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The 29 discontinued cereals on this page span six decades, and the list is still growing — Post killed Oreo O’s for the second time in December 2024, and General Mills cut three Cheerios varieties in 2025. Every entry carries a verified date and maker, and — because the internet keeps mourning cereals you can buy today — an honest answer on whether it is actually gone.
The table keeps the strict chronology; the list below runs story-first — the most-mourned deaths and strangest resurrections up top.
| Cereal | Maker | Launched | Gone | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kream Krunch | Kellogg’s | 1965 | ~1966 | Gone for good |
| King Vitaman | Quaker Oats | 1968 | 2019 | Gone — 51-year run |
| Buc Wheats | General Mills | 1971 | ~1983 | Gone |
| Magic Puffs | General Mills | 1974 | ~1977 | Gone |
| Fruit Brute | General Mills | 1974 | 1982 | Revived 2013 and 2022, gone again |
| Crazy Cow | General Mills | 1977 | early 1980s | Gone |
| Waffelos | Ralston | 1979 | ~1982–84 | Gone |
| Banana Frosted Flakes | Kellogg’s | 1981 | ~1984 | Gone |
| Strawberry Shortcake | General Mills | 1982 | 1985 | Gone |
| Mr. T | Quaker Oats | 1984 | 1993 | Gone |
| E.T. | General Mills | 1984 | 1986 | Gone |
| Nerds | Ralston | 1985 | ~1988 | Gone |
| Ice Cream Cones | General Mills | 1987 | 1987 | Brief 2003 revival, gone again |
| Fruity Yummy Mummy | General Mills | 1987–88 | 1992 | Revived 2013, gone again |
| Nintendo Cereal System | Ralston | 1988 | 1989 | Gone |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Ralston | 1989 | ~1995 | Gone |
| Cinnamon Mini Buns | Kellogg’s | 1991 | ~1993 | Concept lives on as Cinnabon cereal |
| Urkel-Os | Ralston | 1991 | ~1992 | Gone |
| Hidden Treasures | General Mills | 1993 | 1995 | Gone |
| Sprinkle Spangles | General Mills | 1993 | 1994 | Gone |
| Rice Krispies Treats Cereal | Kellogg’s | 1993 | 2020 | Gone — 33,000-signature petition |
| French Toast Crunch | General Mills | 1995 | 2006 (US) | Back since 2015 — still sold |
| Oreo O’s | Post/Kraft | 1997 | 2007 & 2024 | Revived 2017, killed again Dec 2024 |
| Choco Donuts | Quaker Oats | 2002 | ~2003 | Gone |
| Bart Simpson No ProblemO’s | Kellogg’s | 2002 | ~2003 | Gone |
| Smorz | Kellogg’s | 2003 | 2013, 2019 & ~2022 | Discontinued three times |
| Nickelodeon Green Slime | General Mills | 2003 | 2003 | Limited edition by design |
| Blueberry Muffin Toasters | Malt-O-Meal | 2005 | — | Still sold (renamed twice) |
| Cupcake Pebbles | Post | 2010 | ~2011–12 | Gone |
| Ancient Grains Cheerios | General Mills | 2015 | ~2018 | Gone |
| Sour Patch Kids Cereal | Post | 2018 | ~2020 | Gone |
RICE KRISPIES TREATS CEREAL
Rice Krispies Treats Cereal is the most-mourned dead cereal in America. Kellogg’s launched it in 1993 — clusters of puffed rice bound in marshmallow, the treat in bowl form — and killed it quietly in 2020.
There was no press release. Kellogg’s confirmed the death the modern way, replying to grieving fans on social media that it was “sad to say” the cereal had been discontinued, and suggesting Frosted Krispies instead — advice fans took about as well as you’d expect. A petition to resurrect it has passed 33,000 signatures, and it remains the headliner of every discontinued snacks thread on the internet.
OREO O’S
Oreo O’s cereal was introduced in 1997 as a collaboration between Post and Kraft Foods — and it has now been discontinued twice.
It had a ton of success due to the popularity of Oreo cookies.
