General Mills' classic Monster Cereals are back with a reimagined look

General Mills is releasing four limited-edition Monster Cereals boxes as part of a new collaboration with pop artist KAWS.

Franken Berry, Count Chocula, Boo Berry and Frute Brute are back for this year's seasonal release. Fans are particularly excited about the appearance of Frute Brute, which is available for the first time since 2013.

"It's been a thrill to collaborate with General Mills and Monster Cereals," said KAWS in a news release on General Mills' website. "I've been a big fan of the cereals since I was a kid. Even now, I love the original box designs and the creativity and imagination they invoke."

Franken Berry and Count Chocula now bear the bone-shaped ears seen in many of KAWS' works. They also have KAWS' signature Xed-out eyes, as do Boo Berry and Frute Brute. The boxes have been reimagined following the same design as the original boxes, with an illustration of each character and a photo of the cereal in a bowl, all set on a blank white background.

Fans have a chance to win a set of collectible monster toys designed by KAWS. By entering a unique code found on the back of specially marked Monster Cereals boxes on kawsmonsters.com, they'll be entered into a sweepstakes for the prizes.

"Our Monster Cereals are some of our most iconic, and while we know fans are always excited to see them, we want to be sure that we're able to offer something new and different with each release," said Mindy Murray, senior marketing communications manager at General Mills, in the news release. "KAWS's love for these characters made him the perfect partner to bring them to life and offer multiple ways to celebrate this season."

The first Monster Cereals hit shelves in the early 1970s with Count Chocula, Franken Berry and Boo Berry.

Frute Brute was added in 1974 and taken off the market in 1982. Four years later, Yummy Mummy hit the scene but left stores in 1992. In 2009, General Mills stopped producing the first three Monster Cereals year-round.

Ever since, the Franken Berry, Boo Berry and Count Chocula cereals have been available only seasonally for Halloween to "inspire nostalgic joy and spread the spooky spirit," according to General Mills' website.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.