Fox says, “It’s not just a meal, mom.”
Photo by Sharon Roth
George Fox, a 21-year-old San Diegan and avid fan of breakfast cereal, claims that his love for the box art donning his favorite cereal brands led him to be more accepting of the furry fandom and to eventually become a member himself.
According to Fox, his change of heart was “definitely due to that hot tiger that I saw every morning. I’ve been eating Frosted Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Froot Loops my entire life, and I just fell in love with the cute animal characters on the box. I always thought it was normal, but other kids made fun of me back in school.”
Fox says that his love for anthropomorphic cereal mascots was “sort of an artistic hobby” for him. “Tony the Tiger inspired me to create my own cereal mascots, I call them ‘cerealsonas’ — it’s a mashup of ‘cereal’ and ‘persona.’ It seems like these cerealsonas are everywhere: I went to a football game in high school, and there was a cereal mascot cheering our players on. I saw an ad about fire safety, and there he was, Smokey the Bear — I wonder if he stands for some bacon cereal. And then there’s Bigfoot! It’s so weird.”
Last year, Fox discovered Twitter, and found out about the furry fandom. The discovery was “equally shocking and delightful” to him. “I found other people who enjoyed the cereal box art of anthropomorphic mascots,” he shared. “There was a lot of art of Tony the Tiger, that bee from Honey Nut Cheerios, and other cute stuff. And some of the art I saw explained a lot of feelings I had during puberty.”
Fox seems to hold a view that all instances of anthropomorphic characters, regardless of context, are, in fact, cereal mascots, and does not accept any other aspects of the fandom, believing that “they are all just cereal enthusiasts just like me.” When asked to defend his viewpoint, Fox explained, “Yeah, I know that Twitter calls people’s characters ‘fursonas’ and they wear ‘fursuits,’ but that’s just one way to describe these characters. I just came up with a different name which doesn’t change the fact that they are all still cereal mascots. I also made my own ‘cerealsuit’ when I was a teenager — same thing, different name. It seems like modern pop culture is just obsessed with cereal!”
Fox’s parents have met their son’s hobby with skepticism. They are aware of the larger furry fandom, and they claim that this larger community seems to “make more sense than whatever George is into.” Margareth Fox, George’s mother, explained, “I saw a lot of art of these animals on the Internet myself, and it honestly seems like a very interesting creative outlet, with a lot of socialization involved. It seems like a real hobby that teaches you some artistic skills and makes you a lot of friends, unlike looking at cereal boxes and making pillows out of them.”
Fox said that he is planning to attend a local “CerealCon” as soon as the COVID-19 regulations in California are lifted. He hopes to connect with other fans of “cereal characters” and to discuss “what is so appealing about those furry mascots.” Fox exclaimed, “I just can’t wait to share my own cereal box art with others!” while showing a colorful cardboard box with a picture of an anthropomorphic fox and the logo for “Fox Holes” cereal.
