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!

Pebbles Sugar Cookie Cereal

As you can see, The Holidaze has decked the digital halls with red and green to celebrate the next phase of holiday fun!  In only a matter of weeks, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving here in the states.  In less than four weeks after that, the biggest holiday of them all will be upon us - Christmas Day!!  Personally, I can't believe the time is so near.  It feels like only yesterday that I was reeling from the Halloween blues.  Okay, well it was only 12 days ago, but these holidays will sneak up on you!  6 weeks sounds like a lot to soak in all the sights and sounds, along with spending all that money on all those presents, but it's really not.  Like every year, Christmas will creep up on us and we'll be waiting for Santa to arrive on Christmas Eve before we know it.  For as much as I love Halloween, Christmas ignites a different type of emotion and it's one that I can never get enough of.  Now, in the past, I've yet to follow through with the Christmas portion of The Holidaze.  I've tried, but I've failed.  Unlike Halloween, Christmas keeps me busy and focused on friends and family more than the selfish spooky season.  This year, my goal is to change that to bring in a new audience, keep my loyal readers happy, and change the vibe a bit.  Work is still a pain, so we'll see how it goes, but I'd love to share this season with all of you.  Between Turkey Day, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, we have more than enough to keep us going.

Now, I wasn't sure if or when I'd start the Christmas Holidaze, if at all, but then I saw something in stores that really got me excited for the season.  Usually, that's all it takes - One cool item that makes me thankful for the change in seasons and mindset.

Yep, leave it to cereal to get me going.  This isn't anything earth shattering like the returns of Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute, but it's been a while since we've seen any Christmas-themed cereal besides the legendary Christmas Crunch. It's difficult for companies to release holiday items because they don't want to exclude any religions or beliefs.  When was the last time you saw a Hanukkah Crunch?  It would probably be a big hit but, being Catholic, it probably wouldn't appeal to me.  The same can be said for Jewish people and Christmas Crunch.  It leads to drama, lower sales and, ultimately, companies shying away from the idea all together.  Financially, it make sense, but there are loopholes and Post found one with Pebbles Sugar Cookie Cereal! No matter what you celebrate or believe in, we all love sugar cookies, right?!

The box art lured me in as soon as I saw the image on Twitter, but I never expected to find it so soon.  Many items have teased me on TheImpulsiveBuy.com, but I've yet to see any of them in stores.  I assumed the same here, but I caught Target at the perfect time because they were just putting these beauties out on shelves.  I just had to wait for the stock girl to move out of my way in order to not look overly excited over, yet again, a box of cereal.

Realistically, we can all admit that this is a Christmas themed box of cereal, but Post never admits that.  We don't see the word anywhere, but the red, white, and green oats, along with Dino dressed as a reindeer, suggest that this was meant for breakfast on December 25th.  If I was an executive at Post, I'd totally lie and tell you that Bam Bam is wearing an animal-print yamaka, but we all know the deal.  This is a gift to us from Santa Claus.

I love the way the cereal looks, but didn't know what to expect from the flavor.  How would a Sugar Cookie translate?  Pebbles has released in a variety of odd cereal flavors, including Caramel Apple and Cupcake, all to mixed reviews.  Personally, I loved the Caramel Apple taste, but it wasn't meant to be a mainstay and I'd keep it that way.  That's why this is limited-edition and merely seasonal.  If it flops, it'll be outta here in two-months, never to be seen again.

The colors are bright enough to remind you of Christmas lights and that alone makes me happy to have this in my life.  Even though I'm still missing Halloween, I'm trying to find the Christmas spirit and this truly helps me dig deep and bring it out.  Little things like this get you in the mood, but family and friends keep it up as we move closer to the big day.

For the most part, this tastes like Fruity Pebbles and that's fine by me.  Growing up, that was what I ate more than any other breakfast.  Because I loved the Flintstones so much, my Parents always bought me Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles to eat before school.  I remember waking up for school, wrapping myself up in a big blanket, and eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles while watching Nickelodeon.  So, with every bite, there is nostalgia there for me.  But, there is a hint of Sugar Cookie and it's enough to differentiate this and make it a Christmas Cereal.  Overall, I'm a fan and really like this stuff.  It won't steal any thunder from Christmas Crunch, but it's a great alternative and looks the part.  I probably won't pick up any more boxes, because I'd rather the original Fruity Pebbles, but it's worth trying, especially if you save the holiday boxes like I do.  One day, they'll all be framed and changed as the seasons change.

To conclude, go find and buy a box of Pebbles Sugar Cookie.  It's brand new and worth a shot.  As far as The Holidaze goes, I'll do my best to update the site as much as possible.  If you've been reading, you're well aware that my work schedule is pretty crazy and that might extend into the 2nd week of December, but I'll give it an honest effort.  Because I haven't really contributed to the Christmas Holidaze in the past, just about everything is new to the site so, even if it's two-years-old, it'll probably get mentioned anyway.  So hopefully you'll join me as I attempt to create and enhance the Christmas experience.  If I flop, then just come back in September :)