Cocoa Puffs facts for kids
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General Mills Cocoa Puffs – Naturally Flavored Frosted Corn Puffs, with milk
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| Type | Breakfast cereal |
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| Owner | General Mills |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1956 |
| Markets | USA, Canada, Latin America, and Europe |
Cocoa Puffs is a yummy chocolate-flavored breakfast cereal from America. It's made by a company called General Mills. This cereal first came out in 1956.
Cocoa Puffs are small, round pieces of corn and rice. They are flavored with cocoa to give them their chocolate taste. These puffs look similar to other cereals like Kix and Trix. In some parts of the world, like Canada, Latin America, and Europe, Cocoa Puffs are sold under the Nesquik brand. This happens because of an agreement between Nestlé and General Mills.
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What's in Your Bowl?
When you eat Cocoa Puffs, you're enjoying a cereal made with real Hershey's cocoa. This has been mentioned on the cereal boxes and in commercials many times!
In 2009, General Mills decided to make their cereals healthier. They announced they would lower the sugar in ten of their cereals, including Cocoa Puffs. This meant less than 10 grams of sugar per serving. That was a big drop from the original amount of sugar!
Later, in 2020, General Mills brought back some older recipes for their cereals. This included Cocoa Puffs, along with Golden Grahams, Cookie Crisp, and Trix. Some fans noticed that the cereal changed. They said the puffs were smaller and tasted less chocolatey than before.
Different Kinds of Cocoa Puffs
Over the years, there have been some fun variations of Cocoa Puffs:
- Cereal Bar: A cereal bar version of Cocoa Puffs was created. It had a layer of sweet, dried condensed milk at the bottom. This was meant to be like having milk with your cereal, but in a bar!
- Cocoa Puffs Combos: In 2008, a new type called Cocoa Puffs Combos came out. This cereal had the regular chocolate puffs mixed with vanilla-flavored puffs. Interestingly, the vanilla puffs didn't have real cocoa. They used an artificial cocoa flavor instead.
- Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch: Another variety was Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch, released in 2011. The box described these as "sweetened chocolate squares" with both natural and artificial flavors.
Meet Sonny the Cuckoo Bird!
The famous mascot for Cocoa Puffs is Sonny the Cuckoo Bird. He first appeared in commercials in 1962.
Sonny's Catchphrase
In the TV commercials, Sonny tries to do normal things. But then he hears something that reminds him of Cocoa Puffs. People often describe the cereal as "munchy, crunchy, chocolatey." When Sonny hears this, he gets super excited! He then shouts his famous catchphrase: "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!"
This phrase, "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs," has even become a common saying. People use it to describe someone who is acting a bit silly or irrational.
Who Voices Sonny?
- From 1962 to 1978, Sonny was voiced by Chuck McCann.
- Since 1978, Larry Kenney has been the voice of Sonny.
Sonny's Family and Look
Sonny's name comes from the early commercials where he was with his grandfather. They called each other "Gramps" and "Sonny." Even after Gramps stopped appearing in the ads, Sonny's name stuck. In 2010, Gramps returned to the commercials, with Chuck McCann voicing him again.
Sonny was designed by an artist named Gene Cleaves. Another animation pioneer, Grim Natwick, also helped create Sonny's early look.
Sonny's appearance has changed over time:
