Gym Class Air Tents

Everyone seems to remember that rewarding gym class experience where we all grabbed the big top tarp thing, each around the circle, and lifted it up and down until it formed some kind of dome. At this point, we were all told to run to the middle and pull it down behind us and sit on it. It made a nice CO2 gas chamber (or dutch oven, depending on what was for lunch) for 15 seconds until it deflated, but it was kind of like going into another dimension or something. I'm not sure what kind of hippy get-together wussy PE thing this was, but it sure was colorful, maybe even magical. For a dork like me, it certainly beat dodgeball, or any other sport in existence.

Jurassic Park Crunch

I know it's taboo to do two dinosaur-related posts in a row, but in honor of the fact that one of my all-time favorite movies is being re-released to theaters in 3D, I decided to do something Jurassic Park related. Speaking of which, does anyone realize that it has been 20 years since the first Jurassic Park came out? My mind!

In any case, my dreams had finally come true in 1996 when they finally, finally! announced that Jurassic Park was finally getting a sequel. I had spent the three years previous in complete and utter dino-mode, showing much adoration for anything JP related, or even just dino-related. I had virtually grown up on Jurassic Park games, books, school supplies, bed sheets, toys... you name it, and waited day and night in anticipation for a sequel. 

By the time good old "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" came out, I had grown a few more braincells and could appreciate it in a different way. The trailers really amped up all anticipation with scenes of giant steggies crossing a river and hunters bagging dinosaurs down in jeeps, and even the title "Lost World" made it seem like it was going to be even more epic than the first. And in many ways it was. Whereas I remember being 6 and utterly enjoying the first Jurassic Park (not even being scared), I was about 10 when The Lost World came out, and I was on the edge of my seat. Up until then, it was probably the most intense thrill ride of a movie I had ever been on. Even then I knew the premise was dumb and how incredibly ludicrous the ending was, but hey, at least the anticipation got me and my brother begging for its cereal. 

That's right, The Lost World had its own cereal, called Jurassic Park Crunch, from General Mills, and I desperately think they should bring it back, whether or not they ever decide to release Jurassic Park 4 from the top secret military vaults (or wherever they're hiding it). It was one of those things that I only barely remembered until I searched for it. The stuff actually did exist and indeed wasn't just some fantastic dream I had once or something. I remember there being marshmallow dinosaur eggs that dissolved in the milk and "hatched" dinosaur shapes or something like that. Unfortunately I didn't know it was a limited-time thing at the time, or else I probably would've bought the store out of it!

Luckily, I can always turn to Mr. Breakfast to refresh my memory about all things cereal related, and he says that as far as Jurassic Park Crunch is concerned: "The marshmallows came in "prehistoric marshmallow shapes" comprised of 3 dinosaurs and a dinosaur egg." Thanks to the magic of the internet, I also have pictures of what those 'prehistoric' "sweetened whole grain oat and marshmallow" pieces I had once shoveled into my mouth actually looked like. The catnip oat pieces were shaped like little footprints. The marshmallows were a pink triceratops, a striped raptor-looking dino, an egg, and a green T-rex-looking dino. 

The box also reveals that "If you hear this box roar, you could win a Lost World Adventure!" I had totally forgotten about that, but it's probably because ours didn't. I guess it meant you'd get to cut in line at the Universal Studios Jurassic Park ride or something. In any case, they should definitely bring this back, even if it's just for the Jurassic Park 3D re-release. The boxes alone are going for 15 bucks on ebay!