Rice Krispies' Spooky Halloween Cereal Has To Be Seen To Be Believed

It's almost the time of year for pint-sized ghosts, goblins, and princesses to grace your front doors, looking for candy. This means it's also the season of familiar products donning their Halloween alter-egos, adopting macabre hues and ghastly shapes. After all, you haven't fully enjoyed the Halloween experience until you've devoured an orange-middled Oreo, a Cheetos rib cage, a Frankenstein Peep, or one of many Pillsbury-themed cookies. One surefire way to embrace October 31, however, is by digging into a milky bowl of one of the many available nightmarish breakfast cereals. 

Over the years, the manufacturers of the nation's most popular cereal brands have lunged aboard the "seasonal offerings" train, taking a particular liking to this holiday of the horrid. Who could forget Cap'n Crunch's Halloween Crunch, a cereal that WRKR said came in ghost shapes and "like all Cap'n Crunch cereals, will surely rip the roof of your mouth off?" Insider reminisces about Frosted Flakes Chocolate Cereal with spooky marshmallow-shaped bats and ghosts, Reese's Puffs peanut butter and chocolate-flavored bats, and Monster Mash, a blend of the retro monster-ish "Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry." And, there once was a cereal named for "The Real Ghostbusters" animated franchise bearing fruity bursts with marshmallow ghosts (via Mr. Breakfast). But now, fans of Snap, Crackle, and Pop can enjoy a frightful version of the cereal that talks.

While moms and dads have grown accustomed to creating Halloween-themed Rice Krispies treats, Kellogg's latest offering will ensure that even a simple bowl of this rice-based cereal will give the kids a welcomed fright. Yes, according to a Kellogg's press release, Rice Krispies Shocking Orange Colored Cereal (the name pretty much says it all) will be hitting store shelves in August 2022. As an added bonus, it tastes exactly like its blander-hued cousin, meaning you can use it in any recipe that calls for traditional Rice Krispies. 

Why bright orange? Kellogg's director of brand marketing says that they "cannot wait to see what kind of creativity this product will inspire" using this "festive color of fall." The 7.50-ounce box will go for $4.49, while the bigger 12-ouncer will be $5.49. While Rice Krispies' past Halloween offerings featured chocolate-flavored rice crisps and marshmallow ghosts and skulls (via Mr. Breakfast), this year's vivid color and lack of marshmallow shapes is surely a welcome change. The future appears to be filled with pumpkin-shaped Rice Krispies squares that don't require food coloring.