Breakfast of Champions

Gay kids in the 1960s had to get their beefcake wherever they could, even at breakfast. Whenever Mom asked "What cereal do you want?", you had to decide between the cereal that tasted good or the one with the muscular guy on the box? (In this case, Bruce Jenner, now Caitlin Jenner after coming out as transgender in 2015.)

Did you ask Mom to bring home the cereal that stays crunchy even in milk, or the one with the picture of a Scotsman flexing an enormous bicep?

Although I did like both Cheerios Cereal and the Cheerios Kid, and Sugar Bear, who wore a blue turtleneck sweater and talked like Elvis Presley, was kind of cute.

 Quaker Oats even played into the conundrum with the competing ceeals Quisp and Quake.  Introduced in 1965, Quisp was an alien who looked like a Martian out of Rocky and Bullwinkle (because both were created by Jay Ward).  He sold corn "saucers."  Quake was a muscular miner with a purple cape who sold corn "boulders."  They both offered toys and premiums, and appeared in tv commercials competing over their products.

There was really no contest.  Quisp Cereal was sweet, sort of like Captain Crunch; Quake Cereal was awful.  Besides, who would pick a miner over a cool alien, muscles or not?  In 1969, Quake was transformed into a slim Australian cowboy, but it didn't help.  When Quaker Oats held an "election" to see who would be discontinued, Quake got his walking papers. Quisp was available through the 1970s .

See also: Mikey Likes It