by Elizabeth Millar
Have you ever thought of how cereal speaks worlds of pop culture? Well, it might not actually speak (with the exception of Rice Crispies), but it is very much a part of popular culture. Think of the cereals that have come and gone, or those that are staples in the grocery aisle, but change branding every so often. Many of us can probably look at a box of Cheerios, and place the time it was produced according to the characters featured on the front.
This all comes up as my husband and I recently started eating cereal for breakfast again. Apparently three cups of coffee doesn’t count as a balanced breakfast, who knew? Being a responsible adult, I started searching for the cereals that are not only high in fiber and low in sugar, but also reasonably priced. My husband on the other hand, couldn’t help but look at all of the fun cereals. They are usually overpriced, full of sugar, and contain colorful shaped bits. This got us talking about what cereals we loved when we were kids.
As a kid, cereal was pretty much the only option for breakfast for me…that or cream of wheat, yuck! My mom was pretty good at keeping us in check with Cheerios and bags of non-brand puffed wheat. If you sprinkled a bit of sugar on top, it became edible. When we were good, we would get to pick out special cereals when we were at the grocery store. Although one mishap or tantrum, and our cereal choice was taken away! We were never into sports, so Wheaties was lost on us—I didn’t know who those dudes on the box were. My brother was a big fan of Cap’n Crunch, I can’t remember if he was into the peanut butter or the crunch-berry version. I was never that into the Cap’n as it cut up the roof of my mouth. Perhaps chewing would have solved this…sigh, to know then what I know now. I was a total sucker for those cereals that were shameless advertising for a television show or movie. The ones that come to mind are Mr. T., Ghostbusters, and Ninja Turtles cereals. I was obsessed with the A-Team and Mr. T when I was a kid, so of course I had to incorporate that into my breakfast! I pity the fool who missed out on this breakfast treat! If memory serves me correct, the Ghostbusters and Ninja Turtles cereals had those weird, hard marshmallow bits in them. Those were so delicious! I remember eating them first so they didn’t get soggy, then chomping my way through “the rest.” I also seem to remember that the main part of the Ninja Turtle cereal were nets…does that sound right? I don’t see what nets have to do with Ninja Turtles, so if anyone knows or can correct me on this, please fill me in!
Now that I’m an adult, I feel that I must leave my fun cereals in the past. I do enjoy reminiscing about those fun carefree days! What cereals did you love as a kid? Were you into the healthy types, the yummy sugary ones, or the shameless promotional cereals like me? I’d love to walk down memory lane with you!
The “Now That’s Nifty” blog has a great retrospective of some of the best (and worst) breakfast cereals of yesterday and today: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
And of course, Pop Culture Universe has some contextual reading on the subject, like:
by Elizabeth Millar
Betty White recently won the Screen Actors Guild’s 46th Annual Life Achievement Award. Hopefully you recall Betty White as Rose from The Golden Girls (NBC, 1985–1992), in which she did a bang-up job playing the naïve farm girl from Saint Olaf living out her golden years in Miami with three roommates. This has to be one of my all-time favorite shows. Thank goodness for re-runs! Depending on what generation you’re from, you may not know that there is a LOT more to Betty White than just her role on this totally awesome show. There’s a darn good reason she won a Life Achievement Award!
Thank goodness for PCU, I was able to find out so much about my favorite Golden Girl! Did you know that she has had key roles in television since 1953? She also had a significant part on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where she won two Emmys. Mary Tyler Moore is big-time pop culture. My mom said that when she was a young adult, EVERY girl wanted to be Mary Tyler Moore and have their own apartment in the city. Now it seems like no big whoop, but back in the 1970s it was a very different thing. Heck, I learned about Mary Tyler Moore from the Weezer song “Buddy Holly” when I was in junior high…wow, but that’s a different story.
Please take a moment, and check out Betty White’s resume of movies and television appearances. The thing that keeps this lady so fresh and a part of current pop culture is that she never goes away! She’ll pop up on almost anything, and she’s as hilarious as ever. From her appearances on
Pettycoat Junction (trust me, it’s great…go look it up),
The Carol Burnett Show (another, please Netflix it), and Mama’s Family (spin-off from a skit on The Carol Burnett Show) to the more recent parts on My Name is Earl and Boston Legal—this lady just won’t quit! And I love her for it.
I hope we have many more years of Betty White’s sharp comedy in movies and television. She’s a true pop culture and entertainment gem. Cheers, Betty White! You deserve it!
Update 2/8: Betty White strikes again! Did you catch the most hilarious Super Bowl commercial starring my favorite lady? Check out Betty White trash-talking dudes on the football field in a Snickers ad, which was voted as SuperSunday’s best spot.
by Scott Wich
The blockbuster live album is a bit of a lost art in pop music. The great live albums of the past either documented landmark performances in rock history (see Elvis Presley’s ‘68 Comeback Special or Bob Dylan’s Live 1966) or even broke new artists from obscurity to the top of the charts (see Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive! or Cheap Trick’s At Budokan). Here, in no particular order, are the all time best live releases—sorry, Dead/Phish/Pearl Jam fans, no bootlegs allowed—as determined by the editors of Pop Culture Universe.
Nirvana: Unplugged in New York (1994)
The pinnacle of MTV’s “Unplugged” series (with the possible exception of LL Cool J’s performance of “Mama Said Knock You Out”) posthumously documented the genius that was Kurt Cobain. Fortunately, you can’t see or smell his hideous sweater (which immediately became the uniform of the grunge movement) while you’re listening. Their cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” is stunning.
Elvis Presley: NBC-TV Special (a/k/a The ‘68 Comeback Special) (1968)
Similarly recorded in the round in front of a small audience, this was probably the last time that Elvis was truly cool.
Bob Dylan: Live 1966 (1998)
One of the most important concerts ever played, where Dylan “plugs in” and goes electric for the second set and changes the course of pop music. Such an important show that a virtual field of study has been created around someone yelling “Judas!” just before the last song, and Dylan’s response to him. This album deserves to make the list if only for the aggressive, bitter “Like a Rolling Stone” that ensued.