The 2007 discontinuation was a licensing deadlock, not a flop. When Kraft spun off Post that year, Kraft kept the Oreo trademark and Post kept the cereal recipe — and neither would license the other. Oreo’s other snack-time crossover, the Oreo Fun Snacks Lunchables, disappeared around the same time.
One factory kept making it anyway. Dongsuh Foods in South Korea held both sets of rights through an old joint-venture quirk, so for a decade the only Oreo O’s on Earth came out of Korea, and American fans paid import prices for it.
Post finally brought the cereal back to American shelves on June 23, 2017. The revival lasted seven years: in December 2024, Post confirmed Oreo O’s was discontinued again, replaced by a puffed spinoff called Oreo Puffs — a “permanent addition,” in the company’s words, not a limited run.
SMORZ
Smorz is the cereal that cannot stay dead — or alive. Kellogg’s launched the graham-and-chocolate s’mores cereal in 2003, discontinued it in December 2013, brought it back in 2015, killed it again in April 2019, then revived it once more in January 2021 after a fan petition, crediting its “incredibly passionate fanbase.”
The third death came quietly after that 2021 comeback: the cereal has since disappeared from shelves again, and a new petition — “Bring Back Kellogg’s Smorz Cereal Again” — is already circulating. Three launches, three funerals, and counting.
KING VITAMAN
King Vitaman — the spelling was intentional — reigned longer than anything else on this list. Quaker sold the crown-shaped budget cereal from 1968 to 2019, a fifty-one-year run, and on 1970s boxes the king was played by a real actor in costume rather than a cartoon.
The end was never formally announced. Quaker simply stopped production in 2019, fans noticed the empty shelf space, and confirmation trickled out afterward — the quiet death that, as this list shows, has become the industry’s standard practice.
E.T. CEREAL
E.T. Cereal was launched by General Mills in 1984 — two years after the movie, timed to the home-video wave. The box above even advertises the 1984 Grammy-winning E.T. storybook album.
You might remember it as a movie tie-in product inspired by the hugely popular film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
The pieces were shaped like the letters “E” and “T,” flavored with peanut butter and chocolate — a nod to the Reese’s Pieces scene. There were no marshmallows, whatever your memory insists.
It was discontinued in 1986. The best explanation on record has nothing to do with taste: the sequel Spielberg never made left the tie-in with nothing to tie into.
URKEL-OS
Urkel-Os may hold the record for the shortest licensed-cereal lifespan: launched by Ralston in 1991, gone in under a year. The strawberry-and-banana loops traded on Steve Urkel at the absolute peak of “Family Matters,” complete with a “Help Urkel Find Laura” game on the back panel.
NERDS CEREAL
Nerds Cereal was launched in 1985 by Ralston, which licensed the Willy Wonka candy brand for the box. It was basically candy disguised as breakfast.
The cereal was a colorful, dual-flavored breakfast option based on the popularity of Nerds candy.
Like the candy, the box came split in two — a bag of grape on one side, strawberry on the other. It disappeared around 1988, and Ralston never said why. The most popular fan theory blames the two-bag box itself, which cost more to produce than a normal cereal; no one has ever confirmed it.
NINTENDO CEREAL SYSTEM
Ralston introduced The Nintendo Cereal System in 1988.
It capitalized on the popularity of Nintendo’s gaming franchises, like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Interestingly, it offered two separate flavored cereals in one box.
It was discontinued in 1989 after barely a year, with no explanation from Ralston — an odd end for a tie-in to a console that was then flying off American shelves.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE CEREAL
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal is a nostalgic cereal invented in 1989 by Ralston.
The cereal looked to capitalize on the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series. They used Chex-like “Ninja Nets” and themed marshmallows.
It ran far longer than most tie-ins — until about 1995, when Ralston dropped the license and recycled the same Chex-style cereal base into a new Spider-Man Cereal. No official end date was ever announced.
WAFFELOS
Waffelos was a waffle-shaped breakfast cereal introduced by Ralston Purina in 1979.
People remember it for its maple and blueberry flavors. The cereal also had an unforgettable cowboy mascot, Waffelo Bill.
It was gone by the early 1980s — sources put the end anywhere from 1982 to 1984, and Ralston never said why.
WHY EVERY RALSTON CEREAL DIED AT ONCE
Notice a pattern? Nerds, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nintendo Cereal System, Urkel-Os, Waffelos — the licensed-character wing of the cereal graveyard is nearly all Ralston. That is not a coincidence; it is corporate history.
Ralston Purina spent the early 1990s quietly leaving the cereal business. On January 31, 1994, it spun off its human-food operations as Ralcorp Holdings, and in 1997 Ralcorp sold its branded cereals — including the Chex line — to General Mills. A company heading for the exit had no reason to keep niche licensed cereals alive, so the whole stable died within a few years of each other. What looks like a dozen separate failures was mostly one company leaving the room.
FRUIT BRUTE
In 1974, General Mills launched the Fruit Brute cereal as part of its monster cereals.
It featured a werewolf mascot, a general fruit flavor, and lime marshmallows. The cherry flavor everyone remembers actually belongs to the 2013 revival, which came back rebranded as “Frute Brute.”
The original run lasted eight years, ending in 1982. The 2013 comeback lasted one Halloween season. A 2022 return in artist-designed KAWS packaging lasted one more — and it has been missing from the Monster Cereals lineup ever since.
YUMMY MUMMY
General Mills launched Fruity Yummy Mummy as part of its Monster Cereals line in 1987 or 1988 — even the company’s own retrospectives disagree on the year.
It is remembered as a vibrant, fruit-flavored cereal with colorful marshmallows aimed at capitalizing on the popularity of its monster-themed predecessors.
The General Mills cereal was discontinued in 1992 — “after just five years,” by the company’s own count. It got one more chance: a reformulated orange-cream version returned for Halloween 2013, then went back in the crypt. It was absent from both the 2024 and 2025 Monster Cereals lineups.
ICE CREAM CONES CEREAL
Ice Cream Cones Cereal was brought to grocery stores by General Mills in 1987.
Its unique breakfast offering featured cone-shaped pieces in flavors like Vanilla and Chocolate. Its marketers had a field day using catchy jingles and a character named Ice Cream Jones.
It was gone within about a year — and then got the strangest second act on this list. General Mills brought it back in 2003 to mark the 100th anniversary of the ice cream cone, then retired it all over again.
MR. T CEREAL
Mr. T Cereal was created by Quaker Oats in 1984.
It was a sweetened corn and oats breakfast cereal shaped like the letter “T.”
It outlived the hype by a comfortable margin. “The A-Team” went off the air in 1987, but Quaker kept the cereal in production until 1993 — a nine-year run, longer than almost any other celebrity tie-in cereal. Quaker never gave a reason for dropping it.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CEREAL
General Mills launched Strawberry Shortcake Cereal in September 1982, built on the American Greetings character created in 1977 — one of the first cereals ever based on a licensed fictional character.
It was retired in 1985 as the Strawberry Shortcake franchise cooled. The box above is a museum piece in its own right: a first-case box from General Mills Canada’s Toronto plant, with the September 15, 1982 production memo still taped to the front.
BART SIMPSON’S NO PROBLEMO’S
Bart Simpson’s No ProblemO’s cereal was created by Kellogg’s in 2002.
It was launched in Great Britain and Australia.
The loops themselves were plain frosted multi-grain O’s — the Simpsons part came as separate chocolate discs stamped with character faces. American kids got sibling products instead, like the Bart Simpson Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch pictured above.
It ran through at least two production waves before disappearing around 2003. Kellogg’s never announced an end date or a reason.
NICKELODEON GREEN SLIME
Nickelodeon’s Green Slime cereal was launched in 2003 in partnership with General Mills.
The box says it plainly: “Limited Edition Cereal.” It was a promotional tie-in to the 2003 Kids’ Choice Awards — slime-shaped corn puffs with marshmallows modeled on the network’s blimp trophy.
It was never meant to outlive the promotion — a by-design death that still earned it a spot among the oddest foods discontinued in the 2000s.
