Corn Flakes with Instant Bananas

by Kellogg's

1964 – 1966 GONE FOREVER

Gone since 1966, after about two years. Kellogg's retried the idea in 2004 as Corn Flakes with Real Bananas, which also failed. Both years come from the cereal history Cerealizing America — Kellogg's itself never announced either end of the experiment.

Last verified Nov 6, 2026

Freeze-dried banana slices boxed right in with the flakes, promising to spring back to life in milk. The bananas declined: they turned dark, mushy and faintly tragic, and took the whole idea down with them.

🧾 One more thingJimmy Durante pitched it beside a talking banana named Pronto, and a Kellogg's executive delivered a classic corporate obituary: "We tested the market carefully, we tried, we failed, and we're getting out of the market."

Filed under: Cereal · the ’70s & earlier

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📅 Timeline

1963Post struck first with Corn Flakes & Strawberries, the first cereal with freeze-dried fruit in the box, setting off a brief industry arms race.
1964Kellogg's answered with Corn Flakes with Instant Bananas; Jimmy Durante fronted the ads beside a talking banana named Pronto, singing a reworked "Yes! We Have No Bananas."
1965A March 24 grocery ad in the Wisconsin State Journal shows the cereal mid-run.
1966Kellogg's pulled it. New-products executive Ken Englert told Consumer Advertising: "We tested the market carefully, we tried, we failed, and we're getting out of the market."
2004Kellogg's retried the concept as Corn Flakes with Real Bananas; it quietly failed again.

❓ People also ask

Why did Corn Flakes with Instant Bananas fail?

The freeze-dried slices refused to come back to life: in milk they turned dark and mushy. The ad agency's own commercial director said they looked like communion wafers, and a grocer compared the result to cardboard discs.

When was Corn Flakes with Instant Bananas sold?

1964 to 1966, per the cereal history Cerealizing America and cereal reference sites — Kellogg's itself never announced either date.

Did Kellogg's ever try bananas in the box again?

Yes, in 2004, as Corn Flakes with Real Bananas. Freeze-drying had improved in 38 years; appetites hadn't. It disappeared too.

🧾 Sources

Weird Universe, Instant Bananas (quoting Cerealizing America by Scott Bruce and Bill Crawford) (2014)
MrBreakfast.com, Corn Flakes with Instant Bananas (2005)
MrBreakfast.com, Kellogg's Corn Flakes with Real Bananas (2005)

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