There were dozens of varieties, so there was something for everyone. It needed no cooking, and was always ready to eat. What could be more perfect?
Here, you can take a look back at some of the most popular vintage 1970s cereals that we loved — including many discontinued products we still miss, even after all these years.
BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE! Cereals from the 1950s | 1960s breakfast cereals | Vintage 80s cereal | 90s cereals
Looking for the best cereals at the supermarket
Grocery store aisle featuring brands like Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Special K, HoneyComb, Honey Smacks, Corn Pops, Raisin Bran, Product 19, and more.
ALSO SEE: Check out 100 vintage 1970s supermarkets & retro grocery stores
Alpha-Bits cereal from Post
ORIGINAL FLAVOR ALPHA-BITS IS BACK! (1978)
That special taste children have loved for twenty years is now back by popular demand. But Original Flavor Post Alpha-Bits cereal is more than just delicious — it’s fun.
Children can spell words and play word games with Alpha-Bits. So your children will have a good time eating Original Flavor Alpha-Bits. And you’ll feel good about serving it to them. It’s fortified with eight essential vitamins and is a nutritious part of your child’s balanced breakfast.
So start your child’s day off with Post Alpha-Bits. The fun-to-eat breakfast cereal that has kids asking for their ABCs before they go to school.
ALPHA-BITS SPELLS FUN AT BREAKFAST
A vintage Alpha-Bits cereal box front – Freebie inside: One plastic ID bracelet with stick-on letters
Baron Von Redberry from General Mills (1972)
Berry flavored oat cereal + sweet berry starbits (also see Sir Grapefellow cereal below)
I’M BARON VON REDBERRY. TRY ME! Allo dar! Diz iz Baron Von Redberry to introduce my new berry flavored oat zereal with sweet Starbits.
It’s fortified with 8 vitamins and iron, too! Ummmm. Vunderbar! Baron Von Redberry is der berry goodest!
Free inside: Diving sub & frogman toys
Body Buddies cereal: Kids like it, You’ll love it
Because it tastes good. Sweetened corn puffs in two delicious flavors: brown sugar & honey and natural fruit flavor.
16 vitamins & minerals (more than any other cereal) and no artificial flavors. It’s an important part of a nutritious breakfast.
Buc-Wheats from General Mills
The original buckwheat/wheat flakes had a maple flavor, which was replaced with a honey flavor in 1982… and then Buc*Wheats simply disappeared from supermarket shelves, leaving many to suspect that the switch from maple to honey was the kiss of death for the brand.
(If you were a fan of the original, one blogger notes that Fiber Plus Caramel Pecan Crunch is a good modern-day substitute.)
Here’s an old print ad the stuff, along with a peppy TV commercial from the mid-seventies.
Buc-Wheats is nutritionally improved (1978)
Now, compared to this bacon and egg breakfast, Buc*Wheats gives you more vitamins, more iron, 80% of the protein, 50% less fat
Boo Berry: Vintage General Mills blueberry cereal
Sweet blueberry (artificial flavor) cereal + marshmallow bits. (See Boo Berry’s companion cereal, Franken Berry, below!)
Free inside: Glo-in-the-dark sticker
Cap’N Crunch Cereal & Crunch Berries from Quaker (c1970)
Cap’n Crunch offer from Marx Big Wheel (1974)
MORE: So long, tricycles, the Big Wheel’s here now: Kids loved these retro ride-on toys
Cap’N Crunch’s Peanut Butter Cereal (1970)
Cap’n Crunch Vanilly Crunch frosty-sweet cereal (1970s)
Free toy inside: One of these Gyro Fire Fighters (trucks)
Cheerios: Powerful good. (1978)
“And my mom knows it.”
Bobby is enjoying Cheerios powerful good, toasted-oat taste as part of his breakfast. And as he says, his mom knows about Cheerios powerful good, wholesome ingredients — like Oats — the grain highest in protein.
