This Popular Coffee Chain Had Its Own Line Of Cereals In The '80s

The 1980s were a golden age for kids' breakfast cereal — not like today, which is considered the industry's darkest days. From the booster seat of their parents' shopping carts, kids could encounter any number of their favorite television and movie characters on cereal boxes in grocery story aisles. From Mr. T's sweet, crispy corn pops to E.T.'s version — which was the same thing, but peanut butter-flavored — kids could reach out and grab countless sugar-steeped breakfast cereals to eat in front of their Saturday morning cartoon marathon. The Massachusetts-based coffee and donut brand Dunkin' Donuts wanted in on this breakfast cereal bonanza, and in 1988, it partnered with Cookie Crisp creators Ralston Purina to launch Dunkin' Donuts Cereal, "crunchy little donuts with a big great taste." 

A 1988 TV commercial drove home the idea that Dunkin Donuts Cereal was an extension of its brand: In the spot, the company's iconic spokesman Fred the Baker whips out a tiny rolling pin and donut cookie cutter to form the "world's smallest donuts." The cereals came in three shapes: standard rings, round balls to represent the signature Munchkins donut holes, and figure eights (because who doesn't like a little double donut).
 
Many of Ralston Purina's cereals were essentially short-lived promotional items for movies like "Ghostbusters," "Batman Returns," and "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." There was even a Nerds cereal with two separate compartments so you could customize your bowl with strawberry and grape flavors. That cereal would have never passed muster with the latest FDA food dye bans.

Unfortunately, Dunkin's cereal was off shelves after just a year, and relegated to a well-remembered past along with dozens of other short-lived breakfast experiments. It wasn't until 2020 that it made a comeback — this time highlighting Dunkin's iced coffee instead of its donuts.

In a partnership with Post Consumer Brands, the new cereal came in two flavors: Caramel Macchiato and Mocha Latte, both inspired by two of Dunkin's most popular drinks. To kick it up a notch, each variety also contained caffeine, so when you slurped the milk and sugar from the bottom of the bowl, you were basically downing a morning latte. Not ideal for kids who already have boundless energy. 

Just like the '80s version, this cereal's run was brief. After its launch, it was well-received by Dunkin' enthusiasts, but by 2023, it had again quietly faded from store shelves — another sweet, fleeting memory, like an athlete on a Wheaties box. However, in the cereal aisle, there's always a fresh face to take a fallen flavor's place — like Kelce Mix, Travis and Jason Kelce's breakfast love story, which brings together Reese's Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms in sugary matrimony.