Last Updated on October 28, 2022 by Jim Edwards
Franken Berry cereal is a product of General Mills Corporation, which started operations in 1971. It was the same year when Franken Berry cereal was introduced to the nation alongside Count Chocula. Franken Berry is a strawberry-flavored cereal with colorful marshmallows in it. The formula for the cereal has changed many times over the past five decades.
Franken Berry cereal is a Halloween cereal that only gets manufactured for a few months during the fall season. It is one of the most popular Halloween treats, enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Let’s take a closer look at the history and nutritional facts of Franken Berry cereal and see why everyone loves it so much!
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History of Franken Berry Cereal
As soon as General Mills Corporation was established in 1971, it released two cereal products: Count Chocula and Franken Berry cereal. These two kinds of cereal were inspired by popular cartoon monsters, making it a unique concept at the time for cereal.
Franken Berry was introduced as a strawberry-flavored cereal with marshmallows in it. It was unusual to have colorful cereal at the time. We all associate cereal with pretty or bright colors these days, but before, it was not a common thing. That’s why the concept and color intrigued many children and their parents.
The cereal was a commercial hit alongside Count Chocula, and people loved the cereal as well as the taste. The commercials advertised on television were also an important part of the success. The concept of the first commercial was a friendly conversation between Count Chocula and Franken Berry’s animated characters. They were discussing which cereal was better, and someone popped up and scared them.
The commercials and unique cartoons on the cereal boxes were a hit in the early ‘70s. Yet, for some reason, the manufacturing company experimented with the ingredients of Franken Berry cereal in 1972 and added a pigmentation that was indigestible.
Children were mostly the ones eating this cereal every day, so the symptom of this formula was witnessed in their digested content. The pink cereal changed children’s feces color, worrying parents about the product itself.
General Mills then revamped the formula to remove the pigmentation, and all was well after that. The popularity of Franken Berry cereal has inspired many variations, including Franken Berry Fruit Roll-Ups by Betty Crocker.
Originally, the cereal was in the shape of a cross but was later modified to look like Frank’s head. A similar thing happened to other monster cereals as well, and it promoted sales. When the ’80s arrived, Franken Berry was ready for another change, this time with bigger pieces and marshmallow bats added to the cereal box. This continued to be manufactured in the ’80s and ’90s.
From 1971 until 2010, Monster cereals were manufactured and sold 365 days per year, but General Mills decided to make them exclusive Halloween cereal brands. Therefore, we can only find Franken Berry cereal and other monster cereals during the Halloween season.
Franken Berry Cereal Ingredients
Following are the ingredients that make up the delicious strawberry-flavored cereal we love:
- Sugar
- Cornmeal
- Whole grain corn
- Salt
- Corn syrup
- Trisodium phosphate
- Canola oil
- Natural and artificial flavor
- Red 40
- Marshmallows (sugar, dextrose, modified corn starch, corn syrup, gelatin, malic acid, natural & artificial flavor, citric acid, red 40, blue 1&2)
The original dye that was used in the initial years of Franken Berry cereal is not added anymore. It used to turn stool pink, so now it’s replaced with Red 40. In fact, any red dye used for monster cereals was replaced with Red 40 to stay safe regardless of the insignificant effect of the dye.
Franken Berry Nutritional Information
For 1 cup or 34g of Franken Berry cereal, here are the nutritional facts:
| Amount | Cereal Only | Cereal + Milk (125ml) |
| Calories | 130 | 190 |
| Fat (1.5g) | 2% | 6% |
| Cholesterol (0mg) | — | — |
| Carbohydrates (29g) | 10% | 12% |
| Fiber (1g) | 5% | 5% |
| Sugars (9g) | — | — |
| Sodium (150mg) | 6% | 9% |
| Protein (2g) | — | — |
| Vitamin A | 0% | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 0% | 0% |
| Calcium | 15% | 30% |
| Iron | 30% | 30% |
| Vitamin D | 0% | 30% |
| Niacin | 8% | 15% |
| Vitamin B6 | 10% | 15% |
| Folate | 10% | 10% |
| Pantothenate | 8% | 15% |
| Phosphorus | 8% | 20% |
| Magnesium | 0% | 6% |
| Zinc | 0% | 6% |
Cereal Brands That Shape Our Breakfast Culture!
Franken Berry Cereal Box
The Franken Berry cereal box has gone through major design changes in the past 50 years. The cereal box was always meant to portray a pink monster holding a spoon full of pink-colored cereal and the trademark logo of ‘Franken Berry.’
The cartoon character was simple enough for many decades until DC comics entered the picture and reshaped the animations to fit the modern style. Franken Berry cereal box, along with the other monster cereal boxes, got some design changes that modernized the cereal characters.
Dave Johnson, a DC and Marvel artist, redesigned Franken Berry’s cereal box in 2014. It was a limited-time edition of the design that featured Frank’s nails shaped like strawberries.
Learn about Limited Edition Monster Mash Cereal
Which Monster Cereal Tastes the Best? | Count Chocula, Boo-Berry & Franken Berry Taste Test
In this video, we will taste test Halloween’s favorite cereals: General Mills’ Count Chocula, Boo-Berry, and Franken Berry. Let’s figure out which one tastes the best!
Summary
Did you enjoy this information about Franken Berry cereal? Does it make you want to eat a bowl full of this pink cereal right now? We feel the same way!
Franken Berry cereal may have its ups and downs, but the flavorful mixture of strawberry-flavored cereal pieces and marshmallows is yet to disappoint cereal lovers. From experimentation with the indigestible pigment to hiring a DC artist for character transformation, General Mills has always believed in the Franken Berry and other monster cereals.
Franken Berry is a fun way to start a day with the sweetness of marshmallows and cereal pieces. The cereal is low in fat with no cholesterol, so it’s a good breakfast item for kids and adults. Not only that, the presence of calcium, whole grains, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and other minerals provide the nutrients you need every day.
Franken Berry Cereal – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When Did Franken Berry Cereal Come Out?
Franken Berry cereal came out in 1971 with Count Chocula cereal. Both are General Mills cereal brands that are still popular with the crowd. Franken Berry cereal was one of the first to use a popular cartoon character on the cereal box. The character featured on the box also goes by the name Frank or Frankey.
Is Franken Berry Cereal Gluten-Free?
Franken Berry cereal is not gluten-free. Neither are the other two popular monster cereal: Count Chocula and Boo Berry. Franken Berry is made with whole-grain corn. Although there is no explicit wheat content in the cereal, other ingredients may have it. Besides, the production of gluten-containing products in the same factory can also add some gluten to the cereal.
Who Makes Franken Berry Cereal?
General Mills has been the producer of Franken Berry cereal since 1971. It’s a corporation with a business area dedicated to the production of consumer goods like cereals. Monster cereals are not the only products General Mills has produced. Other products include Lucky Charms, Betty Crocker, and Cocoa Puffs.
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Links
“Monster Cereals” by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“Franken Berry and Boo Berry cereal” by Scorpions and Centaurs is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Franken Berry 2011 Cereal Box 7828” by Brechtbug is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
I’m Jim Edwards and I started this website to share my love of Junk Food. We cover new junk food, desserts, snack foods, fast food secret menus, candy (of course!) and other related news. We love trying “secret menus” at restaurants. And we love trying new products too. So, we are trying to have some fun with our hobby and share some useful information with you, our community. Please feel to send us your suggestions and feedback through the contact form. And if you have products you would like us to try, let us know…!
