It's a Monster Makeover Thanks to DC Comics

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Monsters Cereals are arriving on store shelves now, and this year Count Chocula™, Franken Berry™ and Boo Berry™ have a brand new look—thanks to an exciting partnership with DC Entertainment, home to DC Comics.

For the first time ever, General Mills has partnered with four DC Comics artists to redesign this year's packaging for Monsters Cereals. DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee redesigned Boo Berry, Dave Johnson gave Franken Berry a facelift, and Terry and Rachel Dodson restyled Count Chocula. The partnership stemmed from the DC Comics artists' love for Monsters Cereals and their enthusiasm for the opportunity to reinterpret the Monsters characters.

"There are many lifelong fans of Monsters Cereal at DC Entertainment so we were excited when the Monsters team at General Mills reached out to us to help design their packaging," said Lee. "It's not Halloween without Monsters, and we hope everyone loves the new designs just as much as we do."

Since their arrival in 1971, Monster Cereals™ have become an irreplaceable part of pop culture and Halloween, and fans eagerly wait for them to hit the shelves each year.

"The DC Comics artists' share our love for the Monster Cereals, so collaborating with them for this project was a natural fit," said Lauren Pradhan, Big G Cereals marketing manager. "Reimaging the artwork with DC Entertainment was a highly collaborative process, and we had a lot of fun seeing the artists' interpretations of our beloved Monsters come to life for this exclusive packaging."

In addition to the Monsters makeover on the front of the package, DC Comics artists Sholly Fisch, Brent Schoonover and Dave McCaig also redesigned the back panels of the boxes, creating unique comic strips of Monster adventures. The packaging will be available as limited-edition collector's items for the 2014 Halloween season.

Meet the Monsters
The cereals hold a special place in the hearts of Millennials and Gen-Xers who grew up with the Monsters. Saturday morning meant cartoons and a bowl of Count Chocula or Franken Berry. Each year, parents want to share those memories with their kids, and this seasonal favorite brings back all kinds of fond family nostalgia.

More than just a tasty treat, the Monsters have become iconic Halloween figures, each with their own story and personality.

Considered by some to be the most popular of the Monsters, Count Chocula is a vampire who prefers chocolate to blood and is well recognized for his tagline, "I vant to eat your cereal!" Introduced in 1971, Count Chocula cereal combines chocolaty cereal made with whole grain corn and colorful marshmallow shapes.

Franken Berry is a cuddly, pink version of Frankenstein's monster, introduced shortly after Count Chocula. This friendly ghoul still wears the same chain-link suspenders he did when he was created. Franken Berry cereal combines delicious strawberry-flavored cereal made with whole grain corn and colorful marshmallow shapes.

Boo Berry was introduced in 1973 as a blue ghost with a purple tie and hat. The cereal has delicious blueberry flavor from combining blueberry-flavored frosted cereal made with whole grain corn and colorful marshmallow shapes.

Retailer Exclusives
In addition to the Monster's new look from DC Comics, fans can also find the Monsters in their retro-style packaging again this year. Through an exclusive agreement, the cereals will be available in retro packaging at Target stores. These boxes celebrate the history of the Monsters, featuring Count Chocula and Franken Berry from 1979 and Boo Berry from 1980. The retro boxes feature cut-out masks on the back of the box for super fans who want an instant Halloween costume.

Walmart will also be celebrating Monsters season, offering a digital game featuring the Monsters and General Mills' other beloved cereal equities. The game, available via a mobile app, is free to play and available on the family sizes of Honey Nut Cheerios™, Lucky Charms™, Cinnamon Toast Crunch™ and Cocoa Puffs™, giving fans a fun new way to interact with the characters.

Monsters Cereals will be available at select retailers in the U.S. starting in August, with full nationwide distribution by September. And this year, limited quantities of the ever-popular Count Chocula and Franken Berry will also be sold by select retailers in Canada. Follow the Monsters online using the hashtag, #MonsterCereal.

About General Mills
General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2014 worldwide sales of US $17.9 billion.

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SOURCE General Mills