For a time, in the 1990s, a generation of Irish youngsters grew tall on the breakfast fuel of General Mills Lucky Charms - and then the magically delicious cereal magically disappeared.
The famous cereal was first produced in the 1960s when a General Mills marketing executive came up with the idea of mixing marshmallows into a bowl of oats to coax his daughter into eating her breakfast cereal. Sales only really took off when the oats were coated in sugar - giving the cereal it's famously sweet reputation. A leprechaun mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun, was soon introduced and the rest, as they say, is history.
The cereal was widely available in Ireland and the UK in the 1990s before vanishing overnight from supermarket shelves, leaving an entire generation emotionally devastated. The most common perception is that the cereal was banned due to it's sugar content, but this was never the case as Lucky Charms contains no more sugar than Kellogg's Frosties or Coco Pops.
The two most credible theories are that General Mills pulled the cereal from the Irish and UK markets because either the leprechaun character was deemed offensive or because extra tax had to be paid on the cereal due to it containing marshmallows - making it too expensive to export.
However, all is not lost - the cereal is still available in both the original and the chocolate versions, as an American import, from stores such as Planet Candy, where it makes the perfect treat for those still suffering from withdrawal symptoms or for those curious to discover the magic of Lucky Charms.
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