Cereal Killers: Or Spencer’s Nostalgic Moment #682

I must be getting old because I can’t go a day without something making me nostalgic.

It could be a song or a sound or a smell. But it can instantly shoot me back to my childhood. And my childhood was a pretty happy place to be.

Recently as I pushed my shopping cart up and down the aisles of one of my favorite stores that will remain nameless (Target), I stopped and scanned the cereal aisle.

And yes, I became nostalgic. Right there in front of the discounted box of granola. It was pretty pathetic, I have to admit.

Remember the days when kiddie cereal had toys in them? I mean IN the boxes? The toys weren’t fancy or expensive, but they were treasures to be mined at the bottom of a box of Frosted Flakes.

You can still get the toys, but now you have to send a zillion proofs of purchase and money. And they don’t have the same charm as they used to.

Once in a while you still find a toy packaged in the cereal box, but incidents like the mercury-in-the-battery scare from a few years ago probably have scared most of the manufacturers off. Who wants to risk a lawsuit if a dopey child reaches in and swallows a decoder ring?

Who could forget the excitement of sticking your whole forearm into a freshly opened box of cereal? Remember when you pulled your arm out and it–and the toy–smelled like your favorite sugary delight?

Kids are missing out on so many things. The saddest part is that most of them don’t even realize it. These simple joys don’t seem to be enough for today’s kids. They would rather play with something that takes 400 batteries. Or better yet, something that runs on rocket fuel.

And now if you’ll excuse me. There is a bowl full of Smurf Berry Crunch waiting for me in the kitchen of my mind.