A 22-year-old box of Nintendo cereal was auctioned on eBay for $207.50 to a collector who was urged not to eat the unopened breakfast food.

The item, Nintendo Cereal System, was produced in 1988 and promoted two of the most popular games for the Nintendo Entertainment System: Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Divided in half, one box of cereal contains two flavors.

The Super Mario Bros. cereal half contains fruity-flavored character-shaped Marios, Super Mushrooms, Goombas, Koopa Troopas and Bowsers. The Zelda cereal is berry-flavored and shaped like, Link, as well as hearts, boomerangs, keys and shields (octorok and moblin-shaped pieces were, unfortunately, not included.)

The 22-year-old, artificially-flavored bits far exceed dry cereal’s shelf life of approximately six months. While the non-perishable food should still be safe to eat, if stored properly; the cereal’s taste, texture and appearance are suspected to be un-appetizing.

According to Escapist Magazine, the seller encouraged the buyer not to eat the food, stating in his auction: "ONLY ONE DISCLAIMER IT WOULD NOT BE WISE TO EAT THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOX EVEN THOUGH I NO YOU WILL WANT TO. I THOUGHT ABOUT IT MENY TIMES MY SELF."

Source:

Escapist Magazine. “Nintendo Cereal Sells for Big Money,” http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98495-Nintendo-Cereal-Sells-for-Big-Money; 22 Feb. 2010.

EBSCO Publishing “Food Expiration Dates: What Do They Really Mean?,” http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:rXbOjpXMCTYJ:www.swedish.org/16480.cfm+safe+to+eat+expired+cereal&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us; accessed 22 Feb. 2010.