No gimmicks. Just basic goodness — for that powerful good feeling.
Cocoa Krispies chocolate cereal (1976)
Ready-sweetened chocolate-flavored rice, fortified with 10 essential vitamins and minerals
Free inside: Two ecology/energy desk signs (Protect our wildlife & Turn it off when you leave the room)
RECIPE TO TRY: Skippy’s cocoa peanut squares (1959)
Cocoa Pebbles chocolate cereal (1974)
MORE: The Flintstones help debut Fruity Pebbles & Cocoa Pebbles cereals (1970)
Toy inside: One plastic Flintstone Kranky Komics viewer (with a paper strip of 4 different Flintsonte Kranky Komics)
Cocoa Puffs chocolate cereal (1976)
Delicious, nutritious Cocoa Puffs in a brand new box.
Cocoa Puffs looks brand new. But don’t let the new package fool you. Inside, Cocoa Puffs is as delicious and nutritious as ever.
Chocolaty, munchy, crunchy Cocoa Puffs supplies 25% of the US Government’s recommended daily allowance for 6 vitamins — and iron.
Chex cereals (1978)
“I know I’m not going to like them.” People who don’t like Chex cereals have never tried Chex cereals.
For some unexplainable reason, people don’t like Chex’ cereals until they try them. Then they usually love our crispy little pillows made with corn or wheat or rice.
They’re smaller than you think with a light toasty taste that kinda defies description. Next time you want to get someone to eat a real breakfast… try to get them to try Chex.
Vintage cereals shown: Wheat Chex, Corn Chex, Rice Chex
Bran Chex Mix cereal from Ralston Purina (1978)
Chex and Cookie Crisp cereals (1978)
Rice, wheat & corn Chex cereal – Chocolate chip and vanilla Cookie Crisp cereal
Clackers graham cracker flavor cereal
Free toy: Clacker Quacker inside package
Corn Bran cereal from Quaker (1979)
Introducing the first bran cereal made with the bran of corn: New Quaker Corn Bran.
Until now, all bran cereals have been made from wheat. But a lot of people think wheat bran has a heavy taste and texture. That’s why there’s new Quaker Corn Bran.
Corn Bran gives you the benefit of wheat bran, but every spoonful is bursting with the light, golden flavor of corn. And best of all, Quaker Corn Bran stays light, crisp and delicious even when you pour on the milk.
Corny-Snaps cereal from Kellogg’s (1975)
Country Morning natural breakfast cereal (1973)
Kellogg’s introduces Country Morning breakfast cereal: It’s all natural, crunchy and countrified.
Wake up to a breakfast cereal as natural as its name. 100% natural ingredients, Kellogg’s Country Morning. Nothing artificial added.
It comes in two flavors. One with raisins and dates. One without. Both with tasty, crunchy nuggets of oats, brown sugar, bits of chopped almonds, and honey.
And nobody knows “good” like Kellogg’s. Get a taste that’s right out of the country — Kellogg’s Country Morning.
Get a taste of Country Morning once again.
Cracklin’ Bran cereal from Kellogg’s (1977)
Corn Flakes: The classic Kellogg’s cereal (1977)
The crunchy goodness of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes makes breakfast pretty hard to pass up. And that’s good.
Because, when you sit down to a bowl of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes with milk, fruit, toast and juice, you’re getting plenty of good nutrition. Great-tasting nutrition. The best to you each morning.
ALSO SEE: Kellogg’s Concentrate cereal was much-loved, but they still discontinued it
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes at the factory (1977)
Quality Control Belt Inspector Winnifred Olsen of Kelloggs Battle Creek, Michigan plant keeps a close eye on finished Com Flakes as they travel rapidly from oven to packaging line.
