Pebbles cereal exists at an interesting intersection of pop culture and snacking. The Flintstones doesn’t exist on TV anymore. It’s been over three decades since John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins and Rosie O’Donnell brought the characters to life in the live-action movie.
But if you go down any cereal aisle in the country, I would bet all the clams from my most recent Slate Rock and Gravel Company paycheck that you’d find at least two varieties of Pebbles on the shelves.
While we wait for Ryan Gosling to get his Flintstones movie off the bedrock, these characters exist as cereal mascots. Barney and Fred anchor the standard Pebbles flavors, while we get Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles on seasonal flavors like Naughty List Cocoa Pebbles with Marshmallows and Nice List Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows.
Wanna take a cereal to the next level? Add marshmallows. Frosted Flakes has done it. Froot Loops has done it. I’m waiting for Raisin Bran Crunch to do it. Would this trick work for Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles?
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Naughty List Cocoa Pebbles with Marshmallows and Nice List Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows. / Snackology
What they cost
Both holiday-themed versions of Pebbles cereal start hitting stores today, retailing at $4.99 for the 9.5 oz. box and $6.99 for the 17 oz. box.
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Naughty List Cocoa Pebbles with Marshmallows. / Snackology
Naughty List Cocoa Pebbles with Marshmallows
Are Cocoa Pebbles the bad boy of chocolate cereals? Cocoa Puffs are the classic. They’re substantial and leave just the right amount of chocolatey milk when you’re done eating the cereal. Cocoa Krispies are just Rice Krispies that have doused themselves in chocolate. If you wait a second to eat them after adding milk, all of the chocolate will be stripped from those soggy bits.
Cocoa Pebbles somehow deliver a rich and crunchy bite, managing to hold onto their chocolateness while also turning your bowl of milk into chocolate sludge. I’m not sure how Cocoa Pebbles manage to do both, but they pull it off.
Naughty List Cocoa Pebbles with Marshmallows. / Snackology
The addition of marshmallows to Cocoa Pebbles is a genius move. We’re going to be getting a marshmallow version of Cocoa Loops soon, and I fully approve the marriage of chocolate and marshmallows at breakfast time.
snack score
Naughty List Cocoa Pebbles with Marshmallows Snack score: 4 out of 5
Nice List Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows. / Snackology
Nice List Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows
I buy at least one box of Fruity Pebbles every year. Fruity Pebbles Treats have long been part of my lineup of holiday treats when it comes time to do some baking before Christmas. (Don’t bake your Fruity Pebbles Treats. I don’t think that’ll turn out well.) Especially now that our daughter is around, I usually wind up buying a second box of Fruity Pebbles to make another batch.
It’s always fun to find a festive version of Fruity Pebbles for this treat. Sure, the standard rainbow version always looks good, but if you’re making Fruity Pebbles Treats for Christmas, you really can’t go wrong with red and green cereal bits.
Nice List Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows. / Snackology
I’m intrigued by the addition of marshmallows to Fruity Pebbles. As a breakfast cereal, they’re a home run. No-brainer great idea. But how would they hold up when turned into Fruity Pebbles Treats? Will the marshmallows instantly melt? Will the ratio of cereal to marshmallow be off? I once tried to make Rice Krispies Treats with Peeps Bunnies, and let’s just say that I won’t be repeating that Cronenberg nightmare again.
We also probably shouldn’t think too hard about the logistics that led to the Flintstones — a modern Stone Age family — celebrating Christmas ...
snack score
Nice List Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows Snack score: 4 out of 5
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.
