“New” Ice Cream Cone Cereal!

I was a child of the 80’s and I remember a lot of pop culture from those times. Nintendo, clothing styles, television, etc. Of course, since I was a child, I watched a lot of T.V. and it always influenced me to beg my parents to buy all kinds of stuff. One product that I recently remembered is the great Ice Cream Cones cereal.

Ice Cream Cones Cereal!

General Mills released this cereal in 1987 but it did not last long because the lack of popularity. I was turning ten years old then and clearly remember this box of sweet goodness. I was introduced to the cereal like most kids back then; through Saturday morning television commercial breaks. Let the brainwashing begin!

The cereal was released in three different flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Chocolate Chip. I’m glad to say that I’ve tried them all. They’re sweet and good, not great. I think the novelty of eating miniature ice cream cones brings the appeal. Imagine telling a kid he or she can eat ice cream for breakfast every day. They would probably do flips off the wall and run in circles…and that’s before getting the sugar rush.

One of the main selling points of Ice Cream Cones cereal is Ice Cream Jones. He’s the guy that sells his wares to the children on his bike. What’s most memorable about him is his singing of the cereal’s theme song. When I was trying to recall this cereal, I completely forgot about Ice Cream Jones. What I didn’t forget was his singing and the lyrics. I have to admit that it’s catchy as all hell, especially since I remembered it for over twenty years without listening to it again until recently. However, Jones is bad at his job because he works harder than smarter. If he spent more time practicing driving than singing, he could be driving a truck instead of that goofy bike in the hot-ass summer sun.

Pay for a truck, you cheap-ass!

Since it’s a cereal about ice cream, one could probably imagine that eating a whole box would give someone Type 2 Diabetes. Yet the makers of the commercial had the gall to use the iconic “balanced breakfast” image to claim that Ice Cream Cones cereal is part of a balanced breakfast.

What? The toast?

I’m still having trouble believing that the cereal is part of a nutritious breakfast. I can understand the orange juice, extra milk, and the toast. Also, where’s the protein? No meat, eggs, or anything like that? What balance? How’s the kid supposed to grow up into a man?

Any child of the 80’s can easily tell you that cereals had real prizes in the box. Nowadays, there’s usually a link to a website for some flash games or an area to enter box codes to get a prize. When I was a child, to get a prize, one would have to stick their hand into the box to get it. The toy would either be inside or outside the bag…hopefully out considering how germy children’s hands are.  Another way to get prizes was to mail in UPC codes to get a prize in the mail. The amount of UPC codes required would be displayed on the box and Ice Cream Cones cereal conformed to this idea. I remember getting my second box of Ice Cream Cones and carefully cutting out the UPC from an unopened box and mailing it to receive my mini-piano!

One of the most awesome cereal prizes ever!

I wish I could find a larger picture of the piano, but this is all I got. It is one of those 80’s echo pianos that were so popular at the time.  Here’s a picture of a generic mini piano to get an idea of what I’m talking about.

Good times!

I remember getting one of these pianos when I was a child. I didn’t know much songs but I had fun playing with them anyway. The Ice Cream Cones piano basically worked the same way as the others and it even came with notes on how to play the commercial jingle. There was a commercial that had someone actually playing the jingle on the piano, which probably motivated everyone to send for the damn thing. I recall getting the piano in the mail and learning how to play the song. However, once I learned the song, I got bored with it quick. I was turning ten that year.

Unfortunately, Ice Cream Cones cereal was discontinued the same year it was released.  I’m assuming that it wasn’t as popular as I thought it was. It’s a shame too because it’s a change from the regulars like Cocoa Puffs or Lucky Charms. The cereal did not disappear for good though. It made a brief reappearance in 2003 in the chocolate chip flavor.

New “New” Ice Cream Cones Cereal

It was re-released to celebrate a century of ice cream. Ice Cream Jones and his bike got plowed by a Mack truck, so he didn’t reappear. I believe I saw this cereal in the supermarket but I didn’t make the connection between this new cereal and the ones from the 80’s. If I did, I would’ve snatched it up real quick.

I have fond memories of eating Ice Cream Cones cereal on Saturday morning while watching Muppet Babies and The Real Ghostbusters. Trying out different cereals such as this always stuck with me and I’m always looking out for cereals that would probably be held dear. Writing this blog post really brought back sealed memories. Has anyone else ever had this cereal before? Leave comments if you have any experience with this cereal….or any other rare cereal that’s no longer sold.

Tags: Chocolate Chip, Cocoa Puffs, echo piano, General Mills, Ice cream, Ice cream cone, Saturday Morning