Cap'n Crunch - Sprinkled Donut Crunch

It's March 11th, it's absolutely beautiful outside and the snow is finally melting.  I think that's as good a reason as any to bounce back and write a new post for The Holidaze.  It's surely been a while - almost a month - and I hate when the downfalls take place.  It's common this time of year, but it aggravates me when I can't find new topics or the time to cover them.  If you follow me on Instagram @HolidazeBlog, you might have already seen today's topic posted and, surprisingly, it caught a lot of attention and increased my number of followers by more than expected.  So if you're not one of them yet, make sure you are one now!  During the "off-season," I find myself focusing more on social media and pictures than the site itself.  It's quick and easy!  Now.. Let's get into the crunch - Cap'n Crunch's Sprinkled Donut Crunch, that is!

Like many of the new products I cover and am interested in, I first discovered this on Instagram and was thrilled to find out it wasn't an elaborate hoax.  Why does new cereal intrigue me so much?  I think it's because I've never had a really bad cereal and they all bring something different to the breakfast table.  Growing up, it was all I ate.  Whether it was the early morning or a late night snack while watching Nick-at-Nite, nothing's better than a bowl of cereal and milk.  This past weekend, I was sick with a cold and didn't have an appetite for much, but cereal is something I've never not been in the mood for.  So yeah, new boxes and flavors will always attract my attention and, really, Cap'n Crunch always has something new up his sleeve to entice us with.

I knew Donut Crunch would look cool, but I didn't think it would look that awesome.  The tiny donuts, covered in rainbow sprinkles, look too good to be considered cereal.  They're also pretty big.  I was expecting them to be the size of Cheerios, but they're more like Cheerios on steroids.  I was impressed by them in every way and they were already living up to my expectations.  In terms of flavor, they're hard to describe, but there's definitely a distinct donut flavor.  They remind me plain and glazed Entenmann's donuts that come in variety boxes.  There's also a hint of birthday cake flavor thrown in that works really well.  I think we can attribute that to the sprinkles.  Overall, these little rings of Heaven are great and worth every penny.  It's your traditional Cap'n Crunch undertone covered in Donuttiness.  Not a word?  Now it is!

Before I conclude, I think this little bit of info is important for those interested in trying Sprinkled Donut Crunch.  According to various reviews I've read, especially on TheImpulsiveBuy, this new cereal is very similar to that of Sprinkle Spangles.  They were star-shaped sprinkled bits that I vaguelyyyy remember and most of my memory is sparked by Google images so I can't confirm or deny, but if you were a fan of Sprinkle Spangles, this may be the return you've been waiting for.  It's an added bonus to this limited-edition and it may be better than any premium they could have thrown in the box.

Based on my research, Cap'n Crunch has released a plethora of limited-edition flavors in the past and I'd absolutely love to give them a try if ever resurrected.  It looks like I missed out on a bunch before my time, but just look at these names - Punch Crunch, Vanilly Crunch, Polar Crunch, Choco Crunch, Deep Sea Crunch, and Volcano Crunch - whoaa!!  I remember a few, but never tried them.  I'm particularly intrigued by Fruit Punch flavored cereal, but they all sound awesome.  So if Sprinkle Spangles can come back for all of you, I'm holding out hope that a few others return for me.  In the meantime, Sprinkled Donut Crunch is a hit!

P.S.  St. Patrick's Day is less than a week away, so get ready for a few posts here and there celebrating the color green, shamrocks, leprechauns, beer, and - oh, right - my heritage :)

Cinnamon Roll Crunch

It has been a long time since I've written anything on The Holidaze.  There were so many things I missed, and so many things I meant to write about, but either never found the time or was limited in one way or another.  So, to catch up quickly, let me wish you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, Happy St. Patrick's Day, and Happy Easter.  I hope each holiday found you well and you enjoyed yourself.  Believe me, even though it wasn't shared with the three people who read this blog, I certainly had a great time.  No doubt, CK was in a 'daze!

But now, let's forget about what I missed and focus on the present.  Summer doesn't officially begin until June 20th, but that doesn't mean we can't kick the party off early.  In New Jersey, the weather has been beautiful for months.  The shorts and t-shirts are out and, before you know it, the beaches will be packed with bikinis, flip flops and board shorts.  It's one of the greatest times of year and should be celebrated as a three-month-long holiday.

There is so much you can get out of the Summer months.  Everything from food and snacks to parks, beaches and events.  In case you've forgotten, The Holidaze celebrates everything and anything that puts you in a daze during the holidays.  For Summer, the possibilities are endless and I plan on capturing as much as possible between now and our transition into Halloween.  To begin, let's talk about something that caught my eye yesterday and was fundamental in my decision to once again get motivated and rock this blog...

CINNAMON ROLL CRUNCH!

I'm the type of guy who can sit back and relax with a bowl of cereal at any time of day.  For some, it may strictly be a breakfast item, but not for me.  In fact, in my life, I've probably eaten more cereal before bed than I have upon waking up.  It's quick, it's simple, and it's awesome.  So whenever I find something new, especially when it relates to the time of year, you know it's on.

In October, Cap'n Crunch pumps me up with Halloween Crunch.  In December, they do it again with Christmas Crunch.  Both of those limited edition cereals are amazing, but at that time of year, while they're highly anticipated, they're also expected.  So, when I was walking down the aisle at Path Mark last night, this was a big surprise!  I was actually looking for the new Spider Man cereal, but this was much better than finding that.  Cinnamon Roll Crunch?  Awesome!

I don't know who manages the Cap'n Crunch brand, but they do an amazing job.  Every time they release something new (or even the classics,) they never cease to impress me.  Look at that box.  The graphics are perfect.  It's just enough without going overboard and, much like Summer, it emits the feeling of warmth.  It expresses Summer and, for that reason, it was a no brainer.

Cinnamon Roll Crunch Cereal looks like a box of golden Crunch Berries, but they're much softer and taste like..well..cinnamon!  I know, right? Who woulda guessed it?  It's actually not a flavor I would have ever associated with Cap'n Crunch, but that's what makes it even better.  You're not really sure what to expect when you buy this, but you can only assume it's going to be greatness.  Believe me, it is!

One of the greatest cereals I ever had as kid was French Toast Crunch made by General Mills.  Not only did it taste exactly like French Toast, but the cereal was shaped like bread.  It was tremendously popular in the CK household and I couldn't leave for school until the bowl was completely gone.  Then, out of nowhere, it was gone and I was stuck with Waffle Crisp.  Well, guess what?  Cinnamon Roll Crunch is as close to French Toast Crunch as you can get!

It's been a long time since I had French Toast Crunch, but I know the flavor is close, if not exactly the same!  In my opinion, the only difference is the shape.  There have been many cinnamon flavored cereals that have come and gone, each tasty in their own way, but this new Cap'n Crunch flavor takes the bun and I hope it sticks around.  It doesn't appear to be limited edition, so let's hope it isn't!

The back of the box features the "Family of Great Flavors" and a game that asks you to find the differences.  We've all seen this game before.  It's on hundreds of boxes of cereal, but it never gets old.  How many can you find?

For those of you too lazy to play, (or aren't any good at it) here are the differences..

Not too hard, right?

Now, get get yourself a box of new Cap'n Crunch Cinnamon Roll Cereal!

Halloween Crunch Cereal

For years, I have looked for Cap'n Crunch's Halloween Crunch cereal.  No matter how hard I looked, Halloween Crunch has always found a way to hide from me.  Until last year, the same could have been said for Christmas Crunch.  See, in 2010, my girlfriend found two boxes of Christmas Crunch at Wal-Mart in Woodbridge, NJ.  What an amazing surprise that was!  I assumed they'd have this year's special editions as well, but when we called, they said they never heard of it.  Obviously their customer service representative isn't a big fan of Halloween.  But I am, so what's a man to do?  Order two boxes on Ebay and wait patiently by the door for them to arrive.

