Released during the summer but set at Christmas, Joe Dante‘s Gremlins was a massive hit when it came out back in 1984. Despite having a dark tone — i.e. the microwave scene, the attack on Mr. Futterman, Kate’s speech about how she discovered there was no Santa Claus, etc — the cute appearance of Gizmo the Mogwai meant that Gremlins was ripe for some merchandising mega madness. As could be expected, the movie spawned the requisite toys, stickers and clothing. But edible Gremlins? That may have been a step too far.
Nevertheless, this short-lived Captain Crunch-esque breakfast option was available in stores for a brief period of time. While largely forgotten today except by people who obsess over these sorts of things (me for example), the commercial featured above will make the cereal stay with you forever thanks to its unbelievably catchy jingle. Watch it at your own risk, or be prepared to be singing “Gremlins, Gremlins, bite after bite, what a tasty way to satisfy your Gremlin appetite” all day. I don’t even want to know what would happen if you ate this after midnight. Sorry. That was an obvious joke but it demanded to be made regardless.
This article originally ran in 2018 and is being reprinted today for this week’s Throwback Thursday post.