When I saw that Birthday Cake Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float were on their way this summer, it didn’t occur to me that they were just another cog in the machine that is the celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
I guess the fireworks on the box should’ve been a clue, but neither cereal has any of the official or nonofficial “250” branding that we’ve seen on so many other drinks and snacks this year. Fireworks can just be fireworks, right? We do this every July.
“For 160 years, General Mills has been a cornerstone of American pantries, with our brands in over 90% of households across the country,” General Mills said in the company’s announcement of these two cereals along with a few more special-edition items. “As America celebrates its 250th birthday, we’re incredibly proud to help families add joy to the table, celebrating the moments, big and small, that matter most.”
Birthday Cake Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float are just two of the “79 limited-edition products inspired by America’s 250th birthday” being released by General Mills this summer. SEVENTY-NINE! (Snackologywill not be reviewing Blue Buffalo Red, White & BLUE Bars, Bits or Nudges Steak Grillers, though. Unless you all pay me enough to start Pupology.)
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In a world of gimmicks, Birthday Cake Cheerios are as trustworthy of a limited-edition Cheerios as you can get. The latest in a lineage started by Frosted Cheerios, you can expect “vanilla cake–flavored Cheerios with sprinkles” from this version of the classic breakfast cereal.
If I still had a box of Confetti Cheerios, I could dive into whether there actually is a difference between them and Birthday Cake Cheerios. The former was described as “vanilla flavored sweetened whole grain oats mixed with yummy rainbow sprinkles” ... and maybe that’s legally different from “vanilla cake–flavored Cheerios with sprinkles,” but I think they’re pretty close.
Birthday Cake Cheerios up close. / Snackology
Not that that’s a bad thing! Any variation on Frosted Cheerios that also adds sprinkles to the mix is a winner in my book. I wish General Mills would just go all the way and release a version of Cheerios that tastes exactly like the cereal bits in Lucky Charms Rainbow Sprinkles, though.
A box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float. / Snackology
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float is the fourth flavor of the cereal that I’ve reviewed for Snackology. (Fifth if we count Kelce Mix.) Like every previous version of the beloved cereal that I’ve tried for this newsletter, I went into my taste test with an open mind. Sure, Root Beer Float didn’t seem like it belonged in a cereal bowl like Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Mexican Style Hot Chocolate did, but I trust General Mills to make good decisions.
Whoops.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float is a mistake.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float up close. / Snackology
Getting a whiff of this cereal when I first opened the bag was a bizarre experience. My brain couldn’t process that it was smelling both the cinnamon-y goodness of Cinnamon Toast Crunch at the same time it was picking up the artificial notes of a root beer barrel hard candy.
Those flavors should not be mixed.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Root Beer Float wasn’t bad when I was eating it out of the box. Sure, the flavors were in constant battle with each other, but I could get through it. Pouring a bowl of the cereal and adding milk was a bad choice. This isn’t like a “oh, but ice cream and root beer go together” situation. Milk itself should not be added to root beer-flavored cereal.
When General Mills notes that “every square is blasted with CINNADUST and root beer float flavor for an irresistible crunch,” that’s a threat.
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
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