Fact vs. fiction in Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix film ‘Unfrosted’

Heat up some Pop-Tarts and discover which parts of Netflix’s “Unfrosted” are true and which are fiction.

Brown Cinnamon Sugar. Frosted Strawberry. Frosted S’mores. Everyone has a favorite Pop-Tart flavor, but few know the origin story of the beloved breakfast pastry. Based on its title, you might think “Unfrosted” would have all the delicious details, but the Netflix film raises more questions about the iconic pastry’s beginnings than it offers answers. 

“Unfrosted” — Jerry Seinfeld’s Emmy-nominated directorial debut — depicts the corporate battle between Kellog’s and Post to be the first to bring portable, toastable breakfast pastries to kitchen tables across the U.S. While certain parts of the “crazy good” comedy are true or at least partially based on real events, it’s largely made up, and Seinfeld is the first to admit this.  

“The challenge of fictionalizing it is [that] we wanted to keep some of the reality of what happened. This really did happen in Battle Creek, Michigan, where Kellogg’s and Post were located, and they did compete to come up with this product, but the rest of our story is complete lunacy,” Seinfeld told Netflix. 

If you’ve seen or heard about the movie, you might be wondering what aspects are true and which elements were embellished (or completely made up for comedic effect). Given the movie’s Michigan roots (and delicious subject matter), we decided to investigate. Keep reading to discover what’s fact and what’s fiction in “Unfrosted.”

1. Kellogg’s and Post had competing pastry products

The two cereal giants really did go head to head to bring their own version of a kid-friendly, shelf-stable breakfast pastry to market first. But the battle unfolded a little differently in real life than it did in the movie.

Post’s pastry product was called Country Squares, and while they were getting ready to launch it, Kellogg’s found out about it and rushed to create what would come to be known as Pop-Tarts. In “Unfrosted,” Seinfeld’s character Bob Cabana — Kellog’s head of development — discovers two kids eating scraps of Post’s toaster pastries in a dumpster. Kellogg’s then sends spies disguised as janitors to Post’s headquarters to uncover their sweet secrets. In reality, it was a premature announcement from Post promoting Country Squares that tipped Kellogg’s off. 

2. Post and Kellogg’s were both headquartered in the same city

There’s a reason Battle Creek is known as Cereal City — and it has to do with Kellogg’s and Post. Both cereal companies were founded in the Michigan city, and at one point, they were practically neighbors, though the idea that employees were spying on each other with binoculars is a bit of a stretch.

3. Pop-Tarts didn’t get their name by accident

In “Unfrosted,” Kellog’s breakfast pastry was supposed to be called Trat-Pop, an acronym for Toaster Ready Anytime Treat, Put On Plate. The name Pop-Tarts came about when a news anchor misread the name on TV, and Kellogg’s decided to roll with it.

The true story behind the name is much more intentional though. According to Pop-Tarts’ website, the original name for the product was Fruit Scone, but that didn’t quite stick, so then they landed on Pop-Tarts, a play on the popular 1950s Pop-Art movement. 

4. Tony the Tiger didn’t spearhead a mascot strike

In “Unfrosted,” Tony the Tiger, played by Hugh Grant, organizes a strike with other breakfast food mascots. The demonstration quickly gets out of hand and turns into a riot, seemingly inspired by the January 6 insurrection, and the mascots overtake Kellog’s corporate headquarters. The strike and subsequent events didn’t occur in real life, but they were a hilarious addition to the film. 

5. The Taste Pilots weren’t instrumental in the development of Pop-Tarts

Five celebrity guests play an important role in the creation of Pop-Tarts in “Unfrosted.” Dubbed the Taste Pilots, this roster of stars includes bicycle designer Steve Schwinn, “Godfather of Fitness” Jack LaLanne, soft serve inventor Tom Carvel, toy designer Harold von Braunhut, and food icon Chef Boyardee. While these famous figures are in fact real, none of them were involved in the development of Pop-Tarts, and the Taste Pilots name is also made up. 

6. No gang of milkmen tried to prevent Pop-Tarts from hitting store shelves

The violent gang of milkmen in “Unfrosted” is another group that, while entertaining in the film, doesn’t exist in reality. In the movie, this group fears that Pop-Tarts will replace cereal as the breakfast food of choice, and milk will no longer be a main part of the morning meal. To prevent this from happening, the milkmen kidnap and torture Seinfeld’s character. While it’s possible these mafioso milkmen were inspired by dairy lobbyists, which do exist, the events in the film are utterly fictional. 

7. The first Pop-Tart tasting didn’t end in an explosion

We’re happy to report that, unlike in “Unfrosted,” the first Pop-Tarts tasting did not end in an explosion. In this scene, the testers are blown up when the toaster being used to heat up the Pop-Tarts malfunctions. Schwinn, who puts the Pop-Tarts in the toaster, is killed in the explosion, and there’s a cereal-themed funeral for him in the movie. Much like the mascot strike, these occurrences are the result of Seinfeld’s imagination, not a recreation of real-life events. 

8. Kellog’s didn’t go on a sugar shopping spree in Puerto Rico

In “Unfrosted,” to prevent Post from producing its Country Squares, Kellogg’s bought up the world’s sugar so Post couldn’t have any. Cabana travels to Puerto Rico to meet with El Sucre, an apparent parody of a stereotypical drug lord, to secure the sugar. 

In turn, Post ends up working with the USSR to get its sugar fix. Marjorie Post, played by Amy Schumer, agrees to produce a cereal targeting children in the country in exchange for sugar. In reality, none of this actually happened. 

9. Pop-Tarts didn’t sell out in 60 seconds

While the launch of Pop-Tarts was considered a huge success, and the product did sell out, it didn’t happen as quickly as in “Unfrosted.” In the movie, Pop-Tarts sold out within 60 seconds, with Kellogg’s adding, “Kids are doing anything to get their hands on these Pop-Tarts. Six stock boys were bitten. It’s a feeding frenzy.” In actuality, it took about two weeks for Pop-Tarts to sell out, and fortunately, there were no reports of supermarket employees being assaulted by hungry sugar-seeking children.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.