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From: Ralston
Introduced in 1991


Urlelo-O's was based a character from the television sitcom Family Matters which aired on ABC from 1989 to 1997 and CBS in 1997 and 1998). The character Steve Urkel was a stereotypical nerd with a squeaky voice, thick glasses and high-rising pants.

Urkel was originally slated to appear in only one episode of Family Mater in 1989, but the the character portrayed by actor Jaleel White became an instant phenomenon which resulted in the reworking of already-written scripts and a major shift in the series to focus on the the new character.

By 1991, America was fully engulfed in Urkel-mania. The character's trademark catchphrase "Did I do that?" had become part of the pop culture lexicon. Milton Bradley introduced the "Do The Urkel!" board game ("The risk & roll game that lets you be Urkel"). Children all over the nation were boarding school buses with red plastic "Urkelvision" lunch boxes.

It was that year, 1991, that Ralston introduced Urkel-Os. The strawberry and banana flavored cereal consisted of yellow and red loop pieces. A pre-sale promotional box of the cereal referred to the cereal as a "fun, circle-shaped product".

The Urkle character dominated the graphics of the box. In one rendition, nine different pictures of Urkel were spread across the front, sides and back of the box.

The most memorable version of the box featured Urkel in red, white and blue Uncle Sam regalia beating a marching band bass drum with "Urkel For President" emblazoned on the drum head. Each box contained an "Urkel For President" campaign button and an entry form to win a trip to Washington D.C.

Another box featured Urkel in the throws of the "Urkel Dance". The novelty dance was an audience favorite when it aired on the 1991 Family Matters episode "Life Of the Party". The back of the box included a game called "Help Urkel Find Laura", referring to Laura Winslow, Steve Urkel's love interest on the Family Matters program.

In the years since the show and the cereal's demise, actor Jaleel White has distanced himself from the Urkel Character. While he's seldom seen on television, he can often be seen around Hollywood in his real life persona as a slick Billy Dee Williams wanna-be. His unwillingness to lovingly embrace the phenomenon he created reminds sad onlookers of his early-90s musical counterpart Vanilla Ice and the failure of Ice's rebranded image as himself, Robert Van Winkle.

If there's a lesson to be learned from Urkel and Jaleel White, it's that you should never turn your back on the magic you're lucky enough to create. Urkel-O's may not have been the best cereal. In fact, many people remember it as tasting weird and artificial. But there's nothing artificially about the little nerd we loved and the cereal we bought just because he was on the box.

Update: In 2012, Jaleel White appeared on season 14 of the TV show Dancing With The Stars.


Click here to see all cereals from Ralston.

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Overall Average Rating = 4 (out of 5)

View all 15 comments for this cereal.


By AJ Greasy

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

The cereal was just okay. Too sweet even for the tastes of little kids. The box was great though. I bet most kids today don't know who Urkel is. Too bad for them.

Comment submitted: 3/10/2016 (#20050)



By Not So Good

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

I liked Urkel. He really made me laugh as a kid. Unfortunately - for all the excitement I had, I just didn't like his cereal. It was like Froot Loops on a sugar high.

Comment submitted: 3/20/2013 (#11329)



By noneyas

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

The cereal box and prize were a lot of fun and I kept them all. The cereal itself was like a fruity Cheerio and a bit tart in taste. I did not like the tangy taste if you had more than one bowl.

Comment submitted: 12/8/2012 (#10098)



By jayyy (Team Breakfast Member)

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

If I remember right, I think Urkel O's and fruit flavored Cheerios are the same thing.

Comment submitted: 6/21/2012 (#8099)



By Lana T. J.

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

I loved the TV show and the cereal was great. Too bad he turned into a creepy guy (ala Dancing With The Stars).

Comment submitted: 6/4/2012 (#7899)



By Weezacki

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

I'm giving this cereal 5 out of 5 for no other reason than because it's Urkel! I never got to try the cereal, but I love the character!

Comment submitted: 2/10/2012 (#6480)



By Mike H.

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

I wear my pants high all day everyday. Urkel was the man. I loved Urkel cereal along with Stars cereal (and its witch goat mascot). That cereal was even better than Urkel-O's.

Comment submitted: 1/5/2012 (#6117)



By chrissy

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

Will it ever come back? I loved this cereal.

Comment submitted: 10/30/2011 (#5599)



By Keke

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

I loved the cereal!! It actually tasted great. I wish they would bring it back!!

Comment submitted: 6/5/2011 (#4998)



By 80s4Eva

Cereal Rating (out of 5):

If I remember right, it tasted like Foot Loops but with a more tropical flavor. I can't say for sure, but I think I liked it. I loved the box. I had the Urkle for President box. Wish I still had it.

Comment submitted: 6/13/2010 (#2283)



View all 15 comments for this cereal.