CROONCHY STARS CERAL

 

CRÖONCHY STARS
 
Post

 

The Swedish Chef is a Muppet character and parody of television chefs. Speaking in a semi-comprehensible mock Swedish language, he demonstrated the preparation of a particular dish with often disastrously comedic results. Most often, he’d wind up in a slapstick battle with his intended ingredients. Jim Henson had previously dealt with the idea of a funny foreign chef character at the US Food Fair that took place in Hamburg, Germany in 1961. In one sketch, Sam and Friends character Omar prepared a flaming salad while speaking in incomprehensible mock German thought up by Henson and Jerry Juhl. In 1966 they came up with another character, Chef Bernardi, who whipped up a 60-second salad flambé for The Mike Douglas Show. Bernardi was operated by Henson while Frank Oz provided his hands. This would lay the groundwork for what would ultimately become the Swedish Chef.

The character first appeared on The Muppet Show in 1975, designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Henson and Bonnie Erickson. The Chef was unique among the Muppets for being performed with exposed human hands, initially performed by Oz as with Bernardi. Henson would control Chef’s head and provide his voice. According to his son, Brian, Henson was given a tape made for him by writer Marshall Brickman called How to Speak Mock Swedish. He would practice making dishes in that mock Swedish on the drive to work, crafting the voice that would become the Chef’s.

In the mid-1980s, Henson decided to create a Swedish Chef-themed breakfast cereal parody. The cereal underwent several names, including Oople-Sauceys, Cröonchy Poofs, Moopettes (which would be cow-shaped), Stoopid Hoops and Stoopid Flakes (a favorite among the Henson crew). He even penned a memo outlining several commercial ideas for the Chef creating the cereals under the different names. However, the idea evolved from parody into becoming a genuine product when Post showed interest in manufacturing it.

Ultimately named Cröonchy Stars (meant to reflect the way the Chef would say “crunchy”), the cereal featured cinnamon-flavored pieces in the shape of stars. While the cereal itself was nothing remarkably special, the box was where the spirit of the Muppets was felt. Featuring a logo designed by Stephen Longo, the box was loaded with nonsensical signage and imagery (such as the label “No batteries necessary!!!”), and nearly-impossible and ridiculous games and puzzles on the back. Premiums included a mail-away offer for a Swedish Chef doll, a mug, a flashlight, a poster with transfers to create a scene in Chef’s kitchen, and a Crazy Recipes Memory Card Game.

Henson and his crew made the commercials for the cereal themselves as part of an $8 million advertising campaign. They filmed initial commercials in 1987 when the cereal was still going by “Stoopid Flakes”, and then in early 1988 for “Cröonchy Stars”. The cereal would hit store shelves that year. However, they may not have performed as well as Post hoped as it was gone by 1989. They would make a brief return in 1992 before disappearing again, only to be left in the memories of fans and cereal afficionados.