From Birdwatching to Brandwatching: The changing face of entertainment

As part of their retro vintage packaging, General Mills is bringing back classic cereal box games from yesteryear.

Retro brand packaging is still quite a hit with consumers — just take a look at how much fun Mountain Dew and Pepsi are having with their limited edition Throwback drinks!

General Mills is getting into the action, too. Through mid-March, there are five Big G brand cereals sporting vintage garb. Of course, how old “vintage” has to be just depends on how old you are.

LIMITED EDITION “BIG G” RETRO CEREAL BOXES:
Honey Nut Cheerios (1984)
Cheerios (1956)
Lucky Charms (1965)
Trix (1968)
Cinnamon Toast Crunch (1984)

The best part of the boxes are the backs, which contain fun activities and provide a window to what kids were thinking about at the breakfast table in yesteryear. Check out the instructions to the Cheerios birdwatching game pictured above:

Oh, we don’t actually expect you to read all that. The point is that kids in 1956 had the patience to cut up the cereal box into player cards and spend up to an hour interacting with one another face to face.

Now being a mobile gaming site, we are NOT about to pummel you with a sappy sermon about how technology has killed human communication. Far from it. Pongr is very much a social game.

You can Pongr your favorite breakfast cereals and orange juice brands with your family. In fact, taking pictures of people you love (or like) is far more interesting than pics of just things (see our full list of creative photo tips to get further in the game).

But Pongr is also a fun activity to do when you are alone — especially if you are waiting for a subway or bus — or in a long line at the supermarket. Let other people kill time. Use your time to snap and send pics of your favorite brands and compete to be CEO!

Back to the retro advertising trend. We’re absolutely thrilled that General Mills is making it their mission to share classic cartoons like Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo! That’s also the perfect venue for generations to bond with each other.

TODAY’S CALL TO ACTION…

Open your kitchen cabinets and celebrate your favorite cereals by sending pics to Pongr. Just snap and email or picture-text to (brand)@pongr.com.

For example, cheerios@pongr.com, luckycharms@pongr.com, trix@pongr.com, etc.

We’re looking forward to tomorrow’s breakfast!  Can anyone top Pongr player Lauren G., who recently met the real-life Lucky Charms leprechaun?