Spooky season typically launches off the second General Mills’ Monster Cereals enter stores, marking the beginning of a months-long celebration of all things monstrous and spooky. While the Big Three—Boo Berry, Count Chocula, and Franken Berry—are featured each year, they’re often complemented by Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute. Very rarely General Mills decides to add a new monster to the mix, such as this year’s introduction of Carmella Creeper, the first new cereal added to the line in decades.
Though the mascots are each pop culture icons in their own right, one person on the inside has shared a glimpse as to more Monster Cereals mascots General Mills has passed over in the years since the line’s 1971 introduction. While Count Chocula and Franken Berry were introduced that year, Boo Berry didn’t see stores until 1973, and he was in competition with a handful of others.
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In a new post making the rounds online, Boo Berry was in competition with Apple Mummy, Applespider, Ella Vanilla, Doctor Orangelove, Vanilla Gorilla, OranGenie, Professor Nutty, R-r-r-r Orange, and Anna Banana. The viral post was first made by Fred Hauck, a monster lover whose father had a hand in helping design the mascots.
“Happy Halloween all you Monster lovers! Here are some concepts from my dads studio that didn’t make the cut,” Hauck wrote in a collector Facebook group. “They were obviously trying on some different flavor profiles and mascots with these. Interesting how Booberry was a berry, a ghost and a witch.”
Who is Carmella Creeper?
“Carmella Creeper is the long-lost cousin of Franken Berry as well as a zombie DJ with an edgy sound who is always the life of the party,” the brand says of the character. “Complete with a fierce attitude and looks to match, Carmella is ready to shake things up at the Monsters’ haunted mansion with her limited-edition cereal featuring caramel-apple-flavored pieces with colored Monster marshmallows.”
Count Chocula and Franken Berry launched in March 1971, according to the General Mills website. George Karn, who designed the original Trix Rabbit in 1959, also designed Count Chocula. In 1973, Boo Berry joined the party. Those three cereals have remained on the market since then, although in 2009, the cereals became seasonal items that are available during the spooky season. It isn’t just October when you can get them, though; in recent years, they have been showing up on store shelves in July or August.
