Hey Special K, what is wrong with this picture?

So CU-2 eats Special K.

It’s the only breakfast cereal he eats and he demands the version with chocolate and strawberry. I thought Special K had some sort of diet claim? It’s basically rice and wheat (ie bread in another form). Nutrition info from Wikipedia: Special K Original has 110 Cal per 29 g cup serving. One serving contains 0.5 g fat, 22 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar and 5 g protein. In the UK, Special K Original is 17% sugar, meaning a 30 g serving contains 5 g of sugar.

Wow, that is a lot of sugar. If you’ve ever done the Atkins diet (I’m not saying it’s a great diet, but it’s a figure I remember and useful for reference), that your entire daily dose of carbs in a single serving the size of your cupped hand.

If if that’s what’s in a bow of “original” then what the hell is in a bowl of “honey and nuts” or “chocolate”?

And finally, from a brand manager’s perspective, Special K was always a brand apart, a cerial not for children, a trusted friend a woman (mostly) could depend on in that mad pre-beach trimming rush. I look at at this shelf and as a consumer, what does this tell me? What is the unique property of this cereal compared to say, coco-pops or honey-nut-crunch corn flakes etc?

What does this brand mean? I’m confused.