Pebbles - Summer Berry Flavor

Summer is right around the corner and those early Summer temps are already starting to pop up on the East Coast.  80, 81, 84.. It's getting hotter and hotter and besides making me wish I went to the gym more, it makes me excited for all the new products and activities in store for us over the next 3-4 months.  Much like the latter part of the year, Summer always brings out the best in retailers, distributors and promoters.  It leads to interesting shelves and even better times out and about in the sun.  Believe me, after the Winter we had in New Jersey, I'm more than ready for that heat and relaxation.  Until then, my eyes are always searching for new and creative products.

As I always do in grocery stores, I was walking down the cereal aisle in hopes of finding something I've never seen before.  I haven't had much luck in recent months so I wasn't expecting much.  As I looked at the same old boxes I've seen time and time again, I realized I was about to strike out again.  I shrugged my shoulders and began walking toward the next aisle when something caught my eye at the very last second.

Now, I'm not that much of a geek that I'd publicly do a solo Daniel Bryan "YES" chant but, in my mind, all I heard was "Ride of the Valkyries."  Instead of being on shelves, these beautiful boxes of new Summer Berry Flavored Pebbles cereal had their own display for the season!  Ever since I was a kid, I've always loved limited-edition cereals because there was so much uniqueness to them.  Whether it was an unusual flavor or amazing box art, they lured me in and I just had to have it bowled as quickly as possible.  As of late, Post has been doing an incredible job with the Pebbles collection.  Most recently, we had Sugar Cookie Pebbles for the Christmas season, but it even goes beyond that and has for years!

Now, it's obvious that this new Summer Berry Pebbles aims to celebrate America.  Whether it's Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, it symbolizes the USA chant!  The red, white, and blue color scheme, along with Uncle Sam's top hat on Bamm-Bamm's head, is enough for me to wave as if it's Old Glory hereslf.  It's an awesome illustration and, as a fan of product art and design, I would have purchased this box even if reviews warned against it.  But how could you go wrong with Berry flavored cereal?  I was about to find out..

Besides the white oats looking like flaky skin, the colors are vibrant and pop loud enough to be confused with Macy's July 4th Spectacular.  Okay.. maybe I'm stretching a bit, but the combination works very well and besides being appropriate for this limited-edition, it's nice to see these three come together in a cereal box.  Personally, I can't remember any time we've had the flag represented in breakfast form so this may very well be historic.  Call up Scholastic and have them publish this in time for next September's school year.  Students need to read this groundbreaking piece of literature ;)

Unlike the Sugar Cookie Pebbles which only had a hint of Sugar Cookie flavor, these Summer Berry Pebbles stand entirely on their own in the realm of cereals.  Besides texture, this cereal tastes nothing like Fruity Pebbles.  Going in, I expected the classic flavor with maybe a small hint of Berry in an attempt to quickly cash in on the season.  Nope.. I was wrong!

The Berry flavor is strong and sweet, but perfect for this limited-edition variety and was a nice change of pace from what I'm used to.  Now, I've never had Bamm-Bamm Berry Pebbles, so this is a Berry flavor that I've yet to experience from a breakfast cereal and that's a good thing.  This isn't Boo Berry, it's not Berry Berry Kix, and tastes nothing like Crunch Berries.  No.. if I were to compare this to anything, it would be a pack of berry Starburst or, if you've ever been to Houlihan's, their Blue Whale cocktail.  I know that's an odd comparison, but there's something about Summer Berry Pebbles that reminds me of an alcoholic concoction.  Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing... The only thing wrong with that is it doesn't get me buzzed in the process.  Otherwise, it does a great job of making me feel as if I'm relaxing on a beach with Fred and Barney while Betty and Wilma bring us some Summer Berry.  Ahhhh, the good life in Bedrock!

