Dunkaroos Make a Comeback

“Ya just don’t eat, ya Dunkaroos!”

Does that ring a bell?

Introduced in 1988 by General Mills, Dunkaroos are kangaroo-shaped cookies with a funfetti frosting to dip in — everything a kid wanted and more.

The sweet treat was ultimately discontinued in 2012 due to “many factors.”

After Dunkaroos were pulled from shelves, Associate Marketing Manager at General Mills Michael Bierbach, says they received four tweets per hour asking for Dunkaroos to come back. Even Kim Kardashian was “obsessed” with Dunkaroos.

“We had your average consumer tweeting about it. We had the celebrity consumer tweeting about it. We knew that this was something we needed to bring back,” Bierbach says.

But Dunkaroos’ return wasn’t as easy as simply resuming production.

They had to rebuild the entire product offering and make some tweaks to ensure it matched today’s consumer expectations.

Decoding Why People Dunk

General Mills analyzed its focus groups and in-home research. What they found came as no surprise to any parent anywhere. People liked Dunkaroos because they provide an “excuse to eat frosting straight.”

Armed with that and other consumer intel, Dunkaroos set about adjusting its product and its positioning.

It changed the cookie from the original kangaroo shape to a circle, ensuring better icing scoopability.

It took the kangaroo mascot off the packaging to highlight the new cookie shape, but kept the nostalgic bright colors for brand recognition.

It partnered with celebrities of the 90s for merchandise that sold out in under an hour.

It also made a major social media push. The Dunkaroo Instagram account grew from 0 to 70,000 followers in under three days.

Finally, Dunkaroos recognized that it was an impulse purchase, and opted to sell them in impulse-friendly locations like convenience stores and checkout lanes.