I once read somewhere that cereal box character mascots are designed to look slightly downward in order to make eye contact with children. The idea of being drawn in by the piercing gaze of Lucky the Leprechaun is super creepy, but if the mascot in question is a cheerful Calico cat named Cam, then I will follow that creature into hell.
I am likely not the target audience for Kellogg’s Original Squishmallows Cereal. Never in my life have I owned or purchased a Squishmallow—the soft, squishy collectible plush toys with so many characters that they will one day outnumber us all. Yet, I fell for the pastel box, graced by Cam and her winsome colleagues (Tatiana, Archie, and Sunny), undone by my own primal urges to buy cute stuff and sweet treats.
Rarely do brand-licensed cereals live up to the allure of their packaging, but Kellogg’s Original Squishmallows Cereal comes close. A marshmallow-flavored cereal with Cam-shaped marbits, this limited edition product is much better than the bland Lucky Charms knock-off I expected.
The sweet vanilla cereal smells and tastes like the contents of a Jet-Puffed bag. The corn-based loops are light, crispy, and very sweet without tasting too sugary. The cereal doesn’t have (or need) powdered sugar or candy-like coating to deliver a satisfying taste. I sometimes find that marshmallow-flavored products taste generically sweet rather than marshmallow-y, but Squishmallows Cereal succeeds in recreating marshmallow’s distinct flavor. The strong flavor reminds me of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats Cereal, which has been gone for years but lives on in my heart.
Milk dilutes the marshmallow quality a bit, but the vanilla essence that remains is still really enjoyable. The loops soften very quickly, but I ate them too fast to be bothered.
The crisp marbits are fun and necessary for a marshmallow-inspired cereal, but I wish they were more. Most of the colorful pieces had sunk to the bottom of the bag, but even when redistributed, the portions were stingy. According to the back of the box, there are 25 varieties of Cam represented in the Squishmallow brand, so shouldn’t the marshmallows created in his image be equally plentiful?
The style of Kellogg’s Original Squishmallows Cereal may catch your eye, but the substantial marshmallow flavor makes it a worthy buy for a sweet breakfast or snack. The Squishmallows gang gives Lucky the Leprechaun a run for his charms. While I may not have the means to accommodate 25 varieties of Cam the Calico cat, there is room in my pantry for another box of this cereal before its limited edition run is over.
Purchased Price: $4.28
Purchased at: Walmart
Size: 11.6 oz (328 g) box
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1 1/3 cup)140 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.