I haven't been keeping tabs on Mike Myers' new "The Cat In The Hat" flick, and probably won't see it till I'm stuck in bed with the flu, too ridden with sick to fetch the remote after HBO buys the rights and plasters it all over their many channels. Eh, but who knows? It could work. I loathed the idea of Jim Carrey's live-action Grinch foray, and though it took a few tries to actually make it through, I ended up liking that movie a lot more than I thought I would. We'll see.
Course, "The Cat In The Hat" could totally flop in theaters and still be a success in the merchandising department -- the timing's just right, as we're creeping into the holiday season and they'll surely be a number of aunts and uncles who don't know their brothers' kids well enough to realize that they have no interest in 16" Cat in the Hat plushies. A more interesting blitz comes in the form of these two items -- merchandise you can eat.
Kellogg's, always willing to make their consumers eat popular trends, has just come out with Cat in the Hat-themed cereal and Pop Tarts. Yes, Pop Tarts. The swirly blue packaging is an attention grabber, and the "limited edition" teasers stamped all over the boxes might cause a few more impulse buys. There's been other movie-themed Pop Tarts, and there's certainly been tons of like-minded cereal brands, but for some reason, these two just seem stranger than the norm. I couldn't resist picking 'em up, and am happy to report that their gimmick ain't in name alone. Even the food itself is like nothing I've personally experienced, and since these won't be around for long, you may as well put your tongue to the new flavors as soon as possible.
"The Cat In The Hat Cereal" was an extra special surprise -- it's really quite good. The corn n' oat yum-grums have been strawberry-sweetened, and the end result is a taste sensation that crosses finely between Honeycomb, Franken Berry, Cap'n Crunch, and a mystery fourth contender I've not yet determined. The cereal pieces themselves are shaped like the Cat's Hat, striped accordingly. The back of the box features the usual gamut of word searches and silly movie puzzles.
There's also a teaser on the side panel promoting free Cat in the Hat dolls, which seem to be included in every box of Kellogg's cereal except "The Cat In The Hat Cereal." Go fig. Point is, if you don't like the looks of those berry hats, go grab some Froot Loops or Rice Krispies. You're more familiar with their taste, and as an added bonus, you'll get a tiny doll that could conceivably retail for almost fifty cents at overpriced toy stores.
Obviously, the Pop Tarts are a bit stranger. The "wild strawberry" pastries are topped with a thick blue icing and random hat-shaped candy sprinkles, while the innards are a more disturbing striped mix of strawberry fruit and some white gunk. I dunno, the fillings look more like crud that'd preclude one from giving their girlfriend oral sex than anything too palatable, but it doesn't taste all that bad. As you can tell in the picture, I burnt my Tarts. I'm always burning my Tarts.
REPLIES: 49 comments
hey Matt,
if I sent you all of the 'Challenge of the Superfriends' episodes, what are the chances of a review?
Chestnuts roasted by rizz @ 11/17/2003 10:42 AM EST
how can anyone eat the tarts after u said "the fillings look more like crud that'd preclude one from giving their girlfriend oral sex than anything too palatable"?? lol
the movie looks like a dud... kids will love it though... so colorful.
Chestnuts roasted by jessica_76 @ 11/17/2003 10:42 AM EST
Woohoo, first comment. That's all I've really got. Except for the cereal, which is quite tasty.
Chestnuts roasted by princemackenzie @ 11/17/2003 10:42 AM EST
Fourth Post! closest i've been yet! BLAH!
ps. I LOVE cat in the hat :D
Chestnuts roasted by Xen @ 11/17/2003 11:04 AM EST
Y'know, it's not like I would've tried the Pop Tarts even BEFORE that little analogy (only flavors I like are S'mores and Brown Sugar Cinnamon or whatever it is), but a reminder of the one time of the month I won't do that just seals the deal. So thank you, Matt, and please do not ever use that metaphor in relation to a food I actually like. Seriously.
P.S.- A box of Rice Krispies Treats cereal yielded me a "Thing 2" figure last week. I'm considering nailing it to a tree to frighten off neighborhood children, but no definite plans yet.
Chestnuts roasted by The Lucky One @ 11/17/2003 11:16 AM EST
yeah my roomate bought those pop tarts on the basis of marketing alone......i thought cat in the hat pop tarts would be to much of a leap for my sanity so ive yet to try them
Chestnuts roasted by Scourge @ 11/17/2003 11:45 AM EST
When they come out with Cat in the Hat cheese logs I am in. The movie looks like Austin Powers 4 in a catsuit.
