A Mascot Murderer Is at Large in Cinnamon Toast Crunch's True Crime Parody

Cinnamon Toast Crunch’s latest campaign, ‘Must Cinnadust’, introduces a full-blown, true-crime-inspired cinna-square universe unlike anything we’ve seen from the brand before.

The delectable new campaign, brought to life by The Martin Agency and Passion Pictures, unfolds across cinematic 30- and 15-second spots, with snackable social content via six-second storylines, and a high-touch, mysterious activation with influencer partnerships - all packed with crunchy confrontations, shadowy lighting, and dramatic monologues, for Serial and cereal-lovers alike. From the swirling Cinnadust trails left behind, every scene leans into heightened craft, suspense, and genre play, bringing true crime tropes to the breakfast aisle with a Cinnadust twist.

The catalyst of the idea lies in their unique brand truth: the cereal squares have always eaten each other (think: early 2000s Cinnamon Toast Crunch ads).

The campaign also takes the nostalgic 2D cereal square characters so beloved by culture, and reimagines them in a new dimension - visually, through richly detailed stop motion with cinnamon swirl patterns and real Cinnadust crystals, and emotionally, by layering in personality, drama, and depth via a true crime lens. These squares look and act so delicious, they can’t help but turn on each other.

Beyond the creative, this work marks a smart evolution to age up the brand for those of gen-z, who grew up on the cereal, but now want something a little more sophisticated.