This Discontinued Cereal Is A Blast From The Past That '80s Kids Still Mourn At The Store

Cereal has been a breakfast staple for over 150 years now. But while the history of breakfast cereal may have started all the way back in the 1860s, it may well have reached its zenith in the 1980s. Kids at the time had access to a madhouse of sugary confections masquerading as a healthy breakfast. Among the discontinued '80s cereals that we miss was one particular stand-out, a breakfast treat based on one of the most iconic video games the world has ever known: Pac-Man cereal.

The bulk of the cereal, which first hit the market in 1983, was made up of orb-shaped sweetened corn puffs that looked a bit like Pac-Man himself, without the missing slice that is his mouth. To sweeten things further, the cereal was studded with colorful mini marshmallows in the shape of Pac-Man and the ghosts from the game — Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde. Some later iterations of the cereal also featured marshmallows in the shapes of both Ms. Pac-Man and a larger Super Pac-Man.

Unfortunately, General Mills stopped producing Pac-Man cereal in 1988, five years after its initial introduction and eight years after the release of the first "Pac-Man" arcade game. As with any pop culture tie-in product, when the original brand starts to lose its hold on the cultural zeitgeist, the merchandise sales are sure to take a hit as well. But the Pac-Man brand lives on, and there are certainly some who are clamoring for a return of this beloved breakfast cereal.

As it turns out, they are still making "Pac-Man" video games with a fairly regular cadence — as well as sort of "Pac-Man"-adjacent games, like the 2025 release, "Shadow Labyrinth" – but none have grabbed the attention of the world quite like that first arcade masterpiece. Much like the eponymous breakfast cereal, "Pac-Man" video games live on primarily through nostalgia — and the occasional arcade or pizza joint that still has the original equipment.

That said, there are some avenues that could bring this beloved cereal back to the market. The most likely reason to bring back this cereal would have to be a movie tie-in. Unfortunately, despite several attempts over the years, it seems that no one can quite get a Pac-Man movie to theaters. The most recent attempt was publicized in August of 2022 by Hollywood Reporter, but in January 2025, the same publication threw water on the fire, writing that production is now in doubt.

However, if you are really desperate for a Pac-Man-themed cereal, and aren't attached to this particular nostalgic breakfast cereal recipe, there has been one return to market for the Pac-Man brand in the cereal sector. Somewhat confusingly, it was the Funko brand, makers of the collectible figures with oversized heads, that brought this particular entry. The 7-ounce box of multigrain cereal came with a Funko-style Pac-Man figurine and looked more like Cheerios – the most popular cereal in the U.S. – than the original marshmallow-studded sweet stuff, but it was still technically a Pac-Man cereal. Unfortunately, this happened back in 2018, and the boxes for sale on the internet are well outside their best-by dates.