But hey at least they have no problem with raping Dr. Suess for a buck. Or is it Seuss?
Chestnuts roasted by spazzamatic @ 11/17/2003 11:56 AM EST
down w/ cat in the hat. I can't believe they're damning it again! stupid stupid stupid. I HATED how the grinch. and I know I'm going to LOATH cat in the hat. when will people understand that these are books, and need to remain books, unless they turn into cartoons. now don't get me wrong, I'm not a seuss purist (don't even know how to spell it) but it's like making a doll of the quaker oats guy.
Chestnuts roasted by brandon @ 11/17/2003 12:35 PM EST
I have to agree--the ads and trailers for CitH are already pissing me off. Why is there a rocket car? Why isn't it raining? Who said that this could be funny?
It can't be worse than Elf though. I think the average movie goer is getting more retarded.
On a lighter note, careful when you burn your Tarts, Matt. I hear those things can actually catch fire. My parents destroyed their first toaster with Pop Tarts. Who knew they've been around that long?
On an even lighter note, I figured I'd mention here that, over the weekend, I got to introduce my son to Transformers! Of course, he was three days old. But he really perked up when he heard the name Unicron!
Chestnuts roasted by Sean @ 11/17/2003 12:41 PM EST
It's better than green crackers like in the grinch promotion. I have a cat in the hat shirt I've been weraing for about 4 years now, I bet people will think I'm trendy now.
Chestnuts roasted by pikachulover @ 11/17/2003 12:46 PM EST
Everyone needs to lighten up! It's a kids movie and it's supposed to be silly/stupid. I love my fellow Canadian Mike Myers, and I fully support the movie. And Mike RULES! He can make anything funny and entertaining. I for one will be first in line to see it, but lets face it, i'm a big kid at heart :D
Chestnuts roasted by Xen @ 11/17/2003 12:59 PM EST
Matt,
Those pop tarts look disgusting!!! Are they really that ugly or did you torture them until they bled? :) OH! Wanted to tell you, you're getting publicity over at the website MuppetCentral.com. People are very excited by your 1984 Macy's parade article and the video clips of the Fraggle Rock float!! Way to go!
Resident Tim Curry fan,
Melissa
Chestnuts roasted by Melissa Y. @ 11/17/2003 01:31 PM EST
I think plenty off teens and adults will enjoy the movie...
They just might need some illagl substances to go with it.
Chestnuts roasted by Jared @ 11/17/2003 01:37 PM EST
My only contribution to the Cat in the Hat movie merchandizing scheme has been keychains of the Cat and Thing One and Thing Two,but since they are modeled after the book artwork and not the movie looks,it's OK. Hey,I collect keychains. Don't we all have our vices?
Chestnuts roasted by Overlord @ 11/17/2003 02:15 PM EST
Hey Matt, I emailed you a great suggestion for a movie review. Even if you decide not to review it, you've got to see it. Did you get my email?
Chestnuts roasted by MG @ 11/17/2003 02:24 PM EST
Sean- they don't just catch fire, they SHOOT fire. Dave Barry wrote a column about it years ago; he took an old junker toaster out into the yard, taped down the pop-up lever, and tried out various Pop Tart-esque items. According to him, the official ones spewed decent, foot-high flames, but the Brand X supermarket ones shot fire a full 3-4 feet in the air. Now THAT I'd pay to see the Cat in the Hat do; talk about ways to liven up a boring rainy day....
Chestnuts roasted by The Lucky One @ 11/17/2003 03:14 PM EST
That reminds me of that Cereal "Now with Ecstacy" skit with Will Ferrel on SNL.
How do you fuck up pop tarts?
Chestnuts roasted by klatubaradanikto @ 11/17/2003 03:47 PM EST
the lucky one... those are the ONLY two flavors of pop-tarts in my mind. love them both.
cat in that hat sucks... and so does... gasp... mike myers... ever since waynes world he's gone down the hill... so I married an axe murderer was alright... but sorry... Austin Powers sucks.
Chestnuts roasted by chad @ 11/17/2003 03:56 PM EST
Pop Tarts taste good and the cat in the hat one's look interesting.
Chestnuts roasted by Romo @ 11/17/2003 05:48 PM EST
HA pop tarts. Any other nerds remember when the SOS webpage told Sailormoon fans that eating pop tarts would make DiC dub more episodes?
Yeah, Sailormoon fans are dumb.*
*As a Sailormoon fan, I'm allowed to say it. But if any of you non-fans say it, I'll have to meet you next to the fence at lunch and beat you up.
