Out teen sensation and Nickelodeon star JoJo Siwa and General Mills have teamed up to bring the star’s bows and bops to a grocery aisle near you with the new Strawberry Bop! cereal.
But Serious Eat’s taste test with serious journalist Jamelle Bouie is what’s winning converts – mostly because he discovered how to make JoJo Siwa’s new Strawberry Bop! cereal taste better.
Related: JoJo Siwa’s one-word response to a homophobic mother is exactly what the internet needs
While the straight-laced New York Times columnist is associated with insightful political coverage, Siwa is a pink explosion of cheerfulness and rainbows. Bouie admits he doesn’t know anything about her other than she’s “big with the youth.”
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And Bouie’s serious demeanor while tasting the sugary concoction meant to taste like strawberries (he says it doesn’t) is making waves for his discovery during the most rigorous portion of his scientif-esque test.
While most cereal gets soggy and gross after sitting in milk for a while, Strawberry Bop! got better, Bouie said. Letting it sit “for about five minutes” to soak up the milk, makes JoJo Siwa’s cereal better tasting.
“I’m astounded,” he says. “It tastes better. It’s a better bowl.”
The final verdict? “Totally fine. Not offensive. Not life ruining,” he quips. “It does what it accomplishes and I imagine that a kid who gets this will be happy to eat it for the week that it lasts.”
“It’s a perfectly average cereal.”
Siwa came out earlier this year, making her one of the biggest stars whose audience is mostly children to come out. She has already fought for LGBTQ representation in the media, getting a kiss with a boy cut from one of her movies so that her character wouldn’t get read as straight.
Family Size boxes will be available at the manufacturer-suggested retail price of $4.99, with mid-size boxes coming in at $3.99.
"I don't really care what they say!" Yes, @Jbouie is back with an all-new cereal review. pic.twitter.com/KnzjMcQKKr
— Serious Eats (@seriouseats) September 1, 2021
