Best UK Cereal Adverts
Few things capture childhood nostalgia quite like cereal adverts. For many, a happy Saturday morning meant sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of sugary cereal, watching favourite cartoons and adverts filled with catchy jingles. Those memorable tunes and characters became part of the soundtrack of growing up and remain etched in the collective memory today.
Breakfast cereal adverts in the UK became more than marketing, they were part of pop culture. Here are some of the most iconic, memorable and downright fun cereal ads that lit up our screens.
Kellogg’s – See You in the Morning (2024)
When you think about breakfast cereals, Kellogg’s is usually the first name that springs to mind. The 2024 “See You in the Morning” campaign, created by Leo Burnett, celebrated the brand’s iconic mascot in style. Cornelius the rooster is reimagined as a towering 3D character strutting the streets of Madrid, marking the first time he’d been fully brought to life in animation.
The film opens with Cornelius parading through everyday morning scenes, turning heads as he goes. The song featured in the Kellogg’s advert is “Jayou” by Jurassic 5. The catchy, toe-tapping beat perfectly matches Kellogg’s mission to inject fresh energy into the brand, reaffirming its position as the “OG of breakfast.”
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes – Have You Forgotten How Good They Taste? (1991)
First aired in the early nineties, this campaign asked a simple question: had we forgotten the taste of Corn Flakes? At the time, sugary rivals were stealing market share, but this nostalgic television advert brought the focus back to the original cereal. The campaign tapped into memories of childhood breakfasts and helped reposition Corn Flakes as the reliable classic. Created by J. Walter Thompson (JWT) advertising agency, it quickly became one of Kellogg’s most successful and best-remembered UK campaigns.
Frosties Kid – They’re Gonna Taste Great (2006)
Tony the Tiger’s “They’re gr-r-reat!” might be the most famous cereal slogan of all time, but in the UK another Frosties ad also made headlines. In the mid-2000s, Frosties shook things up with a bold, memorable advert that immediately became part of advertising folklore – Even earning a spot in our Top 10 Television Adverts of All Time list.
The campaign “They’re Gonna Taste Great” features a boy (later nicknamed “the Frosties Kid”) enthusiastically singing the jingle “They’re gonna taste great!” as he bounds through everyday scenes.
The actor behind the ad was Sven Ruygrok, then 14 years old, from South Africa became the subject of multiple online urban myths which eventually were debunked in a 2016 VICE interview where Sven addressed the false rumours.
Coco Pops – I’d Rather Have a Bowl of Coco Pops (1986)
If you grew up in the 1980s or 1990s, you likely still hum this jingle: “I’d rather have a bowl of Coco Pops.” First launched in 1986, Coco the Monkey leads the catchy tune with kids across the country singing it in playgrounds and classrooms.
A more modern interpretation was made in 2000, and over time, Kellogg’s attempted to refresh its legacy with the “Start the Magic” campaign, however, arguably, it could never match the catchiness of the original campaign.
Weetabix – Have You Had Your Weetabix?
Weetabix’s campaigns lean hard into the iconic slogan, “Have you had your Weetabix?” A line so familiar it’s become part of British culture. The series of ads portrays Weetabix as the boost you need to face stiff challenges with a tongue-in-cheek tone.
Our favourite ad in the series takes place in the depths of a navy submarine. A young girl fishing from the shore somehow hooks the submarine itself (the HMS Alliance), dragging it up to the surface. An onlooking fisherman calmly tells his astonished friend, “She’s had her Weetabix”.
Ready Brek – Central Heating for Kids
Ready Brek ran one of the most visually striking campaigns in cereal advertising in the 70s and 80s. Children walked to school glowing with warmth, thanks to the hot oat cereal dubbed as “Central Heating for Kids.” The voice-over for the commercials was provided by Jon Pertwee, the same actor who played the Third Doctor in Doctor Who.
