Due to an explosion of excitement for Franken Berry on this very blog, we took that cereal hysteria to the pages of the St. Petersburg Times. In Saturday's paper, we'll honor Frank, Boo and Count Chocula, and even set them up with their very own playlist. Here's the story -- feel free to play along at home.

So I’m cruising through Target, racking up the inevitable $100 in things I don’t need, when I come face-to-face with three old friends, a trio of sugar-jacked gents from the disco '70s.

Franken Berry, Boo Berry and Count Chocula.

Yep, the boys are back.

Every Halloween, for a limited time only, General Mills releases these throwback cereals at throwback prices, about two bucks a box. You can still find the Count throughout the year, but around here, Frank and Boo usually only pop up during the witching season.

The kids could care less. But you should have seen the 30-somethings grabbing boxes, ecstatic at the cavity-making nostalgia of it all. I was right there with them. I remember the goofy commercials. I remember the toys at the bottom of the box. I remember the sugar rush. Heck, I'm hiding my home stash. My daughter’s palate isn’t sophisticated enough to appreciate the marshmallowy goodness.

Me? I'm a Franken Berry man myself. We're about the same age (Frank was born in 1971). We both have enormous misshapen heads. And we'd gladly terrorize a small Bavarian village just to slurp pink milk. Frank's cereal is so delicious, I don’t even care that it carves up the roof of my mouth.

In the Target checkout line, a woman in front of me looked in my cart and winked, "Where's Boo Berry?" Honestly, it was the sexiest thing anyone's ever said to me.

Franken Berry is a pop-culture icon. He’s been referenced in The Simpsons, in Chris Rock routines and in a great Al Franken bit from Saturday Night Live. Just the other night, Jon Stewart compared presidential hopeful Fred Thompson to Franken Berry. But despite his popularity, he’ll soon go back into hiding for another year. So buy a box or seven before it's too late. Cherish him while you can.

And while you're crunching and reminiscing — and maybe even watching Saturday morning 'toons — enjoy this playlist of songs inspired by our favorite cereal monsters:

The Frankenberry & Friends Mix
1. Breakfast in America, Supertramp
2. A Spoonful of Sugar, Julie Andrews
3. A Marshmallow World, Dean Martin
4. The Larger Bowl, Rush
5. Monster Mash, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers
6. My Boo, Usher & Alicia Keys
7. Yummy, Gwen Stefani
8. Hyperactive, Thomas Dolby
9. Toothache, the Charlatans UK
10. Forever Young, Bob Dylan