SPOTTED: Kellogg’s Hocus Pocus 2 Berry Brew Cereal
This shouldn’t be confused with the Lucky Charms knockoff Hokus Pokus. (Spotted by Marc G at Giant.)
REVIEW: Frankford Gummy Lunchables Cracker Stackers
Behold! Nostalgia in edible gelatin form!
I confess I tried every Lunchable as a kid. The crackers. The pizza. The tacos. And while I love lunch and I love gummies, do they go together? It is with a quiver in my soul and a trembling of my hands that I find out today!
I appreciate that all the gummies have separate compartments, but those crackers look claustrophobic smooshed in there. Let’s take them out!
Sugar, dextrin, and yellow number 40. That’s what this little girl is made of, and thank goodness because these Lunchable gummies have plenty of it! They smell like Froot Loops and taste like what happens when you eat every Starburst and Skittle flavor in one gulp. I’m sure each shape is supposed to have a distinct flavor, but they all smell and taste the same: tangy, sweet, slightly citrus-y, not bad, but not amazing.
The texture is a mix of Haribo gummies, Fruit by the Foot, and those squishy candy corn pumpkins that I pluck out of the bag every year. After eating all of them, I have enough energy to hurl a jumbo jet across Central Park.
Aside from the obvious benefit of getting to shovel your face with flavored sugar, you also get to stack your gummy crackers into whatever formation you like. Like a Lego tower. Only not made of plastic. And not ridiculously expensive. So better than a Lego tower! Stacked together in a sandwich, they are about the size of an eyeball and, according to research, there are a lot of good reasons to eat neon-colored gummies the size of an eyeball.
So if you want a Lunchable without the lunchbox, weirdly shaped turkey slices, or smelly school cafeteria, you can eat these and still feel a sense of triumph (or maybe that’s the sugar rush?). These may not have particularly distinct flavors, but the shape is unique, they’re fun to smoosh together, and they beat overcooked cafeteria green beans any day.
Purchased Price: $5.00
Size: 6.2 oz. pack
Purchased at: Five Below
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/6 of the tray or 30 grams) 100 calories, 0 calories from fat, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.
SPOTTED: 8/19/2022
Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.
(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)
(Spotted by Tommy at Alltown Fresh.)
(Spotted by Erin K at Target.)
(Spotted by Robbie at Costco.)
(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)
(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)
(Spotted by Rachel J at Safeway.)
SPOTTED: Limited Edition Halloween Fruity Pebbles
Purple and orange crisps that don’t change color. Well, at least, the box looks cool. (Spotted by Brad H at Meijer.)
REVIEW: Golden Foods Fruti Rolls Bubble Gum Cereal
What is it?
If you’ve ever wondered what gum-flavored cereal might taste like, Dollar Tree has got you covered with Golden Foods’ Fruti Rolls Bubble Gum Cereal.
Well, actually, it’s a Dollar and a Quarter Tree now “thanks to inflation.”
Hey, speaking of inflation – Bubble Gum! It’s back… in cereal form!
How are they?
Not to sound like a classist big shot, but I’ve never bought cereal from a dollar store. That’s not to say I went into this review with any preconceived notions or biases. I actually love the premise of bubble gum-flavored cereal and was pretty pumped to try it.
I’m not mad I did or anything, but this certainly isn’t a quality cereal. Well, for a millisecond it was. I thought I found a diamond in the rough.
Unfortunately, “diamond” went bye-bye almost instantly, and it basically just became “rough.”
It starts with a really pleasant bubble gum aroma and a very authentic generic bubble gum flavor that works well in cereal form.
That being said, it turns to pure cardboard before you can say “Golden Foods Fruti Rolls.”
Big League Chew can’t hold a candle to this flavor loss. Even Fruit Stripe Gum’s flavor lasts an eternity in comparison.
This cereal sets records for gum AND cereal flavor loss at the same time. Ripley’s can back me up.
Anything else you need to know?
The flavor doesn’t really hold much longer as a dry snack, and it didn’t transform the milk at all – no flavor, not even much color runoff from the rings that are basically pink and blue Apple Jacks. If you were so inclined, you could buy a box, split the colors, re-seal it and have the cheapest gender reveal party of all time.
With that said, maybe don’t eat this cereal if you’re in the process of creating human life because there’s a rather ominous warning on the box. Luckily for me, I don’t live in California, so I guess I’m just immune to the effects of acrylamide.
Conclusion:
I hate wasting food, but these are worth picking up even if you try ’em once and then toss the massive box. It’s a buck (and a quarter.)
One of the big dogs in the cereal world should take notes and release a bubble gum-flavored cereal with at least four seconds of flavor. I’d be down.
Purchased Price: $1.25
Size: 17 oz
Purchased at: Dollar Tree
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 160 calories, 1 gram of fat, 150 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of total carbohydrates, 12 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of protein.