perhaps God's agreement not to drown us all (again).

[badnoodles.livejournal.com]

What would happen if Cookie Monster wasnt' fed cookies (and edible letters, numerals, and set pieces)?

Well, he's said himself that "cookies are a sometimes food", so I'm guessing he bulks up on roughage when he can't get that sweet sweet chocolate chip.

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

They did a funny bit on that on the X-files in an episode Titled "Bad Bood". It's one of those really delightful episodes that has a lot of humor in the mix. Mulder thwarts a vampire by throwing a handfull of sunflower seeds in front of him. Ironically enough, the first hit on my google search turned up an opsessive compulsive recounting of the entire episode.

http://www.monkeyhouselounge.com/features/badblood.html