Kaboom

It might be a daunting task to find a former kid from the 70s who doesn’t remember Kaboom cereal or harbor fond memories for this classic breakfast treat. It wasn’t just the big jovial clown on the front of the box, or his grinning mug that served as the cereal’s shape, it was the fact that kids absolutely loved the flavor.

Kaboom was first introduced in 1969, a product from cereal moguls, General Mills. Each bright yellow box contained an assortment of oat-based cereal whose color was even more vibrant than the box. Loads of food dye was used to create the bright red, blue, green and orange clown faces, which shared the box with small marshmallow morsels, shaped to look like stars and such circus animals as elephants, lions and bears.

Some may be surprised to find that this iconic cereal is still available – sort of. If you are unable to spot it on grocery store shelves, a quick search on the internet should provide plenty of places to order a box or three. But be forewarned, as it is not quite the same cereal that you may remember cozying up to while watching Saturday morning cartoons. Sure, it is identical in appearance, but General Mills made the somewhat puzzling decision in recent years to substitute corn for oats – altering the flavor to such a degree that many who have decided to take a stroll down memory lane have ended up sorely disappointed at the difference in flavor.

Still, Kaboom lives up to the old circus truth that the show must go on, and in a world where cereals come and go every year, it still warms the heart to know that some of those beloved products of yesteryear remain just a credit card purchase away.

If you have fond memories of this breakfast cereal from the 70s, we’d love to hear your thoughts and recollections in our comments section.