The history of our monsters

Then came another new monster. Fruity Yummy Mummy made his debut in 1988 with a similar fruity flavor and “Monster Mallows,” but the cereal left shelves in 1992, after just 5 years.

Monster Cereals were available year-round until 2009. Since then, they’ve returned to store shelves each year, just in time for Halloween.

Both cereals came out of the vault for a limited time in 2013. It was the first time all five Monster Cereals were available on store shelves at the same time. The Monster Cereals returned with reimagined designs.

The Monster Cereals Turn 50

For the Monster Cereals’ 50th anniversary in 2021, the Monsters came together in one bowl for the first time with the release of Monster Mash.

The celebration went beyond the cereal, too. A mockumentary “The Remaking of The Mash: A Monster Miracle,” featured interviews of Boo Berry, Count Chocula, and Franken Berry reflecting on what it meant to pay tribute to the greatest monster anthem of all time. The Trix Rabbit and Lucky the Leprechaun also made special guest appearances.

Vintage inspired boxes for each individual monster were available alongside the limited-edition mash-up.

The First Female Monster

In 2023, the Monster Cereals welcomed their first new character in 35 years: Carmella Creeper. Inspired by the classic taste of caramel apples, the zombie DJ became the first female monster to join the crew. She was introduced as Franken Berry’s long-lost cousin, bringing a new personality and sound to the Monster universe.

Carmella Creeper’s introduction came with a soundtrack of its own. DJ Carmella Creeper dropped "Monster Mash Remix," an edgy, EDM-inspired take on the classic song for a new generation of Monster Cereal fans.

Fans were invited to show off their own dance moves on TikTok, while new merchandise, including band tees featuring the Monsters and Carmella Creeper, expanded the celebration beyond the cereal aisle.

A new Monster Mash Remix Cereal was also released, which included all five of the previous monsters plus Carmella Creeper.

Frightful Friends Join the Crew

In 2024, Halloween’s hottest haunters introduced their scary sidekicks for more mischievous fun:

• Igor the spider joined Count Chocula
• Meow Berry the cat joined Boo Berry
• Bennie the bat joined Franken Berry
• Scratch the snake joined Carmella Creeper

Monsters’ Frightful Friends, a limited-edition cereal, combined all your favorite Monster flavors with new pet-shaped marshmallows, bringing the spooky pet party to every spoonful.

Frightfully Fun Promotions & Haunting Marshmallows

From the beginning, the Monsters were built for storytelling. Despite being monsters themselves, Franken Berry, Count Chocula and Boo Berry were scared by just about everything in their earliest commercials — from children, black cats and birds to ghosts and even one another!

And the fun didn’t stop at the box. The marshmallows have had a spooky evolution of their own, transforming over the years with new shapes and designs that gave fans another reason to look forward to Monster Cereals each Halloween.

Here are some of the most memorable moments:

1979: Monsters Adventure Records

The 1979 promotion featured a set of three monster-themed flexi discs, with one included in each cereal box. Each record offered a different audio adventure for the Monsters: “Monster Adventures in Outer Space,” “The Monsters Go Disco” and “Count Chocula Goes to Hollywood.”

Three decades later, Manny Galán and Pat Giles, designed and animated the first minute of the five-minute “Disco” story, with Justin Roth animating the final piece, as seen below.

2020: Monster Busts

The Monsters teamed up with award-winning special-effects artist Karlee Morse to create three one-of-a-kind monster busts for a first-ever Monster Cereal sweepstakes.

This Halloween, for the Monsters 55^th anniversary, they again partnered with the Jim Henson Company, debuting a new limited-edition fuzzy Count Chocula box and updated packaging featuring the puppets. This time, fans weren’t just invited to watch the Monsters come to life – they could join in the fun.

Each Monsters Cereal box can be transformed into a Monster puppet, turning the collaboration into something fans can make, play with and enjoy.

Get this year’s limited-edition Monster Cereals at retailers nationwide now.

For more than five decades, the Monster Cereals have continued to evolve without losing what made them memorable in the first place: distinctive characters, playful surprises and a little Halloween magic in every bowl.

[1] Count Chocula and Franken Berry Press Release June 1971
[2] Boo Berry Press Release February 1973
[3] Boo Berry Press Release February 1973