The Untold Truth Of Eggo Waffle Cereal
Eggo waffles are a quintessential American breakfast food. After World War II, Americans didn't want the hassle of making waffles from scratch or from powdered mixes. Heat-and-serve meals were in demand, and in 1953 what would eventually be called Eggo waffles was born to meet that demand (via Delish). Today, Kellogg's Eggo frozen waffles are more popular than ever. In 2016 Thrillist conducted a taste test of frozen waffles, crowning Eggo Homestyle waffles champion. One tester noted, "I now understand the anger of somebody taking someone else's Eggo." Fast forward to March 2020, Eggo waffle sales climbed 45 percent as the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to eat breakfast at home. But it wasn't the only breakfast food that soared in sales, so did cereal (via CNBC).
In fact, cereal is a go-to meal for many Americans. While all versions of this breakfast staple don't fit into the health trend that has our population eating Greek yogurt and green juice, cereal has its own merits. It's super convenient; it's fortified with vitamins and minerals – even the sugary kind (via Global World Food Magazine), and it's pretty darn tasty. According to Statista, 284.89 million Americans consumed cold breakfast cereals in 2019. So it should come as no surprise when Eggo waffles and cereal came together like the Wonder Twins to form Eggo waffle cereal, nirvana ensued for a large percentage of the population, breathing new meaning into the iconic slogan, "Let go my Eggo."
Eggo Waffles cereal was not the first waffle themed cereal
According to Cereal Time TV, Kellogg's Eggo waffle cereal was introduced to consumers in 2006. The cereal was shaped like miniature Eggo waffles and was offered in two flavors: maple syrup and cinnamon toast. But this was not the first waffle-themed cereal. One of the first of note was Mr. Waffles. It was like a Chex cereal and came in original and banana flavor, but it didn't stick around very long. Waffle Crisp was released in 1996 by Post. This one was a big hit with cereal lovers until it was discontinued. Eggo waffle cereal stayed on grocery store shelves until 2012, but much to the chagrin of a generation of cereal consumers, it was discontinued, sentenced to the island of beloved cereals of yore that will never be again. At least that's what everyone thought.
In 2019, Kellogg's picked up where the cliffhanger left off. After the cereal had been out of the public eye for seven years, seemingly abandoned and forgotten, a random tweeter, or maybe a planted tweeter, called out Eggo in a tweet pleading with the waffle giant to bring back the cereal. On National Waffle Day, Eggo tweeted: "If this gets 10,000 RTs, we'll bring back Eggo cereal." Though, as Cereal Time TV notes, Eggo was likely already planning to relaunch the cereal. Even so, the Twitterverse answered the challenge with a Julia Roberts-like #heckyes response, garnering 10,600 retweets (via Geek Spin).
The reboot of Kellogg's Eggo waffle cereal
Kellogg's was true to their word. The company sent out an announcement letting the world know that Eggo waffle cereal was making its comeback, but its adoring fans would have to wait until November 24, 2019. It definitely generated a lot of buzz and excitement among cereal lovers. When it made its debut, Walmart got the exclusive for a few weeks before its wider distribution to retailers across the nation. This nostalgic breakfast food comes in two flavors Maple Homestyle waffle cereal and Blueberry waffle cereal. The homestyle version of this cereal still resembles little waffles and tastes like it has been lovingly drenched in maple syrup while the blueberry flavor tastes just like Eggo blueberry waffles coated with frosty goodness. Some fans are a little sad that the cinnamon sugar variety didn't return but don't fret too much (via Delish).
Like with every good morning serial soap opera storyline, the cast of characters is constantly being written off, only to return to fight a new day. While it is just our conjecture, the fate of Eggo Waffle cinnamon sugar cereal could be similar. Who's to say it can't return to grocery store shelves and to your table? A possible ray of hope that Eggo Waffle cereal is here to stay: it wasn't released as a limited edition like Post's Chicken and Waffles cereal. Just be prepared for Kellogg's Eggo to ask its Twitter fans for a little more love.