12 Discontinued '80s Cereals We're Probably Never Getting Back

Ah, the '80s. The decade that most Generation X kids grew up in. Blockbuster movies packed the theaters. Hit television shows had viewers glued to the small screen at home. Video games invaded the arcades in town. And, because this new generation often had both parents working each day, kids were frequently on their own in the mornings. On their own to get dressed for school. To catch the bus. Even to make breakfast. They were the first "Latchkey Kids," and many of them love their cold cereal to this day.

These conditions created a perfect scenario for large breakfast companies such as Kellogg's, Post, and General Mills. They were quick to combine the trendy themes and stars of these movie, TV, and video games with cold cereal's increasing rise in popularity — manufacturing new and exciting brands of cereal that kids gleefully devoured.

Eventually, with the '90s focusing on healthier eating options and a food-on-the-go culture, many of the cold cereal brands introduced in the '80s have slipped into obscurity. Here are 12 that were much-loved at the time but we're unlikely to ever get back.

Released in 1984, Kellogg's C-3PO's cereal hit the shelves a full seven years after the blockbuster movie "Star Wars" hit the big screen. The talkative, gold-clad character became a much-beloved part of the cast that kids could relate to, tagging along with characters Luke Skywalker and Han Solo on their intergalactic adventures. Proclaimed on the front of the box to be a crunchy honey-sweetened oat, wheat, and corn cereal, it consisted of golden double-O shaped pieces meant to be a bit of a nod to futuristic Cheerios fused together. Many of the cereal's boxes had cut-out masks of Star Wars characters on the back.

Television commercials featured Anthony Daniels, the actor who played C-3PO, and his droid buddy R2D2 as they raced around space getting into trouble — all the while taking boxes of their C-3PO's cereal with them of course.

Although C-3PO's have long since left this galaxy's grocery store shelves, they did serve as the first foray into the world of "Star Wars"-themed cereals, predating General Mills' 2015 release of their own tie-in with the franchise's seventh movie, "The Force Awakens" by almost two decades.

The cult-like interest in the crimefighting character Batman encompasses no less than 13 Batman-centric movies and one classic television show. But in the late '80s, the first — and many say best — Batman movie was released starring Michael Keaton, and with it this little-known cereal accompaniment. The front of the box had a "bat-signal" insignia, and some packaging included a plastic coin piggybank of Batman dressed in his Batsuit and attached with shrink-wrap to the front of the box. Inside some additional packages was a mail-order form for the series' comic book "The Untold Legend of the Batman," while others included a coupon for a hologram Batman t-shirt or a Frisbee.

Not surprisingly, the cereal pieces themselves were shaped like little bats, and they embraced the emerging honey-nut flavor palate that was becoming so popular. A television commercial for the cereal called it "a smashing taste ..." and many kids considered it similar to the popular cereal Cap'n Crunch overall.

General Mills – the company that bought the original creator of Batman cereal, Ralston – promoted the movie "Batman vs. Superman" with two cereal flavors in 2016, though neither cereal tasted like the original Batman style released in '89. Batman cereal lasted a little longer than the movie in theaters but was still discontinued soon after its introduction.

Few video games in the '80s were as popular as Donkey Kong. Millions of fans worked obsessively to navigate Mario past Donkey Kong's flying barrels to rescue damsel in distress Pauline to win the game. So it's little surprise that food giant Ralston Purina leaned into the game's popularity and released Donkey Kong cereal in the fall of 1982. All three of the main characters were depicted on the front of the box, reinforcing the marketing for what was at the time the number one video game in America.

This crunchy-sweet cereal was promoted by Ralston with phrases such as "crunchy barrels of fun for breakfast" and "the sweet, crunchy, corn taste will drive you ape." The cereal itself was actually shaped like the barrels that Donkey Kong tossed after Mario in his attempt to derail the hero's mission to save Pauline. Inside each box was the Donkey Kong Instant Winner Game, giving excited kids a chance to win one of six levels of prizes.

The initial popularity of the cereal birthed a fruit-flavored follow up, Donkey Kong Junior, but both soon ran their course in popularity and were discontinued by 1985.

Hot on the heels of the successful launch of Donkey Kong cereal, Ralston competitor General Mills entered the market with a video-game cereal tribute of its own: Pac-Man. First seen on grocery store shelves in early 1983, this super-sweet breakfast treat featured corn puffs much like the traditional Kix brand. Colored marshmallows shaped like game hero Pac-Man and the four ghosts that he chases – Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde — were also a part of the mix. Soon after release, larger Pac-Man marshmallows meant to represent Super Pac-Man, along with rainbow-colored Ms. Pac-Man marshmallows, were added to the recipe.

