# Quisp
**Quisp** is a sugar-sweetened breakfast cereal introduced in 1965 by the [Quaker Oats Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/quaker-oats-company), made of crunchy corn nuggets shaped like small square saucers and flavored similarly to Quaker's Cap'n Crunch.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) It was launched with a sister cereal, Quake, and the two brands were advertised together in animated commercials whose characters were created by Jay Ward, the producer of [The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-adventures-of-rocky-and-bullwinkle-and-friends).[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) After disappearing from national circulation in the late 1970s, Quisp was revived several times, sold online in the 2000s, and returned to mass-market grocery distribution in 2012.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1965 by Quaker Oats, alongside sister cereal Quake[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) |
| Product | Sugar cereal with crunchy corn nuggets shaped like small square saucers; flavor similar to Cap'n Crunch[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) |
| Mascot | An alien who claimed to be the Crown Prince of Planet Q, a cartoon character created by Jay Ward[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) |
| Trademark | QUISP, filed 16 June 1965, registered 8 November 1966 (registration 0818358) for breakfast cereal[2](https://trademarks.justia.com/722/21/quisp-72221296.html) |
| Discontinuations and revivals | Discontinued in 1979 due to weak sales; reintroduced 1985; relaunched 2001 as the first internet-only cereal; back in supermarkets in 2012[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) |
| Current owner | Quaker Oats, a subsidiary of PepsiCo since its August 2001 acquisition of Quaker for $14 billion[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) |
| Nutrition (per 43 g serving) | 170 calories, 19 g sugar (18 g added sugar, 37% DV), 310 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber[3](https://www.kroger.com/p/quaker-quisp-cereal/0003000006311) |
## Launch and the Quisp–Quake rivalry
Quaker Oats introduced Quisp and Quake together in 1965 in the United States.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) • [4](https://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=294&y=1965) The two cereals tasted much the same, but their pieces differed in shape: Quisp's crunchy corn nuggets were small square saucers, while Quake's were shaped like gears with holes in the center.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) • [4](https://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=294&y=1965) Quake was described in commercials as "wonderful wheelies of corn and oats... buzzin' with honey and bustin' with earthquake power."[4](https://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=294&y=1965)
The launch followed a formula Quaker had already used successfully with [Cap'n Crunch](https://www.edgepedia.org/capn-crunch) two years earlier: commissioning characters first and building cereal brands around them.[4](https://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=294&y=1965) Quaker enlisted Jay Ward and Bill Scott, the creators of Rocky & Bullwinkle, to develop the mascots.[4](https://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=294&y=1965) Quisp's mascot was an alien who claimed he was the Crown Prince of Planet Q; Quake's was a muscular miner.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) The two characters were advertised as rivals, often in the same commercial, each campaigning for his cereal as the best breakfast choice.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/)**Consumer votes decided the rivalry.** In 1972 a vote was held and Quake lost; the cereal was discontinued, though its miner mascot returned in 1973 to introduce Orange Quangaroos.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) In 1976 Quisp defeated Quangaroos in another vote, and Quangaroos was discontinued.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/)
## Discontinuation and revivals
Quisp sold nationwide through the late 1970s and was discontinued in 1979 due to weak sales.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) A scholarly account of media spreadability dates its disappearance from national circulation to 1977, noting that it remained available in some regions of the country; the two accounts differ on the exact end date.[5](https://www.federicobo.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Spreadability_doublesidedprint_final_2010.pdf) • [1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/)
