Cap'n Crunch
- For information on the phreaker called Captain Crunch, see John Draper.
Cap'n Crunch is a breakfast cereal manufactured by the Quaker Oats company of Chicago, and the mascot of that cereal. It is one of many sugary cereals targeted towards children, and the majority of its TV advertising is aired during children's TV programming on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons, during children's peak viewing hours. The cereal itself is a mixture of mashed maize (corn) and syrup, shaped into pieces that resemble barrels (of the sort that used to be a fixture of pre-ironclad sailing ships).
The cereal is promoted by friendly old Cap'n Horatio Crunch, a cartoon sea captain. Crunch is the son of Admiral Horatio Crunch, Sr., and was born and raised on Crunch Island in the Milk Sea. His televised adventures aboard the S.S. Guppy revolve around the cereal. Crunch débuted in 1963, and was originally animated by Jay Ward Productions and voiced by Daws Butler.
Cap'n Crunch's animated commercial adventures have given Quaker Oats the opportunity to spin off additional cereals based on the original, including Crunch Berries and Peanut Butter Crunch.
Neal Stephenson's novel Cryptonomicon contains a several-page-long passage about how to prepare and enjoy a delicious bowl of Cap'n Crunch. Neo is also described as eating Cap'n Crunch cereals in one of the early versions of the script for The Matrix.