Like most cereals of the day, Pac-Man was marketed heavily on Saturday morning television. Almost a dozen known commercials exist, including some that showed ghost children encouraging kids to "Do the Pac-Man" – a silly dance that included chomping one's teeth like the main character in the game.

Despite its popularity and success, Pac-Man cereal was discontinued around 1987. Rumors in the industry persist that this was due to a change of ownership of the Pac-Man franchise from Bally to Namco and the subsequent loss of name licensing rights, though there seems to be no actual proof of this

If the '80s had an iconic "tough dude" for kids to emulate, it was the over-the-top good-guy Mr. T. Actor Laurence Tureaud, who legally changed his name to Mr. T in 1970, made his debut as the feisty Clubber Lang in the hit movie "Rocky III," then made the leap to the television world as the iconic character B. A. Baracus in NBC's hit action series "The A-Team." Known for his striking Mohawk haircut and ostentatious gold chains, he had kids everywhere shouting his catchphrase "I pity the fool!"

The individual pieces of Quaker's crispy sweet corn and oats cereal were shaped like the letter T in honor of this childhood hero and tasted similar to Cap'n Crunch. To reinforce his involvement with the brand, Mr. T himself was often the cereal's spokesperson in the television commercials, either live or in animated form. He encouraged his fans to join him in enjoying a delicious bowl of Mr. T because "I pity the fool who don't eat my cereal!" Even iconic '80's personality Pee Wee Herman joined in on the fun in his movie "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" by pouring Mr. T cereal over his pancakes and eggs and shouting "I pity the fool!"

Into the early '90s, Mr. T's popularity in movies and television had started to wane. Despite his active support of the product, Quaker discontinued it in 1993.

If Mr. T owned the television airwaves in the '80s, then "E.T." owned the movie theaters. While the movie was released in the summer of 1982 and was an immediate global hit, E.T. the cereal was not introduced until a couple of years later. Despite the slight gap in time, the cereal was faithful to the movie, its plot, and its main character, whose actual name in the movie was Zrek but was simply referred to as E.T. — short for "extra-terrestrial." The crispy crunchy cereal was shaped like little Es and Ts to remind kids of their newfound friend.

The choice was obvious when it came to deciding on the product's dual flavors of peanut butter and chocolate. The movie features an iconic scene where Elliott, the show's young hero, leaves a trail of the candy Reese's Pieces — small bite-sized peanut butter and chocolate candies — so that E.T. can find the way back to his house. And while sales of the candy itself had been languishing in the market for four years, representation in the movie and subsequent release of the branded cereal launched Reese's Pieces to household name status.

The brand's television commercials pitched the cereal as, "A glowing part of a good breakfast," a reference to the E.T.'s glowing finger, as seen in the movie and on the box cover. Alas, despite its immediate popularity, the lifespan of E.T. cereal was less than three years.

Like Reese's Pieces, Nerds candy lent its concept to the cereal world. In 1985, Nerds cereal was released to take advantage of the Willy Wonka Candy Company's inspired new candy creation. The concept was simple — small dollops of fruit-flavored sugar divided into two separate flavors in each package. Nerds cereal embraced this approach, releasing boxes that contained either orange and cherry or grape and strawberry flavors and calling them what the Ralston company referred to as a "tiny tangy crunchy sweetened cereal." Like the candy, the cereal boxes had a divider in the middle to separate the two types of flavors.

Nerds boxes also included a mail-in offer for a Nerds cereal bowl which, like the candies and cereal themselves, could be divided in two as was traditional. The marketing for the cereal posed the question, "Which side are you going to eat first?" and each box contained a mini box of each flavor of Nerd candies.

Unlike most of the fad cereals that had a decent run of popularity in the '80s, Nerds came and went from store shelves in less than two years, leaving the disappointed kids of the day to return to just one cereal in their morning breakfast bowl.

Rainbow Brite took the world by storm in 1984. Its initial arsenal of creations included dolls, lunch boxes, and a television series, all with bright happy children spreading color throughout the universe. The next year saw full-length movies and the release of Rainbow Brite cereal to support what had quickly become a massive franchise.

Yet another fad product produced by the Ralston company, Rainbow Brite cereal paid homage to the joyful nature of the Rainbow Brite kids by shaping their new cereal into rainbow-colored "fruit-flavored colorful bites." This marketing approach was perfect for its pre-teen audience, reaching young children with the positive message of making the world a more colorful place to live in. The story of Rainbow Brite and her friends was also written out on the back of the boxes, further encouraging kids to spread the joy simply by eating more Rainbow Brite cereal. By now, manufacturers had discovered that, in this age before iPhones and smart devices, kids spent a lot of time looking at the back of a cereal box. There were also multiple tie-in giveaways offered with purchase, including a free Rainbow Brite kite, kid-fashioned '80s jewelry, and stickers.

