Mr. T Cereal

“It’s cool!”

Most Americans got their first look at Laurence Tureaud (aka: Mr T.) in 1982, when the brawny, mohawk-laden former bouncer appeared in Rocky III, as Rocky Balboa’s formidable boxing opponent, Clubber Lang. Kids took notice of the T-man the following year, when he appeared as B.A. “Bad Attitude” Baracus on the hugely-succesful television series, The A-Team. It didn’t take long for network execs to realize his pre-teen popularity and give him his own Saturday morning cartoon series the same year, Mr. T. And right on cue, Quaker Oats introduced a crunchy, sweetened corn cereal, shaped in little “T” shapes, which they simply dubbed Mr. T cereal.

Remarkably similar in flavor to another Quaker Oats product, Quisp, Mr T cereal relied on the cartoon version of the intimidating pitchman. One notable person who fell to his persuasive powers was the lovable Pee Wee Herman, who proudly dines on a generous helping of Mr. T cereal in a memorable scene from the 1985 hit film, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. And while Paul Reubens (Pee Wee) and Mr. T might seem odd advertising bedfellows, their combined efforts made Mr. T cereal one of the best remembered cereals to be introduced in the 80s.

Although it is no longer available, it still lives in the hearts of many, and even has its own Facebook page. And for those who never had the opportunity to consume a bowl of those golden “T”s, one can only, of course, pity the fools.

If you poured a few bowls of Mr. T cereal back in the day, or simply begged for a box from the parental units, we’d love to hear your memories in our comments section.