I fondly remember starting my day with Apple Jacks cereal, not just for the taste, but specifically for Cinna-mon, the cinnamon stick character. Cinna-mon, previously depicted as a lively Jamaican character with dreads, brought joy into my mornings and made each breakfast something to look forward to. However, Cinna-mon's original design has been changed and the character is no longer depicted as he once was.

Cereals characters have a tremendous impact on consumers. A character has the power to make the mundane act of eating breakfast a little happier, and a lot more fun. Psychology studies have shown that early morning positivity can lead to increased productivity throughout the day (Psychological Science, 2011). For me, and possibly many others, Cinna-mon was a source of this positivity. Apple Jacks is not just removing a character design - it is impacting our positive breakfast quite ironically contradicting their own slogan - "A is for Apple, J is for jacks, Cinnamon-toasty Apple Jacks! You need a good breakfast!"

This change takes away a character that we have grown up with and loved, and reduces the diversity of personified cereal mascots, which is as important as other forms of representation. We urge the creators at Kellogg's to rethink their decision and reinstate Cinna-mon's original design. By doing that, they can restore the joy that many of us felt during breakfast. Please sign this petition to bring the original Cinna-mon back into our mornings and into our hearts.