We got them just to see what they were like. I have a almost 6 year old and the commercial drew her in big time. So, we got the chocolate ones (tasted and looked like a Perrilene (sp?), but without the hazelnut flavor.) She had to have a bowl of cereal right away, and she tried to use it..didn't work well. It got soggy and very icky...so, I poured her a cup of milk and she used it as a straw..now that worked! She drank up her milk. But then she wanted more milk, so I poured some more and by now, she was floating in milk, so she left the straw in the cup for later..not good. About 20-30 minutes later, I walked by the table and saw the cup with the straw sticking out and the milk was nasty. The straw had disentagrated to mush. So, as long as you take the straw out when not drinking, it works okay.

But what we found the straws to be best for was just plain snacking. They were neat, clean and easy to hold. Kind of the same fun that one gets when eating twizzlers...you can either just eat it, or play around with it. They are fairly sturdy and don't break easily which is nice. Not too crumbly, so does make for a nice treat in a lunchbox because they take up very little room.

And so for us, they have become another snack/treat/lunchbox food, but not what they were actually designed for.

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We have "Coco Pops" ones here in the UK. I tend to agree with Kim's comments, but I eat them "dry", rather like those posh chocolate "tube" buscuit things you're supposed to have with coffee. The whole idea of drinking the milk through them reminds me somewhat of doing the "Tim-Tam Slam" (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tam_Slam ), which is much more fun, and far more messy!

Personally, I tend to eat cereal with cold water rather than milk... but there is something to drinking the milk "leftovers" after the cereal; that brightly coloured and stained intensely sweet milk is a real rush!

James UK http://www.blogger.com/profile/09835526134217618466

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http://bakespace.com/blog/index.php?seid=slackferno&id=878

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This has to be the most ridiculous "cereal" I've ever seen in my life. It just proves that the cereal companies have no shame whatsoever.

I really do think that an extra "this is NOT good for you" tax should be slapped on pretty much all sugary cereals. No wonder kids in pretty much all western countries (especially in the US) are getting fatter and fatter since they are being introduced to this garbage at very early age.

Giving your kids stuff like this is like giving them a bag of candies to eat in the morning: sugar, artificial flavours and food colourings.

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i tend not to like to drink the milk in my cereal either, but i feel it's wasteful so sometimes i try. the only time i like to drink the milk is when the cereal actually makes it taste better. of course these were the sugary cereals i used to eat as a kid so i can't even remember which ones they were. maybe cocoa crispies?

there is a review of this product here: http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2007/06/24/froot-loops-cereal-straws/

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They look absolutely horrid to me, and the entire concept is offputting to me. I never drink cereal milk either. It's sickly sweet at times or too thick from the toasted grain of whatever cereal I had. That said, if one doesn't want to be wasteful, keep it and use it for making muffins. It's fine and adds a bit of flavor to muffins and cornbread and such.

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I don't eat cold cereal with milk. Yuck. The cereal gets all mushy and the milk tastes awful. The two items are fine on their own but together - no way

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I think its a dumb idea but also smart its dumb as a ceral but its pretty good as a snack i think they should market it more as a snack than an actual cereal.Also its pretty much a waste to throw out the left over milk after eating up all the ceral. What i do is actually pour extra milk and when i done with the cereal the lef tover milk remind me to go get my vitamins so that what i do use it to swallow my vitamins.

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The Consumerist had a nice review:

http://consumerist.com/consumer/kelloggs/cereal-straws-what-are-they-kidding-273291.php

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uh, did anyone else click through to the site for this and find the opening animation a little, uhm, redolent of say, the uhm, 70s? Maybe along the lines (heh) of some illicit activities that may have taken place in the back room at Studio 54?
I guess sugar really is the new drug of choice.

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Wait wait, cold WATER with cereal?! WHOA...thats a new one to me.

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ann (comment #10) - I went and watched the animation and my mouth fell open.

oh
my
god.

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cold water and cereal sounds a bit obsurd to me.
and i only drank the left over milk after "chocolatey" cereals like coco krispies or coco puffs.
as a child i was forced to finish the milk because my evil aunt would say i was wasting it.
for one, i doubt this would make me want to drink the left over milk. but two, this is something that looks really good when drinking milk alone.
if cereals seems reallly bad, just give a kid a glass of milk and this straw. the nutrition of the milk with the enticement of a small sugary straw! seems like a safer alternative than cookies for breakfast.

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k, thanks for the idea about using cereal milk for muffins! I hate drinking it too, for the same reasons as you (I don't even like chocolate milk, so no way am I going to drink milk that's been soaking up cereal flavours). Usually I go the "use only the minimum amount of milk" route, but when my husband gets me a bowl he occasionally adds way too much (he IS a cereal drinker), and I always feel guilty pouring it down the drain.

Not guilty enough to drink it though. The very thought makes me gag. :)

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Ugh, ugh, UGH. Now I know why my mom never bought us Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, or even Cap'n Crunch more than once: they opened the door for crap like this. What parent would serve this to his or her child for breakfast?! Probably the same ones who buy those Jimmy Dean Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick, come to think of it.

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At my house we have these bowls that have straws attached to them so when you finished your cereal you have a nice handy straw to drink the milk with. It's good stuff.

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Maybe kids could use these to sip their Cocaine energy drinks! The intro on the Kellogg's page for these is nuts - it almost seems like it must be a joke!

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The most "junkie" cereal my kids are allowed for breakfast are the new rainbow Cheerios. Usually, they have pancakes or eggs, or toast and maybe some turkey bacon.

But, my 6 year old was awwhed by the commercial, saw them in the store, an used her best manners to ask for them as her lunchbox snack. I said she could have them as an at-home snack, since it would be easier to have a glass of milk at home.

Mind you, this kid has thrown fits about just the mere mention of milk being in her cereal.

So, we get home from the supermarket, I pour her a glass of milk, and give her two of the straws. She plops them in the glass of milk, inhales the milk, and then devoures the straws. I have never seen my daughter eat so quickly, or without complaint.

So, as a not quite not healthy, not quite candy, snack, they win.

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