I know what you’re thinking: two affable online fellas with a whimsical talk show get their own cereal and it’s not me and Justin? Heresy. But hey, as much as I’d love to create an official Empty Bowl Cereal (it would be strawberry-flavored crunchy bowls with yogurt clusters, of course), our niche popularity pales like skim milk compared to the vast cultural capital of Rhett & Link, known for Good Mythical Morning and a whole bunch of other successful enterprises from their long history of entertaining the internet.

After all, it takes a lot of time, money, and resources to make your own cereal from scratch. Or at least, I assume it does…I’ve never really looked into it, because it takes a lot of time, money, and resources. Or at least, I assume it does.

That’s why Rhett & Link partnered with “an inventive and industry-leading production facility that specializes in cereal” to make this happen: MishMash Cereal, in two debut flavors. What’s MishMash all about? Here’s what it says on the side of every box:

“Since when did the cereal aisle get so…serious? Leave the seeds to the birds and the fiber to your broccoli. MishMash founders Rhett & Link grew up in the ’80s when your cereal was repped by a cool cartoon mascot, and the back of the box was kinda sweet, just like the cereal. It’s time to bring back the flavor and fun, so we’re MishMash-ing unique flavors, wacky shapes, and curious concepts into cereals that are meant to be played with. Take a morning trip down memory lane, get your daily dose of shenanigans at snack time, or indulge your midnight munchies with a cereal-y dessert. Whatever the reason, we promise something unexpected and deliciously fun.”

So there you have it: instead of trying to turn cereal healthy, MishMash doubles down on the artisanal nostalgia angle. But at $10 (plus shipping) a box, does banking on wackiness pay off? As your resident goldball with a heart of goof, I’m putting my money where Rhett & Link’s mouthes are to find out.

Err…their money where my mouth is? My monkey…their mouse…I don’t know, let’s just do this.

MishMash Sweet Mac N’ Mello Cereal Review

I’m just gonna be straight-up: Sweet Mac N’ Mello is a major flop.

Don’t get me wrong, I like that one of MishMash’s central tenets is embracing goofy cereal shapes, but…that’s literally all this cereal does. The long, crunchy macaroni-ish noodles are super fun, with a hefty crunch and a novel mouthfeel, but they simply have no flavor. At least, no good flavor.

See, another interesting thing about both MishMash Cereals is their interesting base grain formulation. It’s like (almost) nothing I’ve ever tasted before: it’s a hearty, golden-roasted blend of corn and wheat with a very mildly sweet foretaste and a more savory, almost salty aftertaste. Not bad at all, and certainly leagues better than the bitter planty-ness you’ll find in indie cereals like Magic Spoon, but unless you’re Cheerios, a neat shape and memorable base grain blend alone cannot carry your cereal—and certainly not at this price point. There’s no flavor on top of the grain here—not even the frosted coating of, say, a Corn Pop, and the marbits are also few and far between, resulting in a fun exterior that belies a remarkably bland cereal within. Milk does little to help the problem, either, as the pieces end up just tasting like, well, edible corn milk.

Again, not trying to be mean, but I find it baffling that Rhett & Link, who are known for their taste tests, personally sampled this and signed off on it. I get that indie cereal startups likely have to make ingrediential compromises in order to make their products profitable even at high prices, but Sweet Mac N’ Mello really misses the mark by focusing only on mouthfeel at the expense of mouth zeal.

If you’re reading this, R&L, just know that I support you in this dream, but please, please, add some flavor to this one. It could be anything: creamsicle, cinnamon sugar, rosemary cheddar, I don’t care. Anything’s better than Corporate Memphis: The Cereal.

The Bottom Line: 2.5 limp noodles out of 10

MishMash Peanut Butter N’ Honey Sandwich Cereal Review

THAT SAID…I have polar opposite feelings about Peanut Butter N’ Honey Sandwich Cereal. From texture to taste, it’s deeply fascinating, addictively appetizing, and everything Sweet Mac N’ Mellow isn’t.

Heck, I even find the ostensibly more traditional piece shapes to be more compelling than the noodles. These ain’t your grand-baker’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares. They’re smaller, thicker, and denser, with an oddly compelling chew to them that really gives the nuanced flavor a chance to bloom across your palate. The base grain effect is similarly sweet ‘n’ savory—the closest analogues are Quaker’s discontinued Corn Bran Crunch and Kashi’s likewise long-gone Honey Sunshine, both of which I adored. But this time, that base grain doesn’t have to stand alone because, well, there’s actual flavor layered into and on top of it.

Sure, despite the stuff’s dust-spewing appearance, the PB and honey flavor is subtle. I do wish this cereal was a bit sweeter and more flavor-blasted, but it’s still darn good. The amply roasted nuttiness pairs nicely with the likewise toasted grain base, while the authentic honey undertones seal the whole earthy deal. More so than Magic Spoon & Co., which feel comparatively synthetic & sterile, MishMash PB N’ Honey Sandwich feels like what a grown-up cereal really should be—rich, innovative, and maturely sweet—even if it isn’t exactly healthy. Milk is a good choice for this one, too, as when eaten dry most of the emphasis goes toward the “sandwich” element of the name, while milk allows the sweeter notes to better blossom.

Overall, Peanut Butter N’ Honey Sandwich MishMash Cereal won’t be for everyone. As much as I am fascinated by the roasty-toasty drollness of the base grain (on account of me being sick of most grainstream corn flour cereals), I can see others finding it distracting. That said, like it or not, it is unique, and I found it to be a breath of fresh air in a comparatively stale cereal aisle, plus the flavor combo isn’t something you’ll find elsewhere.

I sincerely hope that MishMash is at least successful enough to release another batch of flavors. It’s a great concept that needs some refinement, namely stronger flavoring and (ideally) bigger bag sizes. The price may present a discouraging barrier to entry, even if it is comparable to other independent cereals, but since I’d love to see the big four cereal titans sweat (and therefore innovate) in the face of competition, I’d encourage you, if you have the means to splurge a little on a quirked-up cereal startup, to remix your breakfast and give MishMash a try.

Well, the Peanut Butter N’ Honey Sandwich one, at least.

The Bottom Line: 8 actually crazy squares out of 10