Count Chocula chocolate cereal from General Mills
Crazy Cow cereal in chocolate & strawberry flavors (1977)
Freebie inside: One of 3 Star Wars (trading) cards
Crispy Critters animal-shaped cereal from Post
Free toy inside: One mini Hot Foot Racer car
SEE MORE: Vintage Crispy Critters: Animal-shaped Post cereal debuted in the ’60s, and relaunched in the ’80s
ALSO SEE: Make yourself some Cheeriodle pizza snack mix! (1980)
Crunchy Loggs cereal from Kelloggs (1978)
Nutritious, new log-shaped cereal… with a crunch so loud it makes a beaver proud!
I’m Bixby Beaver… and I like logs ’cause I like crunch. So, I love new Crunchy Loggs from Kellogg’s. People love ’em, too. Crunchy Loggs have a special log shape They stay crisp in milk, right down to the bottom of the bowl.
Made from wholesome corn, wheat and oats, Crunchy Loggs are nutritious as well as delicious. A one-ounce serving is fortified with 10 essential vitamins and minerals for part of a complete breakfast.
Build your good breakfast around this crunchy new cereal with the crunchy new shape. You’ll agree, Crunchy Loggs taste tremendous.
Franken Berry: Strawberry flavored frosted cereal + marshmallow bits
(See Franken Berry’s companion cereal, Boo Berry, above!)
Free toy inside: Monster stamp printer
Freakies cereal: Guess who’s coming to breakfast! (1972)
We’d like to introduce you to the Freakies. They’re the funny-looking, lovable characters you’ll find on every box of Freakies, the new cereal from Ralston.
Freakies cereal tastes terrific. And 1 oz. gives your children 100% of their minimum daily vitamin and iron requirement.
The vitamins are the reason you’ll want your children to eat Freakies. But the Freaky characters are the reason they will. So, if you’d like to know who’s coming to breakfast, it’s only friends of the family.
REMEMBER THESE? 33 vintage TV dinners: Fried chicken, turkey, pot roast & other fab frozen food, retro-style
Vintage Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal (1978)
No breakfast is nutritious until somebody eats it.
When you’re Kellogg’s, it’s pretty easy to put good nutrition into a cereal. After all, we’ve been doing it for a long time.
What’s not so easy is getting good nutrition into a child. A one-ounce serving of Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes contains 25% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of 7 essential vitamins and 10% of the U.S. RDA of vitamin D and iron.
But that’s not why kids like them. It’s that sparkle of sugar frosting we add that does the hard work… getting the cereal out of the bowl and into the boy or girl.
Frosted Rice cereal from Kellogg’s (1975)
Frosted Rice Krinkles cereal from Post (1970s)
Free inside: Rip ‘n Zip Speed Machine (toy car)
Fruit Brute: Mixed berry flavored cereal (1974)
(Artificial) Fruit flavor cereal + marshmallow bits
Freebie inside the box: Glow-in-the-dark light switch sticker
Fruity Pebbles box front (c1979)
ALSO TRY: Easy Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispie treats
Golden Grahams cereal (1978)
Oh, those Golden Grahams! Introducing Golden Grahams. The honey graham cereal.
The familiar taste of graham and honey is now a cereal for the whole family: Golden Grahams.
Crispy, crunchy little squares made with the graham flour of natural, golden wheat and just a touch of pure golden honey.
It’s a great graham and honey taste that the whole family will enjoy.
ALSO SEE: Indoor S’mores recipe: No-bake chocolate dessert bars made with Golden Grahams cereal
Granola from Nature Valley (1974)
A new flavor of goodness. A new kind of cereal, for the whole family, that will make breakfast more interesting, more satisfying, more flavorful.
A 100% natural, ready-to-eat cereal; no additives, no preservatives, all real.
All the combined textures and tastes of old-fashioned rolled oats, crunchy sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon and sun-ripened raisins. All tumbled and toasted and brushed lightly with pure golden honey.
A new flavor, a fresh flavor; crisp and crunchy. That’s a promise from General Mills.
Granola cereal from Chas. A. Pillsbury (1973)
This might just be the world’s best-tasting natural cereal.