Rainbow Brite dolls are still sold 40 years after their initial introduction, and there is a CGI movie scheduled to be released this year. However, despite the brand's continued popularity, the cereal itself was discontinued in 1990.

As much as the '80s movie "E.T." was about heart and friendship, the equally huge hit "Gremlins" was about mischief and chaos. Released in the summer of 1984, "Gremlins" took the notion of pandemonium to a new level, when main character Gizmo and his cohorts participated in the destruction of a small town. Kids and adults alike leaned into the anarchy of it all, just like the cereal industry knew it would, timing the launch of Gremlins cereal brand in conjunction with the movie's release.

The cereal box cover featured Gizmo in his "cute" phase — a fluffy and lovable furball that ultimately transformed into his unruly alter-ego. This Cap'n Crunch-tasting cereal (are you sensing a theme with these '80s cereals yet?) produced by Ralston, was made up of tiny monsters and aimed at kids and adults who were fascinated by the movie. To help support the movie, a plush Gizmo doll was made available for purchase — only $9.95 with the inclusion of two cereal box tops. There was a free sticker in each box as well, representing key characters in the movie such as Stripe and Mohawk.

Unlike many media-tied cereals, Gremlins was planned from the start to only be available during the movie's time on the big screen, so it was discontinued as soon as the craze faded, and the movie left theaters early the next year.

While the vast majority of '80s cereals positioned their concept and marketing toward kids and teens, Dunkin' took a slightly different approach. The Dunkin' Donuts chain of donut and coffee shops opened in the 1950's, and by the '80s, folks everywhere had seen the television commercials of Fred the Baker dragging his tired body to work every day when it was "time to make the donuts." In 1988, Dunkin' partnered with cereal giant Ralston to produce Dunkin' Donuts cereal.

The hook was that the cereal bits consisted of three distinct shapes — rings to represent donuts, round balls to represent their Munchkins donut hole brand, and figure eights. The two cereal flavor options came as no surprise from a donut company — glazed or chocolate.

Despite featuring Fred the Baker on the box and in commercials, the popularity of Dunkin' cereal was short-lived, and the brand was discontinued less than two years after its introduction. In 2020, Dunkin' partnered with Post, and a new type of cereal was introduced, simply called Dunkin'. The unique idea was to represent the coffee side of the company rather than the donut side. Two different flavors were created — Mocha Latte and Caramel Macchiato — in which chemicals in the cereal turned the taste of your milk into coffee. This new concept was not particularly successful, though you can still find it in pockets around the country.

If kids in the '80s have one memory of homemade goodies, it's likely of Rice Krispie Marshmallow Treats. These gooey sticky delights of sweet indulgence were invented at the Kellogg's company's breakfast lab around 1939 by recipe testers Mildred "Millie" Day and Malitta Jensen and have since become a delicious American classic. It was only natural that Kellogg's would move to make this treat part of their breakfast portfolio too.

Around 1987, Marshmallow Krispies cereal was officially released, staying true to its treat roots by combining Rice Krispies cereal, mini-marshmallows, and butter. Adding milk gave the cereal an extra level of flavor, keeping it kid-friendly while making it just slightly healthier. There was enough interest in this original release that Kellogg's began marketing Rice Krispie Marshmallow Treats as individually packaged stand-alone items in the early 1990s.

The recipe and push for this cereal kept evolving, eventually spawning the likes of sister cereals Fruity Marshmallow Krispies, Rice Krispies Treats, and more. Rice Krispie Treats are sometimes still found in Canada. What seemed like an obvious win by turning these classic treats into a cereal flavor didn't ultimately work, and the original name and recipe for Marshmallow Krispies was retired in the early '90s, never to return.

Another timeless American childhood snack is the ever-popular s'more. Originally called Some Mores and with a recipe that originated in a 1927 Girl Scout handbook, this treat has been part of our food history for almost a century. It's no wonder that cereal giant General Mills jumped on the idea of converting the classic ingredients into a bowl of sweet goodness.

The cereal combined the ingredients used to make s'mores over an open campfire — graham crackers, marshmallows, and pieces of milk chocolate — to replicate the taste of our childhood. Kids enjoyed the crunchy texture of the crackers that combined with the sweet chewy goodness of the marshmallows.

S'mores Grahams was rebranded twice in the '80s, once to S'mores Crunch and then again to Golden Grahams S'mores. Additionally, as the term "s'mores" is no longer trademarked, other companies have thrown their hat into the ring with s'mores-themed cereals, including Post and their Honey Maid brand. While there is talk of a new recipe in the works for a similar cereal, it's unlikely that we will ever see the '80s original back in our cabinets again.