Poppin' Pebbles Cereal

September and October are always my favorite months to write for The Holidaze.  There's a whole bunch of candy, junk, and fun events to cover that I just get lost in the sensation of it all.  Then, once it all comes to a rapid conclusion, I tend to lose my passion and overlook Christmas.  Thankfully, 2013 was different and I managed to get a few posts up and, overall, they were a lot of fun.  But because of my recent track record, I honestly didn't expect myself to write very often after New Year's Eve.  Even I figured, oh well, this is the time of year when Cliff checks out and leaves the tens of readers hanging.  In my unjustified defense, there's usually not much to talk about.  But this year is going to be different!  Like I said in my last post (and this past Summer,) 2014's goal is to make, and do, something to talk about and share it here on the site.  Plus, 8 days into the year and we're already seeing awesome new products, especially in the cereal aisle!  That's what we're talking about today!

 

Poppin' Pebbles Cereal!!

The power of social media is second to none and thanks to my buddy Chase, this brand new variety of Fruity Pebbles was brought to my attention.  While I've had my eyes on a few other cereal releases, to hopefully be discussed later, I somehow overlooked Poppin' Pebbles and almost missed out on such a cool concept.  Chase came up clutch with a  great find and an even better Instagram share which led me to scour the stores for this insanely creative box art.  Bam Bam and Pebbles popping pebbles?  I'll take that over Miley popping Mollies any day of the week.  But, alas, I came up short and couldn't find it.

Then, last night, my girlfriend texts me and says she has a surprise on the table for when I get out of work.  So many things ran through my mind, and cereal wasn't very high on the list of expectations, but man was I happy.  Definitely happier than a grown man should be over a hot pink cereal box, but not to the point where I care about being judged.  Do so if you must, but It's cereal that fizzes in your mouth!  Whaat?

Unlike Fruity Pebbles cereal, which is a favorite of mine, Poppin' Pebbles isn't rainbow colored.  Purple and pink are the primary Poppin' Pebbles colors and I'm so happy to have just been that alliterative.  I'm like the Jay-Z of cereal reviews and candy news.  Oh snap!  Okay, if I can be serious for a moment, I love the brightness and shades of colors incorporated here.  If they had waited another month to release this cereal, It could have easily passed for a Limited Valentine's Day Edition.  It's perfect for February 14th and I may just hold on to some for a future post.  Regardless, the berry flavored grains aren't what attracts me to this cereal and it's definitely not what kids will remember this for.  Nope, this is all about the little green balls of fizz!

I really like the berry taste because it reminds me of a lighter Boo Berry, but those green balls are amazing.  It's like the Green Goblin invaded Bedrock and dropped bombs on Fred and Barney for our edible enjoyment.  Does that make sense?  Nope, not at all, but when you put these in your mouth and bite down, you'll know exactly what I mean.  These things explode and pop like miniature Pop Rocks.  The more you chew them, the stronger and more intense they become.  I let the oats sit there and bounce around as if there were a tiny ice storm in my mouth.  Combine it with berry flavored Pebbles and you've got a hit on your hands.

There are not many Poppin' Pieces in the box of cereal, but no less than there are marshmallows in a box of Yummy Mummy.  You don't want an overload because these things are really strong and too many would ruin the magic.  The berry cereal is very good and just a few small bombs are enough to give you the best of both worlds.  I was very happy with the amount found in the box and I think kids will be, too.  I'm sure will be that one 8-year-old rebel who pours nothing but Poppin' Pieces into his bowl but.... actually, that's not a bad idea.  Leave it to the 26-year-old to think that's a good idea.  I'm not going to do it, but it'll make a memory for somebody and that's what I love about this Poppin' Pebbles cereal.  This is one that children are going to remember.  One day, when they're all grown up, two kids from today are going to talk and strike up a conversation about Poppin' Pebbles cereal.  "Ohh man, remember that?  Remember how they popped in your mouth?"  Embrace moments like this because they become the moments like that.  Makes this cereal worth every penny.