Make every breakfast as fresh as an October morning with Chas A Pillsbury brand granolas… the best 100 years of skill can make.
ALSO SEE: Kudos granola bars: What happened to these popular kids’ snacks from the ’80s & ’90s?
Grape Nuts & Raisin Bran: The cost of getting up is going down. (1973)
For a limited time, you can save on two delicious Post Breakfast Cereals. If you’ve never tried these two cereals, this is a great opportunity to do so.
Introduce yourself to the wholesome, natural ingredients of Grape-Nuts. And to the delicious combination of bran flakes and raisins in Post Raisin Bran.
ALSO SEE: Old-fashioned Grape Nuts stuffing recipes
Post Fortified Oat Flakes (1970s & 1980s)
Grins & Smiles & Giggles & Laughs Cereal from Ralston (1976)
Introducing the first cereal that smiles back at you.
New Grins & Smiles & Giggles & Laughs Cereal is the happiest thing to happen to a kid’s breakfast since sunshine.
It’s the cereal that smiles back at you because every delicious, crunchy morsel is in the shape of a smiling face.
But behind that smile, new Grins & Smiles & Giggles & Laughs Cereal has 25% of the recommended daily allowance of eight important vitamins and iron. So everybody has something to be happy about.
Heartland Natural Cereal: Taste the flavor of times long gone. (1973)
Your first taste of Heartland Natural Cereal will seem strangely familiar. As if you’ve tasted it sometime, someplace, long ago. As if, somehow, it’s part of your past. Because it is.
Pet Incorporated has reached back, beyond today’s complicated, artificial times, to bring back a taste rich in the natural goodness Americans enjoyed long ago.
Heartland has no artificial preservatives. Natural protein from natural grain. And three deliciously toasted natural flavors. Plain. Raisin. And Coconut.
No cooking. None at all. You just add milk. And you can’t help liking it. Because you have a natural taste for Heartland. From PET Incorporated
Honeycomb cereal from Post (1977)
Crisp, sweetened corn cereal – fortified with 8 essential vitamins
Vintage Kaboom cereal from General Mills
King Vitaman cereal: Get your vitamins in your breakfast (1974)
If you’re going to buy a children’s cereal, buy the most nourishing. King Vitaman Cereal from Quaker Oats.
This is the only children’s cereal that meets government standards for a vitamin and iron supplement.
Did you start your job right after Kathy was born?
“No. Not for a few years. There were certain standards and beliefs I wanted her to know for the first time from me. So many influences enter a child’s life as they get older, and I believe it’s important for a mother to be the major one when they’re just getting started.” – Mrs Jane Davenport and daughter Kathy
Kix cereal: Since 1937 (1976)
Some cereals come and go. But America keeps right on enjoying Kix — the wholesome, change of pace cereal.
ALSO TRY: Old-fashioned 7-layer bars recipes: 7 ways to make deliciously decadent magic cookie bars
Life cereal: He likes it – Hey Mikey! (1979)
Life is the delicious, high-protein cereal from Quaker. But the best part is, kids really love that oatsy, nutsy, crunchy taste.
Let your Mikey dig into a bowl of Life cereal. He’ll love it. As much as our Mikey does.
Quaker Life cereal with a rare and/or prototype logo design (1972)
Sir Grapefellow from General Mills (1972)
Grape flavored oat cereal + sweet grape starbits (also see Baron Von Redberry cereal above)
I’M SIR GRAPEFELLOW. TRY ME! Pip, pip and all that, Sir Grapefellow here to introduce my new grape flavored oat cereal with sweet Starbits.
It’s fortified with 8 vitamins and iron, too! Ummmm. Simply smashing! Sir Grapefellow is the grapest!
Special K Cereal, with Elke Sommer (1976)
Good for you, Elke Sommer.
She knows watching her nutrition counts as much as watching her weight. So she’s starting her day with the Special K Breakfast. That’s good for Elke, and good for you, too.