The glowing aura effect became iconic and, for many, remains the image most associated with Ready Brek. The brand has occasionally revisited the idea in modern campaigns, but the original remains untouchable.
Shreddies – Knitted by Nanas (2009)
Fast forward to the 2000s, and Shreddies pulled off one of the UK’s cleverest rebrands. The “Knitting Nanas” campaign by McCann Erickson London introduced a group of grandmothers hand-knitting every Shreddie square in the mythical Shreddies factory.
The quirky humour and warmth struck a chord with UK audiences and gave Shreddies a new identity. The campaign was so successful that it ran for nearly a decade. One clever twist came in a social media campaign where Nestlé invited the public to nominate their own Nanas to feature on real Shreddies packs!
Golden Nuggets – Honey Crunchin’ Good! (2000)
Golden Nuggets were launched in the UK in the 1970s but shortly withdrew from the country in 1977. After a long 23-year absence, Klondike Pete, a cartoon prospector, and Pardner, his trusted mule, returned to our screens and kitchen cupboards.
The ad campaign tapped into Saturday morning cartoon energy, with Klondike Pete declaring the cereal to be “Honey crunchin’ good!” Though Golden Nuggets never quite reached the heights of Frosties or Coco Pops, for many, they’re a treasured memory.
Kellogg’s Fruit ’n Fibre – Dayo (2001)
One of the funniest cereal campaigns of the 1990s, the Kellogg’s Fruit ’n Fibre ad is set to the infectious Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat (Day-O) song. The ad was upbeat, cheeky, and instantly memorable. Fruit ’n Fibre never had a mascot presence such as Frosties or Coco Pops, but this particular campaign was catchy and memorable for its audio and visual storytelling.
Professor Weetos (1989-2005)
Professor Weeto was an eccentric cartoon scientist who graced our screens from the early 1990s through to the mid-2000s. Often in his lab, the quirky character claimed that Weetos was one of his greatest inventions. Aardman Animations were hired in 1992 to bring the professor to life using their famous stop motion animation style.
The Weetos campaigns leaned heavily on humour, often featuring eccentric inventions and madcap experiments which entertained audiences for over a decade.
Bran Flakes – They’re Tasty Tasty Very Very Tasty
Few jingles are as catchy as this. Launched in the 1980s, the “tasty tasty very very tasty” song became instantly recognisable, making Bran Flakes far more memorable than you’d expect for a relatively plain cereal.
What makes the campaign even more memorable are the faces that appeared in it. A young Ray Winstone, years before his rise as one of Britain’s most recognisable actors, featured in one ad, cheerily selling the cereal with the same gusto he later brought to his tough guy roles.
The charm of the campaign was in its low-budget authenticity. No flashy animation or mascots, just people singing with infectious enthusiasm. That simplicity gave the ads staying power, proof that sometimes the most effective adverts are also the most straightforward.
Sugar Puffs – Honey Monster
Finally, no list of iconic cereal adverts would be complete without the Honey Monster.
First launched in 1976, the Honey Monster is one of the UK’s most iconic cereal mascots. Created by legendary ad man John Webster, the furry yellow giant became an instant hit with his catchphrase “Tell ’em about the honey, Mummy!” In his first appearance, the Honey Monster bursts onto the screen alongside actor Henry McGee (best known from The Benny Hill Show), causing chaos in the kitchen.
Sugar Puffs’ 2003 ad was one of its most memorable, set to the classic Archie’s track “Sugar, Sugar”. The catchy advert helped boost brand awareness amongst a new generation who hadn’t grown up with the original 1970s spots. Today, the Honey Monster remains part of British advertising folklore. He’s been softened for modern audiences, but the legacy of that booming voice and chaotic energy has never gone away.
There you have it. From the cosy warmth of Ready Brek to the chaos of the Honey Monster, cereal adverts helped define childhood mornings for generations of Brits. They weren’t just selling breakfast; they were selling fun, comfort, and imagination. Which of these do you most fondly remember? Comment below!