Remember those magical mornings when you’d bound downstairs in your pajamas, eagerly awaiting that perfect bowl of sugary cereal? Post Cereals created some of the most beloved breakfast treats that defined our childhoods.
From colorful shapes that turned milk into rainbow pools to sweet crunchy bites that kept us energized through Saturday morning cartoons, these cereals weren’t just breakfast – they were an experience. Let’s take a delicious trip down memory lane with these 16 Post cereals that made mornings worth waking up for.
1. Post Crispy Critters
Animal-shaped madness in a cereal box! These adorable little creatures made breakfast wild in the 1960s before making a comeback in the ’80s. The commercial jingle “Crispy Critters, it’s the one and only cereal that comes in the shape of animals” still echoes in many Gen-Xers’ minds.
Each spoonful delivered a zoo of elephants, lions, and giraffes – all made from sweetened corn and oat cereal. The crunch was satisfying, the sweetness just right.
2. Post Alpha-Bits
Spelling lessons disguised as breakfast! These letter-shaped oat cereal pieces transformed ordinary milk into an educational playground. Parents loved the learning aspect, but kids just wanted to spell out silly words or our names before devouring them.
Originally launched in 1958, Alpha-Bits became a breakfast table staple for decades. The sweetened alphabet pieces had a unique texture – crunchy outside with a slightly softer inside that held up remarkably well in milk.
3. Post Sugar Crisp
“Can’t get enough of that Sugar Crisp!” The iconic jingle and Sugar Bear mascot made this honey-flavored puffed wheat cereal absolutely irresistible. Originally called Sugar Crisp when it debuted in 1949, it later became Golden Crisp – though the sugar content remained gloriously high.
The golden wheat puffs were coated in a sweet glaze that created the perfect balance of crunch and sweetness. Kids would often save the sugary milk at the bottom of the bowl for one final, glorious gulp.
4. Post Toasties
Grandpa’s favorite became our faithful standby! Post Toasties were among America’s first ready-to-eat cereals, dating back to 1904 when they were known as “Elijah’s Manna.” These simple corn flakes offered no frills – just honest, crunchy, corn goodness that generations grew up with.
For many kids raised in the ’60s and ’70s, Post Toasties represented breakfast normalcy before the era of neon-colored sugar bombs. They were the reliable backdrop against which all other cereals were measured – the original classic!
5. Post Strawberry Blasted Honeycomb
Honeycomb went berry bonkers with this pink-hued variant that turned our milk into strawberry heaven! The familiar hexagonal shapes we loved from original Honeycomb got a fruity makeover that had kids begging parents in grocery store aisles.
Each airy, crunchy piece delivered an explosion of artificial strawberry flavor that somehow tasted exactly like childhood should. The cereal maintained the signature Honeycomb texture – light and crispy with those distinctive holes that trapped just the right amount of milk.
6. Post Waffle Crisp
Breakfast inception! Tiny maple-flavored waffle-shaped cereal pieces that tasted remarkably like actual waffles – complete with syrup flavor baked right in. Launched in 1996, Waffle Crisp became an instant hit with kids who couldn’t believe their luck getting to eat “waffles” in cereal form.
The commercials featured grannies secretly making the tiny waffles in their basement factories. Each miniature waffle had incredible detail, right down to the grid pattern and slightly darker edges that mimicked a perfectly cooked breakfast.
7. Post Super Orange Crisp
Sunshine in a cereal bowl! This vibrant orange-flavored cereal from the 1970s brought citrus zing to breakfast tables nationwide. The crunchy corn puffs were coated with a tangy orange glaze that made your taste buds do a double-take – was it dessert or breakfast?
Kids went crazy for the way it transformed regular milk into orange-flavored goodness. Parents weren’t sure what to make of a breakfast cereal that tasted like their morning juice, but resistance was futile against our persistent pleading.
8. Post Cinnamon Pebbles
Fred Flintstone went spicy with this cinnamon-charged twist on the classic Pebbles lineup! Introduced as a flavor variation of the popular Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, these cinnamon-blasted rice crisps delivered warm, spicy goodness in every bite.
The small, flat pieces absorbed milk quickly but somehow maintained their crunch just long enough. The balance of sweetness and cinnamon spice was perfect – not too fiery for kids but flavorful enough to feel special. The milk left behind was essentially liquid cinnamon toast!