Because its a great-tasting way to get protein, vitamins and iron for less than 240 calories. You can’t do much better than that.
So eat smart at every meal, starting with a good breakfast. The Kellogg’s Special K Breakfast.
ALSO TRY: Special K cookies recipe (1961)
Sugar Frosted Mini-Wheats & Kellogg’s Cinnamon Frosted Mini-Wheats
Super Sugar Crisp (and other Vintage Post cereals for kids) from 1971
Cereals shown: Super Sugar Crisp, Frosted Rice Krinkles, Alpha-Bits, HoneyComb, Crispy Critters
Now Post Children’s Cereals have been fortified to help you give your child a more wholesome breakfast…
You know, in order to have a wholesome breakfast, most nutritional experts now recommend that 1/4 to 1/3 of your daily vitamin requirement should be provided at breakfast.
Children love Post Children’s Cereals. What better way to give them their vitamins than in something they love?
NOW SEE THESE: Remember these? 50+ of your favorite vintage breakfast cereals from the ’60s
Pink Panther Flakes cereal box
Pink frosted corn flakes – 8 essential vitamins added
Quaker Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice cereals (1979)
Quaker Hot & Creamy and Whole Wheat hot cereal packets (1976)
Quaker Instant Oatmeal packets (1976)
Varieties shown: Apples and Cinnamon, Maple & Brown Sugar, Raisins & Spice [you can get this flavor now via mail order], Bran & Raisins, Cinnamon & Spice, and Regular Flavor.
SEE MANY MORE: Vintage Quaker Instant Oatmeal: Remember all these different flavors?
Raisin Bran: And you’re still eating plain cereal? (1977)
C’mon now! You know fruit and cereal beats plain cereal any day.
That’s why Post puts so many plump, tender raisins in Post Raisin Bran…So you can enjoy fruit and cereal in every spoonful.
So which would you rather have? Plain cereal or Post Raisin Bran.
Post Raisin Bran. The fruit and cereal lover’s cereal.
Rice Krispies from Kellogg’s (1979)
DON’T MISS: The original Rice Krispies Treats recipe & their delicious history
Total cereal: Today is the first day of the rest of your life (1973)
Total had 10 vitamins plus iron in whole wheat flakes — and there was also Corn Total
Trix fruit-flavored frosted corn puffs cereal
Vintage Wheaties cereal box with Bruce Jenner – later Caitlyn Jenner (1976)
ALSO SEE: Long before Caitlyn Jenner, Bruce Jenner was an insurance salesman turned Olympic athlete (1976)
NOW SEE THIS: Awesome 80s cereal, including old brands & cool flavors you probably forgot!
List: Most popular breakfast cereals as of 1970
Via the Chicago Tribune (Illinois) July 24, 1970
Editor’s note: These are sorted alphabetically by brand, and don’t include every cereal.
General Mills Cheerios
General Mills Clackers
General Mills Cocoa Puffs
General Mills Corn Bursts
General Mills Frosty O’s
General Mills Kaboom
General Mills Kix
General Mills Lucky Charms
General Mills Sugar Jets
General Mills Total
General Mills Trix
General Mills Twinkles
General Mills Wheaties
Kellogg’s Bran Buds
Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies
Kellogg’s Froot Loops
Kellogg’s Shredded Wheat
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes
Kellogg’s 40 Per Cent Bran Flakes
Kellogg’s All Bran
Kellogg’s Apple Jacks
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Kellogg’s Puffa Puffa Rice
Kellogg’s Product 19
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran
Kellogg’s Special K
Kellogg’s Stars
Kellogg’s Sugar Pops
Kellogg’s Sugar Smacks
Nabisco 100 Per Cent Bran
Nabisco Rice Honeys
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
Nabisco Team Flakes
Nabisco Wheat Honeys
Post Alpha Bits
Post Bran and Prune Flakes
Post Bran Flakes
Post Crispy Critters
Post Fortified Oat Flakes
Post Grape Nuts
Post Grape Nuts Flakes
Post Honeycomb
Post Krinkles
Post Post Toasties
Post Raisin Bran
Post Super Sugar Crisp
Quaker Cap’n Crunch
Quaker Crunchberries
Quaker Life
Quaker Puffed Rice
Quaker Puffed Wheat
Quaker Quake
Quaker Quisp
Quaker Shredded Wheat
Ralston Purina Corn Chex
Ralston Purina Raisin Bran Chex
Ralston Purina Rice Chex
Ralston Purina Sugar Frosted Chex
Ralston Purina Wheat Chex
11 Responses
Great list!