Chestnuts roasted by jjgoreha @ 11/17/2003 05:55 PM EST
I had the chance to try this cereal, and i immediatly bought 5 more boxes of the stuff. Cat in The Hat sells Crack in the form of cereal. This is amazing stuff. Buy it, then buy more of it.
Chestnuts roasted by Captain Garrett @ 11/17/2003 08:41 PM EST
O_O I thought that said 'Max Steele ERECTION Set' up there...
Chestnuts roasted by Nafan @ 11/17/2003 08:42 PM EST
Hell, YEAH, that cat in the Hat cereal is good. It's a great midnight snack and it makes the milk all yummy afterwards.
Congratulations, Sean on your new baby!
Chestnuts roasted by trajeal @ 11/17/2003 09:22 PM EST
Most of the merchandising I've seen for "The Cat in the Hat" (which I think looks like a lot of fun, BTW) has come in two forms - kids books I've read at work for the lack of better things to do right after closing, and dolls. The cereal and the Pop Tarts are new to me. I agree that the cereal looks quite good (for once in a "limited edition" cereal). I'm not a Pop Tart fan to begin with, however, and blue icing and Matt's anology are not going to change my opinion. I'd rather have something more solid and less likely to induce sugar shock for breakfast.
Not to mention something I'm reletively certain I won't charbroil. Yes, I've burnt Pop Tarts, too. I now prefer to eat them cold when I have them at all.
Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 11/17/2003 09:22 PM EST
Santa shows up at the Freehold Mall 2 weeks early.
Why? Why would Santa break the time-honored tradition of showing up right after Thanksgiving?
So he could also show up with the Cat in the Hat. Just in time for his movie.
There's nothing sadder then watching under-paided janitors clean up after teenagers while being forced to wear large red-and-white striped hats.
Chestnuts roasted by Bento Bunny @ 11/17/2003 10:03 PM EST
difference between grinch and cat in the hat: jim carrey WAS the grinch. you could almost kind of get lost in it. mike myers is ... mike myers in a cat costume with a hat. same voice, same comedic style, just furry. if i want that, i'll rent austin powers? meep.
Chestnuts roasted by meep @ 11/17/2003 10:18 PM EST
I think the fact that they're making a live action Cat in the Hat movie is irrefutable proof that Hollywood has completely and totally ran out of ideas. Come on Hollywood, can't you at least make some half-assed attempt to create a movie that rips off ten different ones instead of remaking one that everyone's already seen?
Chestnuts roasted by The Hell of a World Next Door @ 11/18/2003 12:20 AM EST
I'm always up for book-themed-movie-themed cereals. Never been too hyped for Cat In The Hat. The colourful dynamics are perdy, but good heavens! Freakin' scary! I mean...Cat sounds like he's from Jersey! It's just too much zaniness at once for me. I'm not epileptic, but I can see myself becoming one soon after I witness Cat. Hack. Fare thee well.
Chestnuts roasted by Armagideon Time @ 11/18/2003 01:09 AM EST
Matt, I see the cereal and It reminds me of that pokemon shit except better... Did they release pokemon cereal in US??? I live in Aus and well they released pokemon cereal...
The pop tarts on the other hand... YEARRGH WTF WERE THEY THINKING??? DONT FEED THAT SHIT TO A KID WITH ADD... DONT FEED IT TO KIDS ALTOGETHER...SOMEBODY NEEDS TO BURN ALL SUPPLIES OF IT BEFoRE A KID WITH ADD TAKES OVER THE WORLD!!! ITS A CONSPIRACY!!!
Chestnuts roasted by Bulk Bogan @ 11/18/2003 03:18 AM EST
jjgoreha: Not just the fans, but Sailor Moon itself is dumb and very cheesy, and I can say this because I have all of the first and third Sailor Moon series uncut and subtitled on DVD. In fact the first series box was the only thing I asked for originally for my 29th birthday in October. :)
Ah, and the live-action Sailor Moon is just as wondrfully cheesy. Read my thoughts on the first and second episodes, if your interested.
Chestnuts roasted by Steve Brandon @ 11/18/2003 04:06 AM EST
Damn it that cereal looks good. It reminds me of Captan Crunch with crunch berries. What ever happened to that stuff? I loved that fake RED taste.
Chestnuts roasted by Tracy Turnblad @ 11/18/2003 09:27 AM EST
Bulk, I have ADD and I am very much offended. :(
Lol j/k
Yes, Tracy, the berries were the only good part of Cap'n Crunch. Peanut Butter Crunch is awesome too. If they got rid of that shit (even though I haven't eaten it in like years) I will be thoroughly pissed off.
