two kids sitting at table eating cereal; pink, yellow and blue circles with question marks surround them

Photo Illustration: MOA Staff (Source: Harold M. Lambert/Getty Images)

Test Your Breakfast Cereal IQ

Grab a spoon and dig in to our tasty quiz

Jayme Deerwester,

AARP

Published February 13, 2023

10 Questions

Did Count Chocula, Boo Berry or Franken Berry haunt your breakfast table back in the day? Or maybe you put your ear down to your Rice Krispies to hear the actual snap, crackle and pop? Then pour yourself a bowl and dig into our oh-so-sweet classic cereal quiz.

Test Your Breakfast Cereal IQ

[ {
 "question" : "What was the name of the picky eater who actually liked Life cereal?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Matt",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Marvin",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Hungry Hungry Henry",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Mikey",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "When a pair of young boys were given bowls of a new, healthy breakfast cereal in a 1970s TV commercial, they were instantly suspicious and unwilling to try it. Instead, they conspired to make another kid named Mikey (actor John Gilchrist) their guinea pig. “He won’t eat it. He hates everything,” they predicted. They were immediately proven wrong, and exclaimed, “He likes it! Hey Mikey!” A voiceover then told parents, “When you bring Life home, don’t tell the kids it’s one of those nutritional cereals you’ve been trying to get them to eat. You’re the only one who has to know.”\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which of these mythical monster-themed cereals did we totally make up?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Franken Berry",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Yummy Yetis",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Boo Berry",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Count Chocula",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "General Mills did not make a product called Yummy Yetis but it still makes Fruity Yummy Mummy cereal. The company delighted nostalgia lovers last summer when it announced it would be producing a limited-edition run of Franken Berry, Boo Berry and Count Chocula, along with Frute Brute monsters, the cereal equivalent of a deep cut.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Being featured on which cereal box was a sign you had truly made it as an athlete?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Wheaties",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Little Chocolate Donuts",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Frosted Flakes",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Grape-Nuts",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "General Mills marketed Wheaties as the “Breakfast of Champions,” and its boxes boasted the likenesses of athletes at the pinnacle of their sport. There has long been a fresh crop of Olympians staring at us from grocery store shelves after the Summer or Winter Games wrapped, starting with pole-vaulting gold medalist Bob Richards after the 1956 Summer Olympics. Caitlyn (then Bruce) Jenner won decathlon gold in 1976 and subsequently graced the Wheaties box. “Saturday Night Live” poked fun at the cereal’s high-achieving image with the 1977 parody ad “Little Chocolate Donuts,” featuring John Belushi as a decathlete fueled by the decidedly unhealthy diet of cigarettes and mini chocolate doughnuts.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which “Flintstones” character has a cereal named after them?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Fred",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Barney",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Bamm-Bamm",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Pebbles",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Post named its cereal Pebbles after the daughter of Fred and Wilma. However, the company put Fred and Barney on the boxes for Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which bird is the Froot Loops mascot?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Marvin the Macaw",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Parakeet Pete",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Toucan Sam ",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Tom the Cockatiel",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Toucan Sam and his beak of many colors has been the Froot Loops mascot since 1963. In 2020, Kellogg’s gave Sam a makeover, and fans were less than enthused, comparing his new look to bad anime and hashtagging their derisive comments with #NotMyToucan.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "What was the name of Cap’n Crunch’s ship?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "S.S. Guppy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "S.S. Scupper Hole",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "S.S. The Krusty Krab",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "HMS Insulin Resistance",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Cap’n Horatio Magellan Crunch and his crew sailed aboard the S.S. Guppy.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "True or false: For a second there, Rice Krispies had a fourth mascot.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "In the 1950s, Snap, Crackle and Pop were briefly joined by Pow, who was a bit of a Debbie Downer, informing consumers about the cereal’s nutritional benefits. In “Simpsons” parlance, Pow was a total Poochie and was never heard from again after appearing in two commercials.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which symbol wasn’t one of the magically delicious marshmallow shapes in Lucky Charms?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Horseshoe",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Rainbow",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Smiley Face",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Clover",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "A smiley face was not one of the charm shapes in Lucky Charms. However, there were also stars, moons, hearts and hourglasses.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which ’80s video game got its own cereal?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Space Invaders",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Pac-Man",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Pong",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Frogger",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "It was only fitting that Pac-Man, who spends the entire game eating, would get his own cereal. And in 1983, he did.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which of these cereals is the least nutritious, according to “Eat This, Not That!”?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Honey Smacks",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Reese’s Puffs",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Frosted Flakes",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Golden Grahams",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "The nutrition-focused website and book series ranked Honey Smacks — formerly Sugar Smacks — as the “worst of the worst of kids’ cereals,” citing its 18 grams of added sugar per cup. It also called out Golden Grahams, Reese’s Puffs and Frosted Flakes for their less than desirable nutritional value.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Test Your Breakfast Cereal IQ

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Jayme Deerwester is an editor and writer with two decades of experience at USA TODAY, where she covered entertainment, travel, personal finance and technology. When not in front of a computer, she can be found rowing, kayaking or playing with her dog.