I’ve been searching, in vain, for a hot cereal I remember, circa 1974, that I used to eat every single day. It was *so* good! It came in a box with 10(?) single-serve packets, much like today’s instant oatmeal; preparation was just pouring hot water over the contents of a packet in a bowl. I remember always eating two packets…it was so good!
It was very different from other hot cereals at the time; really, it would fit today’s market a lot better. I distinctly remember it containing coconut and raisins; it was kind-of-but-not-really granola-ish. I cannot remember its main grain, but I think it was oats. I don’t recall if it was from one of the ‘normal’ brands or a niche brand, just that I loved it, can’t believe I don’t remember its name, and have been searching in vain for a long time!
Can you solve the mystery? :)
I have been trying to find something on a Post Cereal from the 1970’s or 1980’s call Fruit N Fiber. there were two flavors, one with raisins and walnuts. One with peaches
Cap’n Crunch’s Cinnamon Crunch! Had a pirate on the box, Jean LaFoote. So good! Wish they would bring it back!
Count Chocula has made a comeback here in Florida so has Boo Berry, Franken berry and Monster Mash. My favorite is Count Chocula!!!
Thanks for showing the old cereals! I recall one that had some character like “Captain Moonbeam” or something like that. I was very young then, but I remember saving all the refrigerator magnets from the cereals. I just wish I could remember what the cereal was called. Maybe “Moon-something”. It wasn’t out for very long, but it tasted a lot like “Captain Crunch”. The thin slip-like magnets were around two inches long and 1/2 an inch wide, possibly wider. I recall collecting all of the characters from the cereal. But something about space, captain, something-something. I first thought it was the grins, smiles, giggles, and laughs cereal, but the characters are not that familiar. Does anyone remember what I am talking about?
They’ve changed Count chocula. It’s no where near as good as it was originally 😥😥
I barely remember a cereal from around 1970 that was sort of like Freakies, but it had sort of an “LSD science fiction” vibe to it. One of the aliens had a horn for a nose! Does this ring a bell?
There used to be cereal called concentrate. It was tiny octagonal pieces. I miss that cereal. I hoped it would make a comeback. But with its original recipe.
I’m trying to find any images or reference to Robin-O cereal…Robin Hood Oats version of instant oatmeal in single serve packages. I think it was a while box and a couple of coloured chevrons on the box. Back in 1975 ? They gave away free Disney Robin Hood (cartoon) toys.
A lot of these are not gone. Cheerios, seriously? I have Cheerios in my cabinet right now.
I don’t recall a lot of the cereals mentioned, but some I do remember quite well and I didn’t know they were gone. Like Alpha Bits. I think they said they are back. I didn’t know they were gone at one time. I thought I had tried all of the Captain Crunch cereals but, I never heard of the Vanilly Crunch. I would have liked to had tried them. Does anyone remember Quisp and Quake? I don’t think they were mentioned. There was a hot cereal that came when I was a child called Maypo. I think it had an artificial maple flavor that I didn’t like. I guess they hadn’t perfected the maple flavoring back then. I had to laugh when I saw the Crispy Critters cereal. It took me way back to times of name calling as children did back in my time. I still remember the cereal’s jingle. ” It’s the one and only cereal that comes in the shape of animals. “IT’S CRISPY CRITTERS!’ They were good too.