When we were kids, most mornings meant precisely two things: cartoons and breakfast cereal. The more sugary, the better - particularly on those oh-so-glorious Saturday mornings when several channels on the dial (ask your resident Gen-Xer what a TV "dial" is) ran animated fare for the young set pretty much solid from 7 a.m. until noon.
The more sugar we ate while enjoying those cartoons, the more amped up we would be when our parents insisted we go outside to play after hours on the couch.
But our favorite breakfast cereals didn't have to be packed to the gills with glucose. Some were actually quite healthy. Many of them had rather amusing commercials. And we fondly remember them now in this look back at the best cereal brands ever.
Made by: General Mills
Basic 4 was marketed as a healthy cereal back in the 1990s. True to its name, it has four main components: dried fruit, crispy rice puffs, vanilla yogurt clusters and almonds. The yogurt pieces are the tastiest, but the whole cereal is delicious and has 26 grams of whole grain per serving.
Made by: Nature Valley
Most of us know that granola isn't actually healthy, but we also don't care. Not when it comes to Nature Valley granola, that is. It tastes exactly like Nature Valley granola bars, only it's broken up and is eaten like cereal in a bowl. As long as you don't mind that sugar is its second key ingredient, it's worth it.
Made by: Kellogg's
Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies combines the brand's more popular Rice Krispies and Cocoa Puffs into one cereal. They're a chocolate version of Rice Krispies, making a more exciting version of old-fashioned Rice Krispy Treats. They're also great topped with strawberries, and the signature crackling sound they make when you pour in the milk? Premium.
Made by: Post
Waffle Crisps hardly count as breakfast, but kids couldn't care less. The first ingredient is sugar, which is probably why they adore Waffle Crisps. The crunchy cereal is shaped like miniature waffles, and they used to have a cult following. Today, it's only available in select stores in certain states. When it popped up on Amazon, reviewers breathed a collective sigh of relief that their sweet, maple-flavored childhood cereal wasn't gone for good.