General Mills brought French Toast Crunch back after a decade of fan campaigns

French Toast Crunch, a maple-flavored toast-shaped cereal, was sold by General Mills until it was discontinued in 2006. Fans never let it go: an online petition gathered thousands of signatures, a Facebook group formed, and calls and emails kept arriving almost daily.

In December 2014, General Mills announced the cereal was coming back in its original 1990s shape, citing the overwhelming consumer requests. It hit select supermarkets immediately, with nationwide distribution promised by the end of January 2015.

The timing mattered: cereal sales across the industry were sliding as consumers switched to Greek yogurt and breakfast sandwiches. The nostalgia play gave General Mills a product that already had an audience — and the company said the cereal was back as a permanent part of its lineup, not a limited run.

French Toast Crunch returned to shelves in December 2014 with nationwide distribution by January 2015, and General Mills made it a permanent part of its lineup.

The fan campaign proved demand before a single box was made.

Faithful reproduction, original shape and taste, honored the memory.

A permanent return, not a stunt, rewarded the loyalists.

Nostalgia stood out in a category fighting for attention.

Listen to the loudest customers: the revival cost little because demand was proven, and nostalgia gave a declining cereal category a genuine hit.

French Toast Crunch stayed on shelves after the 2015 rollout, joining the wave of 1990s revivals that General Mills and rivals used to counter declining cereal sales.