The brand then led an intermittent afterlife. Quaker reintroduced Quisp in 1985.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) In August 2001, PepsiCo bought Quaker Oats, including the Quisp brand, for $14 billion, in the same transaction that brought Quaker the Gatorade line.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) That year Quisp was relaunched as the first internet-only cereal, sold primarily online.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) Internet discussions and eBay transactions kept consumer awareness of the brand alive during this period and helped pave the way for more aggressive marketing by Quaker, including an online-sold gourmet-sized package of the cereal.[5](https://www.federicobo.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Spreadability_doublesidedprint_final_2010.pdf) In 2012 Quisp returned to nationwide mass-market grocery availability.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) • [6](https://www.fooddive.com/news/6-canceled-food-products-that-came-back-with-a-vengeance/173574/)
## The cereal today
Quisp remains a Quaker product. The current 8.5 oz box sold through grocers such as Kroger describes the product as a saucer-shaped, crunchy corn cereal with an "out of this world crispy flavor," kosher, with no artificial ingredients, and suitable for vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian diets.[3](https://www.kroger.com/p/quaker-quisp-cereal/0003000006311) A serving of 1-1/4 cups (43 g) contains 170 calories, 2.5 g total fat, 37 g carbohydrate, 19 g sugar of which 18 g is added sugar (37% of the Daily Value), 1 g dietary fiber, 2 g protein, and 310 mg sodium; the cereal is fortified, providing 45% of the Daily Value for iron and 30% for niacin per serving.[3](https://www.kroger.com/p/quaker-quisp-cereal/0003000006311) The ingredient list is corn flour, sugar, whole grain oat flour, brown sugar, coconut oil, salt, reduced iron, tocopherols (to preserve freshness), and [B vitamins](https://www.edgepedia.org/b-vitamins) including niacinamide, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, and folic acid.[3](https://www.kroger.com/p/quaker-quisp-cereal/0003000006311)
Distribution is narrower than for Quaker's flagship cereals. Quaker's product locator states that it shows stores that have sold a product recently but does not guarantee current stock, and recommends checking with local stores.[7](https://contact.pepsico.com/quaker/product-locator) In USDA food-composition data the cereal appears under the entry "Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, SWEET CRUNCH/QUISP," reflecting an earlier name under which the same product was sold.[8](https://www.uhhospitals.org/health-information/health-and-wellness-library/article/nutritionfacts-v1/cereals-ready-to-eat-quaker-sweet-crunchquisp-1-cup)
## Place in cereal history
Quisp is an example of the mascot-driven, character-rivalry advertising that shaped American breakfast cereal marketing in the 1960s, and of a retired brand sustained by nostalgia. Its survival through online-only sales in the 2000s and a 2012 supermarket return has made it a frequently cited case of a canceled food product coming back.[1](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/) • [6](https://www.fooddive.com/news/6-canceled-food-products-that-came-back-with-a-vengeance/173574/) The QUISP word mark itself remains registered and renewed at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, with a status date of 23 January 2016.[2](https://trademarks.justia.com/722/21/quisp-72221296.html)
## References
1. [Quisp Cereal: History, Trivia & Brands, SnackHistory](https://www.snackhistory.com/quisp-cereal/)
2. [QUISP Trademark of Quaker Oats Company, Registration Number 0818358, Justia Trademarks](https://trademarks.justia.com/722/21/quisp-72221296.html)
3. [Quaker Quisp Cereal, 8.5 oz, Kroger product page](https://www.kroger.com/p/quaker-quisp-cereal/0003000006311)
4. [Quake Cereal, MrBreakfast.com Cereal Project](https://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=294&y=1965)
5. [Spreadability (Federico Bo / Henry Jenkins et al., 2010)](https://www.federicobo.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Spreadability_doublesidedprint_final_2010.pdf)
6. [6 canceled food products that came back with a vengeance, Food Dive](https://www.fooddive.com/news/6-canceled-food-products-that-came-back-with-a-vengeance/173574/)
7. [Product Locator, Contact Quaker (PepsiCo)](https://contact.pepsico.com/quaker/product-locator)
8. [Nutrition Facts: Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, SWEET CRUNCH/QUISP, University Hospitals](https://www.uhhospitals.org/health-information/health-and-wellness-library/article/nutritionfacts-v1/cereals-ready-to-eat-quaker-sweet-crunchquisp-1-cup)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Applied biology and nonhuman health › Biotechnology and biological production › Biotechnology industry and institutions › Biotechnology companies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license