4. Quisp and Quake Cereal
Saturday morning cartoons in the 1960s and 70s were an ecosystem fueled by sugary cereal, and no brand understood this better than Quaker Oats. In 1965, they launched Quisp, a sweetened corn cereal shaped like flying saucers, and its friendly rival, Quake, a corn and oat cereal shaped like gears. The mascots, a quirky pink alien named Quisp and a brawny miner named Quake, were designed by Jay Ward, the creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
The marketing genius was to create a direct rivalry between the two cereals. Commercials often featured the two characters arguing over which cereal was better, culminating in a call for kids to vote by buying their favorite. This interactive campaign was a sensation. For years, kids across America participated in this breakfast-table democracy, choosing the extraterrestrial or the terrestrial champion.
Ultimately, Quisp consistently outsold Quake. In the early 1970s, Quaker ran a famous campaign where they let the public vote one cereal off the shelves. Quisp was the victor, and Quake was discontinued. Quisp itself had a rocky history afterward, disappearing and reappearing over the years. Today, it can still be found online or in certain stores, a testament to its enduring cult status. The Quisp vs. Quake saga remains one of the most memorable marketing events in the history of retro food.