SPRINKLE SPANGLES
Sprinkle Spangles barely saw its first birthday. General Mills launched the star-shaped, sprinkle-covered sugar-cookie cereal in 1993 with a genie mascot voiced by Dom DeLuise — catchphrase: “You wish it, I dish it!” — and discontinued it in 1994.
General Mills knows exactly what it did: the company’s own nostalgia features rank Sprinkle Spangles among the cereals fans miss most.
CINNAMON MINI BUNS
Kellogg’s sold miniature cinnamon rolls as cereal from 1991 to about 1993. The swirl refused to die with the brand: Kellogg’s relaunched the concept as Mini Swirlz in 2005, then rebranded it again as Cinnabon cereal — three names for one idea, spread across nearly two decades.
HIDDEN TREASURES
Hidden Treasures was a breakfast cereal launched by General Mills in 1993.
It featured sweetened corn squares, some of which contained fruit-flavored fillings. The cereal was fun because it created a “treasure hunt” experience for children.
The cereal was gone by 1995 — General Mills’ own history puts the run at just two years — and it joined a long list of 90s food casualties. Taste wasn’t the problem: decades later, fans still rank it among the best cereals General Mills ever cut.
MAGIC PUFFS
General Mills introduced Magic Puffs in 1974.
It was known for its “crunchy frosted cereal puffs.”
It lasted about three years, gone by 1977. The oft-repeated story that General Mills pulled it over misleading nutrition claims traces back to a single anonymous internet comment — no lawsuit, regulatory action, or news report from the era has ever surfaced.
CRAZY COW
Crazy Cow cereal was invented by General Mills in 1977.
It was a novel breakfast product featuring multi-grain pellets dissolved in milk to create flavored chocolate or strawberry milk.
It faded out by the early 1980s. General Mills never documented exactly when or why — a quiet end for a cereal whose entire sales pitch was turning the milk pink.
BUC WHEATS
Buc Wheats, a maple-flavored wheat cereal produced by General Mills from 1971 to the early 1980s, gained popularity for its unique taste and crunchy texture.
The cereal was discontinued around 1983. Fans have blamed a late switch from maple to honey glaze ever since — a story repeated everywhere from Wikipedia on down, but never confirmed by General Mills.
BANANA FROSTED FLAKES
Banana Frosted Flakes was introduced in 1981 as a spin on Kellogg’s flagship, promising “real bits of banana and great banana taste in every bite.” The ad above wasn’t even aimed at kids — it’s a trade ad selling grocers on stocking allowances and Saturday-morning TV support.
It was discontinued around 1984. Kellogg’s never published a reason.
KREAM KRUNCH
Kream Krunch was introduced by Kellogg’s in 1965.
It was one of the more unique cereals at the time, combining freeze-dried ice cream pieces with O-shaped oat pieces in vanilla, strawberry, and orange flavors.
Kellogg’s billed it as the “world’s first crunchy ice cream.” It lasted about a year, and no reason for its death was ever documented — though freeze-dried ice cream sitting in warm milk suggests its own hypothesis.
CHOCO DONUTS
Cap’n Crunch Choco Donuts cereal was introduced by Quaker Oats in 2002.
The company launched the cereal as part of its whimsical “Oops!” line. It featured a chocolate-flavored donut-shaped piece and was supposed to be a fun, kid-friendly breakfast option.
Shoppers could still find boxes in late 2003 — after that, the trail goes cold. Quaker never announced an end date; the donuts simply stopped showing up.
CUPCAKE PEBBLES
Cupcake Pebbles was a limited edition cereal invented by Post in 2010 as part of the Pebbles cereal line.
It aimed to follow the trend of the popularity of sweet-themed cereals.
This Post cereal was discontinued within about two years — sources split between 2011 and 2012, and Post never documented either. The fans didn’t hate it: a petition to bring it back is still collecting signatures.
SOUR PATCH KIDS CEREAL
Sour Patch Kids Cereal launched as a Walmart exclusive on December 26, 2018, and went national the following June.
It looked to translate the popular candy’s sour-then-sweet flavor profile with breakfast cereal.
