Sweet cereal with a sweet prize! When I was a kid, if I wasn’t eating cereal in front of the TV, I was eating at the kitchen counter, staring at the back of the box in complete silence save for my slurping and the ticking of a loud electric kitchen clock. I read everything on that box, from the promotional material aimed at my age group to the stuff I didn’t understand, like barcodes and those trademark “TM” letters. And, like most, I couldn’t wait for the prize to reveal itself. I tore into the box, my hand like a hungry shark diving to the bottom for its prey, before my younger sibling could claim the treasure.

Can you remember your favorite cereal toys? I remember loving the terrariums and the glow-in-the-dark monster head pencil sharpeners!