Ah, Cookie Crisp Cereal. What a sneaky way to get kids to eat their breakfast! Not to mention an equally sneaky way to trigger me into late night snacking. I can't even begin to count the bowls of Cookie Crisp I ate while watching late night TV, or while working on blogs and web-sites late into the night.
Launched in 1977 by Ralston Purina, Cookie Crisp was an instant hit right out of the gate. It was originally available in chocolate chip, vanilla wafer and oatmeal flavors. My absolute favorite was the vanilla variety, with chocolate chip being a close runner up. Other flavors introduced through the years were Peanut Butter, Double Chocolate, Vanilla with Sprinkles, and Birthday Cake flavors.
Old box featuring 'Cookie Jarvis' the Wizard
If there was ever a retro packaging resurrection I'd like to see, Cookie Jarvis ranks right up there at the top of my list. I miss seeing the old commercials with Jarvis the Wizard turning kids drab and boring breakfast cereal into bite sized cookies. There was even a vanilla flavored version that I loved equally as much as the chocolate chip Cookie-Crisp back in the day.
1982 Cookie-Crisp Topps Wacky Packages tie in
1982 Topps Beastball Wacky Packages card
I vividly remember the following Cookie Crisp Commercial from my youth. It's from an era where cereal manufacturers used to actually try and compete for your business with clever marketing. They did this by catering directly to their main consumers, which were kids.
Chip the Wolf would try to steal kids Cookie Crisp cereal using gadgets and inventions he had created. His plans were usually brought down by the same kids he was trying to steal from. I personally can't remember seeing any new commercials featuring Chip the Wolf recently, but then again.. we now consume content in entirely new ways since the heyday of cereal television commercials.
Thankfully, companies are catching onto consumers fondness for the way things used to be, and many are hopping on the retro packaging bandwagon everyday. Hopefully General Mills will include Cookie Crisp into their ever changing limited edition lineup of throwback packaging. Maybe they just need a little feedback to encourage them to do so? Below is a link tobug err.. encourage General Mills to bring back Jarvis the Wizard, The Cookie Crook, and Chip the Dog.
Ask General Mills to bring some or all of the old mascots back!
Choose the subject as "other" and let them know why they should bring back some retro magic, by re-introducing your favorite old school mascot.
Old box featuring 'Cookie Jarvis' the Wizard
If there was ever a retro packaging resurrection I'd like to see, Cookie Jarvis ranks right up there at the top of my list. I miss seeing the old commercials with Jarvis the Wizard turning kids drab and boring breakfast cereal into bite sized cookies. There was even a vanilla flavored version that I loved equally as much as the chocolate chip Cookie-Crisp back in the day.
1982 Cookie-Crisp Topps Wacky Packages tie in
The box above is from 1982, with a Topps Wacky Packages in-box prize of two cards per box. This was when Topps shrunk down the size of the Wacky Packages cards, making them much smaller.
1982 Topps Beastball Wacky Packages card
As a direct result from the 'Planet of the Apes' movies, KING KONG, and countless black and white gorilla based horror movies, I was obsessed with gorillas as a child. Therefore, this was one of my favorite Wacky Packages cards of all time. It was a re-release from an earlier 70s set of Wacky Packages. I actually scored the 'BEASTBALL' card from one of the 1982 Cookie-Crisp boxes. I coveted that card and held onto it for decades. I believe my son now has it in his collection somewhere.
The Cookie Crook, Chip, and The Cookie Cop
The storylines and skits that ensued, were in the style of old 'Keystone Cop' comedy. Sometime around 1990, the Cookie Crook gained a canine sidekick named 'Chip'. The crook's plans to steal Cookie Crisp were usually foiled when Chip would get overly excited and uncontrollably start to howl "Coo-ooooooookie Crisp!"
The 'Cookie Crook' was introduced in 1980 while Cookie Jarvis was still the Cereal's mascot. Jarvis would always be the foil to Cookie Crook's dastardly deeds. Quite suddenly however, Cookie Jarvis disappeared in 1985 and only the Cookie Crook remained. However, Hot on his trail was 'Officer Crumb', a police officer looking to bust the Ne'er-do-well.
The storylines and skits that ensued, were in the style of old 'Keystone Cop' comedy. Sometime around 1990, the Cookie Crook gained a canine sidekick named 'Chip'. The crook's plans to steal Cookie Crisp were usually foiled when Chip would get overly excited and uncontrollably start to howl "Coo-ooooooookie Crisp!"
Later on when the Cookie Crook was phased out, Officer Crumb became the antagonist, because he felt kids shouldn't be eating cookies for breakfast. Chip then became the hero, usually foiling Officer Crumb and saving the day.
When Officer Crumb and The Cookie Crook were dropped altogether, Chip became the sole mascot. Rather than a thief, the commercials usually featured him giving kids cereal while howling "Coo-ooooooookie Crisp!".
After Officer Crumb's disappearance, authority figures such as teachers, park rangers, little league umpires etc. would act as the antagonists, telling kids they couldn't have cookies for breakfast. Chip would inevitably save the day and the kids would in turn get to enjoy their bowls of cookies.
In 2006, Chip the dog was dropped altogether and replaced with 'Chip the Wolf', who succinctly pilfered Chip the Dog's catch phrase "Co-ooooookie Crisp".
Chip the Wolf would try to steal kids Cookie Crisp cereal using gadgets and inventions he had created. His plans were usually brought down by the same kids he was trying to steal from. I personally can't remember seeing any new commercials featuring Chip the Wolf recently, but then again.. we now consume content in entirely new ways since the heyday of cereal television commercials.
An interesting thing I've noticed on YouTube, is that most of the same exact commercials seen in America were broadcasted in the U.K. However, they were voiced over by an actor with an English accent.
I have seen recent videos on YouTube and tiktok about folks rejecting Chip the Wolf as their Cookie-Crisp mascot. Kind of like the way I felt many years ago about Cookie Jarvis being dropped, and then again when the Cookie Crook was given the boot.
Upon writing this article, I realized haven't bought a box of Cookie Crisp in about 5 years. Partly because of the way I eat these days, but mostly because it just doesn't excite me anymore. Breakfast cereals were a lot different when I was a boy. The cereal companies employed advertising agencies to produce a constant slew of adventurous cartoons in commercial form. They also commissioned toy companies to make the great in-box prizes and toys that so many of us remember from our youth. In television commercials and promos, cereal mascots took on a life all their own.
Cookie-Crisp.. Oatmeal?
I eat a lot more oatmeal these days,
so this caught my attention this week
Thankfully, companies are catching onto consumers fondness for the way things used to be, and many are hopping on the retro packaging bandwagon everyday. Hopefully General Mills will include Cookie Crisp into their ever changing limited edition lineup of throwback packaging. Maybe they just need a little feedback to encourage them to do so? Below is a link to
Ask General Mills to bring some or all of the old mascots back!
Choose the subject as "other" and let them know why they should bring back some retro magic, by re-introducing your favorite old school mascot.
Heck, while I'm at their site putting in my bi-annual vote for a Jarvis revival, I may even ask them to bring back Vanilla flavored Cookie Crisp as well.