Why was it discontinued? Post never said. Reviews were rough — sour coating and cold milk turned out to be natural enemies — and after roughly eighteen months boxes slid onto clearance shelves and quietly vanished for good.
ANCIENT GRAINS CHEERIOS
Ancient Grains Cheerios blended kamut wheat, spelt, and quinoa with traditional oats — a January 2015 bet on the superfood trend big enough that NPR covered the launch. It quietly vanished around 2018, joining the long list of Cheerios discontinuations, and General Mills never announced the end or gave a reason.
THE CEREALS DYING RIGHT NOW (2024–2026)
Cereal deaths didn’t end with the 90s — the last two years have been unusually busy.
Post killed Oreo O’s for the second time in December 2024, swapping in Oreo Puffs. In June 2025, General Mills confirmed that three Cheerios varieties — Chocolate Peanut Butter, Honey Nut Medley Crunch, and the 18-ounce Honey Nut Minis — were done, explaining that products get cut for reasons “ranging from insufficient consumer demand to ingredients no longer available or other supply chain constraints.” Longtime buyers of Barbara’s Oat Crunch have reported it gone too — Post has never confirmed that one.
The biggest change is structural. On September 26, 2025, Ferrero — the Italian maker of Nutella — completed its $3.1 billion acquisition of WK Kellogg, the company behind Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, and Special K. Whenever a cereal portfolio changes hands, the slow sellers get audited — if history is a guide, this page will need new entries soon.
STILL ON SHELVES: “DEAD” CEREALS YOU CAN BUY TODAY
Half the cereals the internet mourns aren’t actually dead. Before you grieve, check the shelf:
| Cereal | The rumor | The reality |
|---|---|---|
| French Toast Crunch | ”Discontinued in 2006” | Back since January 2015, still sold |
| Blueberry Muffin Toasters | ”Discontinued for poor sales” | Renamed twice, relaunched 2023, still sold |
| Fiber One Original | ”Quietly killed” | A 2023 supply shortage — never discontinued |
| Frosted Flakes with Marshmallows | ”Gone” | Still listed at major retailers |
| Corn Pops | ”Discontinued” | Kellogg’s issued a flat public denial in 2023 |
French Toast Crunch is the poster child. General Mills pulled it from American shelves in 2006 — while quietly keeping it alive in Canada — then brought it back in January 2015 after years of fan campaigns. It has been in production ever since, no matter how many nostalgia listicles still count it among the dead.
Blueberry Muffin Toasters is the identity-theft case. Malt-O-Meal launched it in 2005 as “Blueberry Muffin Tops,” renamed it “Blueberry Toasters” in 2013, restored the muffin in 2020, and relaunched the whole thing in 2023. Each rename spawned a fresh round of “discontinued!” posts about a cereal you can buy at Walmart right now.
DISCONTINUED CEREALS FAQ
What cereals have been discontinued recently?
Oreo O’s was discontinued in December 2024 and replaced by Oreo Puffs. General Mills cut Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch in 2025. Rice Krispies Treats Cereal died in 2020, and King Vitaman ended its fifty-one-year run in 2019 — most without any formal announcement.
What 90s cereals are no longer sold?
Sprinkle Spangles (1993–1994), Hidden Treasures (1993–1995), Cinnamon Mini Buns (1991–~1993), and Urkel-Os (1991–~1992) all died in the decade they were born. Rice Krispies Treats Cereal launched in 1993 and survived until 2020 — the last of the 90s class to go.
What cereal was discontinued in the 2000s?
Cap’n Crunch’s Choco Donuts and Bart Simpson’s No ProblemO’s both vanished around 2003, Nickelodeon Green Slime ended with its 2003 promotion, and Oreo O’s died its first death in 2007. French Toast Crunch was also pulled in 2006, though that one came back in 2015.
What cereal from the 80s no longer exists?
Mr. T Cereal (1984–1993), E.T. Cereal (1984–1986), Nerds Cereal (1985–~1988), Ice Cream Cones (1987), Nintendo Cereal System (1988–1989), and Waffelos (1979–early 80s) are all gone for good. None was ever revived, though Ice Cream Cones got a brief 100th-anniversary encore in 2003.