... The cat in the hat sucks. Why don't they make a Green Eggs and Ham movie? Even though the cat is the most recognizable Seuss character, I think we all can agree Green Eggs and Ham is by far the best BOOK. Come on? What's better than a guy trying to shove discolored food products down another guy's throat?
Chestnuts roasted by Cam @ 11/18/2003 10:39 AM EST
Steve Brandon: You da man, you crazy mofo.
Chestnuts roasted by jjgoreha @ 11/18/2003 02:20 PM EST
A Quaker Oats man doll would rock.
But would kind of creep me out....
Chestnuts roasted by Sirkus Peanuts @ 11/18/2003 08:17 PM EST
i hate how every commerciall i see now has some sort of suess rime, i see them all the time, it pisses me off alot, and talk like that i will not, damn it, damn u burger king with not 1 but two species of "thing", ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
P.S i need that shirt the kid is wearing in the commericial! (the orange one, with fur)
Chestnuts roasted by dred link @ 11/18/2003 08:56 PM EST
Is it just me or does the Cat in the Hat look like something that escaped from the Island of Dr. Moreau?
Chestnuts roasted by Luap @ 11/19/2003 12:04 AM EST
Nothing will ever beat the Derek Jeter or Wayne Crebet cereals, which were just the awesome Honey Nut Cheerios thinly disguising themselves as the chosen cereals of those two athletes. Honey Nut Cheerios or Cinnamon Toast Crunch by any other name still kick some major booty.
Chestnuts roasted by Tuff Daddy Cool @ 11/19/2003 02:13 AM EST
You burn your tarts, Matt?
Then do what I do and eat em' cold. I swear, they're better that way!
Chestnuts roasted by Paul Ortego @ 11/19/2003 06:06 PM EST
man, this cereal is still sitting in my kitchen 2 months after i bought it, it's the most horrendous thing i have eaten in a while.
rock
Chestnuts roasted by shmalex @ 11/19/2003 06:52 PM EST
I have a sort of morbid intrest in the Cat in the Hat movie, but I do have happier memories of a TV show passed on now called "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss." Extremely odd, that show was, but fun.
Chestnuts roasted by Freezair @ 11/22/2003 08:44 PM EST
I work at a petstore and Cat in The hat has invaded that place too - not fake merchandise loosely based on the movie- real spankin' love-filled cat in the hat merchandise. From plushies that make that sqeaking sound to dog biscuits, its all there, and its all in red and white.
Chestnuts roasted by Max @ 11/24/2003 10:32 PM EST
Satan shat this movie out. Its beyond horrible. Wind a date with tad hamilton is actually better than this movie!
Chestnuts roasted by Scooter @ 02/04/2004 12:56 PM EST
I tried the cereal and the Pop Tarts. (I managed not to burn mine) I'm such a big Dr. Seuss fan I had to try them and I have to say that they are very good. I still have the cereal box. I thought the Pop Tarts were very sweet, but i've got quite a sweet tooth.
Chestnuts roasted by Dragonrider @ 02/04/2004 02:13 PM EST
u man i dont eat tarts i eat only cereal.. now im out here looking at ur dam lyrical rhymes man u wack go get some tic tac ur breath stink like shit man i think thas crap
Chestnuts roasted by thebrking @ 02/19/2004 09:38 AM EST
yo the brking be talkin shit while he suckin his own dick man fuck u im humping ur bytch u think u cool but u really wak u like dildo man thas some bull shit
Chestnuts roasted by Brazilianpimp4life @ 02/19/2004 09:42 AM EST
Poptarts are a poster child for the "sugar cereal and power rangers" lifestyle.
Chestnuts roasted by hitokiri_diesel @ 02/24/2004 11:47 AM EST
I was kind of forced to watch "Cat in the Hat" on a four hour train ride to Seattle, WA. The only highlight of the film was when Paris Hilton had a cameo at the underground "rave."
Mmmm. Nothing like anorexic, succubus, night-vision, alien heiresses....
...God damn, I'm jealous.
Chestnuts roasted by VenomousSwan @ 05/22/2004 03:58 PM EST
RuneScape
There, I said it... X-E will finally have RuneScape show up on google
Chestnuts roasted by Aaron T @ 09/07/2004 05:11 AM EST
Did you know they made a book out of the cat in the hat movie? I think I lost some head blood when I saw it.
Chestnuts roasted by Meman @ 10/28/2004 11:34 AM EST
