Biology: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 it 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 pieces were 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 and marketing
Mr. T Cereal debuted in 1984[4] and was a popular cereal in the U.S. during the 1980s.[1] The cereal was the first licensed ready-to-eat cereal manufactured and marketed by the Quaker Oats Company.[5]
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] To appeal to children, the cereal was manufactured with a significant amount of sugar.[6][7] Promotions for the cereal 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]
A cereal box prize consisted of a packet of Mr. T. stickers, which were packaged inside boxes of the cereal.[2][3]
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][|permanent dead link|dead link}}][11] A box of the cereal also appeared atop the refrigerator of Martin Lawrence's character in the 1992 movie "Boomerang." Stranger Things season 3 episode 7 The Bite features the cereal prominently in a display of period goods in Bradley's Big Buy superstore. The cereal would also appear in the film Bumblebee, seen being eaten by Hailee Steinfeld's character Charlie Watson. In season 5 episode 16 of the television show Rules of Engagement, the character Audrey starts a job at a young internet company run by kids. After asking them for something to do, they task her with finding a box of Mr. T cereal for them, which she finds and pays $500 for.
See also
- List of breakfast cereals
- Mister T, the TV series whose characters were featured on the cereal box.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "10 cereals that were too sweet to last". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/03/07/10-cereals-that-were-too-sweet-to-last/. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "25 Cereals From The '80s You Will Never Eat Again". BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/25-cereals-from-the-80s-you-will-never-eat-again#.eaQVqoA2RV. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Husfloen, K. (2011). Antique Trader Black American Price Guide. F+W Media. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-4402-2732-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=Dp5YWgm_UpoC&pg=PA24.
- ↑ Andrew Bales. "Into It: The Strange Life Of Discontinued Breakfast Cereals". http://kmuw.org/post/it-strange-life-discontinued-breakfast-cereals-0. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ Corporation Annual Reports to Shareholders. 1981. https://books.google.com/books?id=sR4SAQAAMAAJ. 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 ..."
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kanner, Bernice (December 1984). "Kellogg's Hard Sell". New York. https://books.google.com/books?id=CuYCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 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. https://books.google.com/books?id=7RTrBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT156.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Roncace, Kelly (November 24, 2014). "T time: Clearview grad's collection of Mr. T memorabilia to go on view in Philly". South Jersey Times. http://www.nj.com/indulge/index.ssf/2013/11/clearview_graduate_curates_mr_t_memorabilia_show_in_philadelphia.html. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ "The A-Team Of Collectors". https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/06/AR2005070602205.html. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ "'Pee-wee's Big Adventure': Famous Lines & the Ones That Oughta Be". February 19, 2016. http://www.biography.com/news/pee-wees-big-adventure-quotes-anniversary. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Mr. T Cereal". Mrbreakfast.com. http://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=244. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
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