9. Post Dino Pebbles
Prehistoric party in your mouth! These colorful marshmallow-packed Pebbles were the ultimate Saturday morning cartoon companion. Featuring the familiar rice crisp base of regular Pebbles cereals but studded with dinosaur-shaped marshmallows in vibrant colors – what kid could resist?
Each spoonful delivered a mix of textures: the quick-dissolving rice pieces and the slightly chewy marshmallows that lingered. The marshmallows maintained their shape surprisingly well, allowing dinosaur enthusiasts to identify different species before devouring them.
10. Post Honey Bunches of Oats With Real Peaches
Summer sunshine captured in cereal form! This peachy variation on the popular Honey Bunches of Oats combined the classic flakes and oat clusters with freeze-dried peach pieces that reconstituted magically in milk. Every spoonful delivered the perfect combination of crunch and fruity sweetness.
The peach pieces weren’t stingy little specks – they were substantial chunks that actually tasted like the real fruit. When milk hit the bowl, the peaches gradually softened while releasing their flavor throughout.
11. Post Corn Crackos
Snap! Crackle! No, wait – that’s the other guys! Corn Crackos brought explosive crunch to breakfast tables in the 1960s with corn puffs that literally crackled in milk. The gimmick wasn’t just marketing – these airy corn puffs contained tiny air pockets that created actual popping sounds when milk hit them!
Kids would huddle over their bowls, ears practically touching the cereal, listening for the Rice Krispies-challenging symphony. The taste was simple but satisfying – lightly sweetened corn with a texture somewhere between puffed corn and popcorn.
12. Post Oreo O’s
Cookie conspiracy in a cereal bowl! Post and Kraft joined forces in 1998 to create this chocolate cereal that legitimately tasted like Oreo cookies – complete with cream-flavored bits mixed throughout the chocolate O’s. Generations raised on “cookies aren’t breakfast” suddenly found their world turned upside down.
Each chocolatey ring delivered authentic Oreo cookie flavor, while the cream bits added bursts of sweetness. The milk transformed into chocolate milk as you ate – basically dessert with calcium!
13. Post Blueberry Morning
Sophisticated cereal alert! While other kids munched on cartoon-mascot sugar bombs, some households woke up to the comparatively grown-up Blueberry Morning. This adult-oriented cereal combined multi-grain flakes, oat clusters, and generous freeze-dried blueberries for a breakfast that felt almost virtuous.
The blueberries were the star – plump, flavorful, and abundant enough that you didn’t have to hunt for them. When milk was added, they gradually softened while maintaining their shape and releasing their natural sweetness throughout the bowl.
14. C.W. Post
Named after the company’s founder himself, C.W. Post cereal was a granola-style cereal that appeared on breakfast tables in the 1970s. This hearty mix of toasted grains, nuts, and honey represented a more natural approach to breakfast during the decade’s health food awakening.
Packaged in distinctive tan boxes with rustic imagery, C.W. Post cereal positioned itself as a serious adult option. Though no longer produced, it paved the way for the granola and natural cereal movement that exploded in later decades!
15. Post Corn-Fetti
Party in a cereal bowl! Corn-Fetti brought carnival fun to breakfast with multicolored corn puffs that looked like tiny pieces of confetti. This short-lived 1990s creation promised to turn ordinary mornings into celebrations with its rainbow appearance and sweet corn flavor.
The cereal pieces came in vibrant blues, pinks, yellows and greens – colors not typically associated with breakfast food. Despite the wild appearance, the taste was relatively straightforward – lightly sweetened corn puffs with a satisfying crunch that held up decently in milk.
16. Post Croonchy Stars
Bork bork bork! The Swedish Chef from The Muppets finally got his own cereal in 1988, and it was exactly as wonderfully weird as you’d expect. These star-shaped, cinnamon-flavored corn cereal pieces came in a box featuring the beloved chaotic Muppet character wielding kitchen tools.
Despite the Muppet connection, Croonchy Stars disappeared from shelves after just a couple of years. Jim Henson fans still reminisce about this rare example of a celebrity-endorsed cereal that actually tasted good! The boxes have become collector’s items, with intact versions selling for surprising amounts to nostalgic Muppet enthusiasts.