by Erik Oster
Source: www.mediapost.com, February 2024
With less than a month until St Patrick’s Day, Lucky — the leprechaun mascot for General Mills’ Lucky Charms marshmallow cereal brand — has vanished.
In Lucky’s place on limited-edition boxes of the cereal’s seasonal release featuring green shamrock marshmallows that turn milk green, there’s simply an outline of the character alongside directions to “Make a trap to find him.” On the back of each box, there’s also one of four unique trap designs, along with instructions for building the trap.
The brand is playing up the disappearance story with a series of posts on its Instagram page of Lucky leaving clues in various locations with a “Lucky was here” sign. It also appears the character may make an appearance during a certain popular music competition reality series.
“We never know what our favorite, mischievous leprechaun is up to. “But now with him off the box and on the run we’re asking for everyone’s help to find him,” General Mills senior marketing communications manager Brandon Tyrrell said in a statement. “We know he’s a big ‘American Idol’ fan and have reason to believe he could appear on set Feb. 25 and March 3 on ABC and next day on Hulu – so be on the lookout!””
The campaign also includes a crossover collaboration with Hasbro. Leaning into the “trap” element, General Mills teamed up with the toy company for a “Lucky’s Leprechaun Trap” board game. Inspired by Hasbro’s classic “Mouse Trap,” the game extends the campaign’s narrative theme and is available for sale via a dedicated landing page.
Other limited-edition releases ahead of the March 17 holiday include Lucky Charms Treats Bars and Just Magical Marshmallows.
