Resellers Chow Down on the KAWS x Reeses Cereal

News

By RC Staff

22 May 2023

While it’s not the first KAWS has worked with another brand, this breakfast cereal is certainly one of his weirdest. Not many people had a General Mills X KAWS collab for their 2021 bingo, yet that’s exactly what ended up happening. Coinciding with the release of the cereal was a limited time Augmented Reality Game (ARG) that featured KAWS’ COMPANION crunching puffs out of the sky. Sealed boxes quickly became a hot commodity among collectors, and they continue to resell well, despite well exceeding their “best by” date.

Why did KAWS and Reese's collaborate?

The last few years have seen a new Renaissance of pointless celebrity food endorsements. The closing days of 2020 marked the arrival of the now-infamous Travis Scott meal at McDonalds, heralding a new era pop-rap branded fast food, with BTS and Saweetie soon to follow up.

Reese’s Puffs had previously collaborated with Travis Scott through an exclusive version of the iconic breakfast which sold out in 30 seconds, so it’s no surprise that they were eager to go back for seconds. This time they would turn to noted artist and hypebeast darling KAWS.

These special boxes would boast an original, limited edition design, featuring KAWS’ COMPANION prominently. However, this collaboration would prove to be far more than just a redesign. The boxes included QR codes granting access to the KAWSPuffs AR experience, a game where players can blast pieces of cereal aided by their very own COMPANION.

Naturally, people went wild over this era-defining collaboration, and stores struggled to keep boxes on shelves. Compounding to this, there was actually an even more exclusive version of the boxes. This one was blue!

Did the KAWS X Reese's boxes resell?

Available in very limited numbers or to the highest scoring players in KAWSPuffs, these special edition boxes were highly coveted. Some would be signed by KAWS himself. Standard collaboration boxes were available in stores for $3.99, and could be flipped for around $40 at peak, and $15 afterwards. Special boxes were available online only in limited numbers for $49.99, and resold for around $100.

It’s possible that boxes may continue to appreciate in value, but following the discontinuation of prizes for KAWSPuffs, much of the incentive to buy a box has dissolved. Hardcore collectors and fans of both KAWS and Reese’s are likely the only target market, and without a sizable enough appetite, there should be plenty to go around for now.