The Crispy, Crunchy Breakfast Duo Boomers Will Remember Fondly

Baby boomers didn't have as many early-morning meal choices as we do now, which is likely why the childhood breakfasts they did have remain so memorable today. One breakfast item that has remained popular for decades? Cereal with milk. Across the years, countless kids have sat down with a cold bowl of cereal to watch Saturday cartoons or get a sugary fix before heading to school. One type of cereal that boomers ate was actually a two-for-one deal: Quisp and Quake.

Quisp and Quake were two cereal brands from the Quaker Oats Company that boasted rival mascots, who were much more colorful than the first cereal mascot ever made. Quisp was a little pink alien, while Quake was a muscled miner-turned-cowboy. The mascots were developed by Jay Ward, the same creator who brought cartoon characters, including Rocky and Bullwinkle, to television screens. Debuting in 1965, Quisp cereal was shaped like saucers, and Quake cereal resembled gears. Many boomers say they both tasted very similar to the corn cereal Cap'n Crunch, also manufactured by Quaker Oats, as the company likely used the same recipe for all three.

People who ate this crunchy cereal recall that it was tough on the roof of their mouths, especially the gear-shaped Quake cereal, but the taste was worth the irritation. Through fun commercials, Quisp and Quake were pitted against each other in different challenges that asked kids to choose their favorite character, which ultimately ended with the Quake brand being discontinued. Quaker Oats released an orange-flavored cereal called Quangaroos to replace Quake, but this was also eventually pulled off shelves. Despite Quisp's initial staying power, it followed not long after.

Although Quisp was discontinued in the 1970s, it made a few comebacks in subsequent decades. One of these reintroduced Quisp to the masses primarily through online orders. You couldn't go to the store and pick up a box like in the olden days, but you could buy the cereal through the online grocery retailer NetGrocer in the late 1990s. Quake cereal never made a return, even as Quisp bounced on and off shelves and landed on online storefronts.

Today, Quisp is once again out of reach. Retailers, such as Amazon, previously listed it, but it has since become unavailable. After several fans of this classic cereal reached out to PepsiCo, Inc., which owns Quaker Oats, they found it was discontinued again in 2024. As just two of many old-school cereal brands, Quisp and Quake remain gone but not forgotten. But all hope is not lost; with Quisp's repeated resurgences, it might return to stores one day.