Cereal mascots are cartoon characters used to sell breakfast cereal, mostly to children, since the early twentieth century.
Want more eras? Browse the home page.
Mascots on the breakfast shelf
Entries below list the brand and the year.
| Mascot | Cereal | Year introduced |
|---|---|---|
| Tony the Tiger | Frosted Flakes | 1952 |
| Snap, Crackle and Pop | Rice Krispies | 1933 |
| Toucan Sam | Froot Loops | 1963 |
| Cornelius the Rooster | Corn Flakes | 1963 |
| Trix Rabbit | Trix | 1959 |
| Lucky the Leprechaun | Lucky Charms | 1964 |
| Cap’n Crunch | Cap’n Crunch | 1963 |
Kellogg’s fields the largest number of long-running cereal mascots, with Snap, Crackle and Pop the oldest entry still in active use; General Mills and Quaker Oats each field several more.
Who created them
Table rows are listed below.
| Mascot | Cereal | Maker | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony the Tiger | Frosted Flakes | Kellogg’s (Leo Burnett agency) | 1952 |
| Sonny the Cuckoo Bird | Cocoa Puffs | General Mills | 1962 |
| Count Chocula | Count Chocula | General Mills | 1971 |
| Franken Berry | Franken Berry | General Mills | 1971 |
Most cereal mascots were developed by the cereal maker’s advertising agency of record rather than by a single named illustrator; Tony the Tiger is a documented exception, created for Kellogg’s by the Leo Burnett agency.
Mascots that were retired
Each claim links to a public source.
Dig’em the Frog (Honey Smacks, Kellogg’s, 1972) and Quisp (Quisp cereal, Quaker Oats, 1965) are two mascots tied to cereals that have been discontinued or sold in limited release in recent years, reducing how often the characters appear in new advertising.
Dates and credits come from public sources; report an error on the contact page.
See the mascots behind American brands, or read more about Tony the Tiger specifically.
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