Move over, Making a Murderer. Step aside, Serial. There’s a new true crime obsession—and it’s crunchy, swirly, and sprinkled with Cinnadust. In what might be the most gloriously unhinged breakfast campaign of the year, Cinnamon Toast Crunch has launched Must Cinnadust, a full-blown true-crime-inspired universe where the cereal squares aren’t just delicious—they’re dangerous.
Think Dateline meets Dexter, but with animated cereal. Yes, really.
Developed by The Martin Agency and Passion Productions, the creative is a visual and tonal leap for the brand. The campaign premiered on June 16, unfolding via :30s, :15s, and six-second social “episodes,” all drenched in dramatic lighting, monologue-heavy voiceovers, and slow-motion scenes that scream cinnamon noir.
One square’s been dusted. Another square’s looking shady. And every trail of Cinnadust is a breadcrumb leading deeper into a breakfast whodunit.
A Killer Brand Truth
The genius of the campaign is how it leans into a bizarre but very real part of Cinnamon Toast Crunch lore: the cereal squares have always eaten each other. It’s canon. This macabre dynamic—once played for laughs in 2D cartoon commercials—gets a gritty upgrade with high-end stop motion animation, complete with actual Cinnadust crystals and swirly cinnamon patterns you can practically smell. Watch below:
Gen-Z Grows Up, and So Does the Brand
But don’t be fooled—this isn’t just breakfast theater for the sake of vibes. Must Cinnadust smartly targets Gen-Z, the same kids who grew up loving the brand but are now looking for more ironic, elevated content that taps into their love of true crime, nostalgia, and stylized storytelling. It’s part parody, part prestige mini-series, and all-in on aesthetic.
This is also a bold creative flex. By pushing into stop-motion craft and genre storytelling (without abandoning the brand’s core voice), Cinnamon Toast Crunch is taking a page from modern entertainment strategy: build lore, build characters, build obsession. You know, like Marvel. But… for cereal.
What’s Next?
The launch kicks off across social, linear TV, and premium online video (OLV) with more activations and influencer tie-ins rolling out soon. Expect more micro-clues, cereal conspiracies, and perhaps a murder board drawn in sugar.
We’d love to see a Must Cinnadust podcast hosted by Cinnamon Cold Case investigators. Or maybe a Making a Cinnaduster docuseries. Or… you know what? We’re getting ahead of ourselves. But Cinnamon Toast Crunch isn’t. They’re ahead of the game.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360 News. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
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