BARBIE CEREAL

BARBIE FAIRYTOPIA CEREAL / BARBIE AS THE ISLAND PRINCESS CEREAL / BARBIE MULTI-GRAIN CEREAL

Kellogg’s

            2005 saw the release of the fifth in a series of direct-to-video computer-animated Barbie films, Barbie: Fairytopia. Barbie, a wingless flower fairy named Elina (Kelly Sheridan) had to save Fairytopia from an evil fairy named Laverna (Kathleen Barr). It was the first Barbie movie to feature a completely original story written by Elise Allen and Diane Duane, and directed by Walter P. Martishius and William Lau.

            As with the other Barbie movies, Mattel released a wave of merchandise that tied into its setting and themes. They also licensed Barbie out to Kellogg’s to produce a limited-edition cereal based on the film. It was the first cereal for the doll since 1989’s Breakfast with Barbie Cereal. The cereal contained berry-flavored pieces in pink and purple heart shapes and marshmallows in the shape of a mirror, a jewel, a flower, a purse and a butterfly. The back of the box featured a maze game with characters from the film.

            However, that wasn’t the end of the cereal. In 2007, the eighth computer-animated film, Barbie as the Island Princess, was released to video. This was the second musical in the series, and the first produced under Mainframe Entertainment’s new name of Rainmaker Animation. Ro (Sheridan) was shipwrecked on an island as a young girl and was raised and cared for by the animals there. After she rescued handsome prince Antonio (Alessandro Juliani) when he ended up on her island, he brought her back to his kingdom so that she could try to discover who she was. They fell in love along the way, but the evil Queen Ariana (Andrea Martin) had her sights set on acquiring the throne from Antonio’s parents—by any means necessary. The movie was written by Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser and directed by Greg Richardson and Jesyca C. Durchin.

The Fairytopia and Island Princess boxes.

Rather than create an entirely new cereal, Kellogg’s simply renamed theirs Barbie as the Island Princess Cereal and changed the box to feature her likeness from the film. Each box featured 5 out of 10 collectible cards depicting various characters and scenes.

Three of the four Multi-Grain boxes.

            The cereal sold well-enough that in 2008 Kellogg’s continued to produce it, but didn’t tie it into the latest Barbie movie. Instead, they renamed it Barbie Multi-Grain Cereal and the artwork featured 2D animated versions of either Barbie, Barbie with a tennis racquet, or Barbie with her best friend, Teresa. The backs of the boxes featured more collectible cut-out trading cards or Barbie-themed games, collectible cut-out keepsakes, or a cut-out picture frame.

Back of the Multi-Grain box.