March 7 is an important date. It’s National Cereal Day! Grab the carton of milk from the fridge, your favorite bowl, and start pouring! Growing up in the 1970s, boxed cereal was a big deal. Below are my thoughts, as I remember them, of my 8-year-old self in accordance with the staple food group of my childhood.

Cereal was always available to “make” in our house. We had an ample-sized cereal cupboard with at least 5-7 boxes at any time. If you’re a Seinfeld fan, our cabinet was comparable to all the boxes in Jerry’s apartment. Thank goodness Mom didn’t mind us eating sugar because our choices were more like dessert. Quisp, Sugar Smacks, Coco Puffs, and Captain Crunch With Crunchberries were my top contenders. 

The prize inside the box was of utmost importance. If I was shopping at Value King with mom, I first scanned the selection of prizes in the cereal boxes. That sometimes determined what I picked from the shelf even if the cereal inside wasn’t a favorite. I still recall one of my favorite prizes, a pocket printer. It was a rectangular plastic embosser that enabled the sender to pass notes without giving away your identity. It was nifty and I carried it in my cardboard pencil box.

One of the most remarkable invention in the world of cereal was the mini-box variety pack. There were 8 small boxes wrapped together in plastic. I was thrilled that my grandma always had these on hand when we visited. Every morning my siblings and I painstakingly negotiated which box we wanted. Remember the dud, semi-healthy cereal that everybody fought to avoid? It was usually never eaten. Sorry, Raisin Bran. The coolest part of the mini variety pack was the boxes were designed to be their own bowl. We sat at my grandma’s Formica kitchen table carefully following the perforated lines and waiting for her to pour the milk into the plastic-lined box. It was fabulous.

Growing up, I was confident that cereal was the 5th food group because it was a consistent part of my diet. Whether we ate it straight from the box or with milk, it always tasted best while watching cartoons on Saturday morning. I loved the company of The Grape Ape, Hong Kong Phooey, and the gang from Scooby Doo while I ate breakfast either on our swivel chair or sitting on our brown and orange shag carpet in our family room. 

On your next trip to the grocery store grab your favorite box of cereal that you loved to eat when you were a kid. Then, just for fun, sit back and find an episode of an old cartoon on YouTube. Being a kid when you’re an adult isn’t a bad way to start your day. Happy National Cereal Day!