Here it is!  Halloween Crunch is finally mine!  In my opinion, the Halloween Crunch box art is the single greatest piece of Halloween art you can buy.  I'm serious.  Every year, they come up with the coolest designs.  They've dressed the Cap'n as a Mummy, a Werewolf, and now, he's carved into a pumpkin.  They go all out each and every year and prove to every other company out there just how important it is to put the time and effort into their products.  I just love this box.  This is the type of art that makes me love illustration and graphic design.  This is the type of art that makes me want to work in package design.  It's just perfect. This will definitely be saved in a safe place.  Then, one day, it will be framed and hung in my kitchen for Halloween.  It's that awesome.

After I received my two boxes of Halloween Crunch in the mail, my girlfriend found two boxes in the same Wal-Mart that told us they never heard of the most amazing cereal ever made!  So, in a matter of one year, I went from not being able to find one box to now having four boxes in my kitchen.  Believe me, I'm not complaining one bit.  As I type this, I have Halloween Crunch, Count Chocula, Frankenberry and Boo Berry all waiting to be devoured in the next 12 days.  You know I'll make it happen!

Why do I love this cereal so much?  Well, besides the box art, it isn't all that different from your everyday Cap'n Crunch Berries cereal.  You're still going to get amazing flavor and, of course, the roof of your mouth torn up.  But in addition, you're going to get something that is very Halloweeny:  The milk is going to turn green!!  This is the coolest part!  The ghost berries work like magic and turn milk green whenever they're drowned in dairy.  Just like Boo Berry turns milk blue, and Frankenberry turns milk pink, Halloween Crunch adds a little color to Halloween.  But, in my opinion, the Cap'n takes first prize because he turns things green!  Green baby!!

If you're as impatient as I am and are constantly looking for immediate gratification, then you need to start mixing your Halloween Crunch as soon as the milk is poured into the bowl.  Sure, you can go about things slowly and wait for things to change color on their own, but I'm not.  I've waited at least 4 years to find this cereal and I want my green milk.

Ahhh yess!!  Look at the green milk!  That is Halloween!  That's just so awesome.  Not only are you getting quality flavor, but you're getting a bowl of green milk.  If you're creative, you can pretend that it's not really milk and actually some type of poison.  You can pretend that a witch has casted a spell and turned your Halloween Crunch into an evil love potion.  You can even pretend that you're not really a nerd and completely unphazed by the fact that you're milk just turned green.  I'd like to go with the latter, but we all know I'm pretending that this green milk is actually zombie throw-up.  It really doesn't matter what you imagine, as long as you know just how awesome it is that you're having Halloween Crunch cereal.

Here's another view to give you a better perspective.  If you were expecting a really bright green, then you'd probably be disappointed to see that there is only a slight change in appearance.  In my opinion, this is the perfect amount of change.  This green looks cold and ghostly.  It reminds me of a cemetery.  It's eerie and better than I expected.  I wouldn't want it to be neon green.  That would remind me too much of Nickelodeon slime or The Ghostbusters.  No way, I was looking for something to stand alone and Halloween Crunch cereal most certainly does just that.  If you haven't been able to find this yet, or just haven't picked it up, then you need to do whatever you can to do so now!  You have 11 days left!  Go Green this Halloween!

If the cereal alone doesn't get your motor running, then maybe the back of the box will interest the Pumpkin Carver inside of you.

The Cap'n wants you to bring him to life this Halloween by carving his face into a pumpkin!  Now you can make your very own Cap-O-Lantern and re-create the amazing box art in real-life!  I'm thinking about doing this.  We have one pumpkin right now but he's just so perfectly round that we've yet to tarnish his appearance with holes.  We want to make sure that our baby pump is done just right so we're not really sure what to do yet.  However, the back of this box is quite interesting and I feel like I owe it to the front of the box to carve the Cap'n.

For anybody who reads this and wants to do the same, here's an image that may make things easier for you.  Not everybody can find this limited edition Halloween Crunch, but they should still be allowed to take part in the pumpkin carving process.  So here's the Cap'n in black and white.  Save it, print it, carve it, light it.

Now, even though the roof of my mouth is destroyed, I'm going to go make a bowl of Halloween Crunch!!