Being Cap’n Crunch
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
During my college years, I was in a program that required me to secure an internship that aligned with my marketing major. It came down to two choices: Walt Disney or Quaker Oats Company. I know working at Disney may sound more exciting, but my role would be the guy taking people on the Pirates of the Caribbean boat ride all day long. At Quaker Oats, I’d be selling their products in grocery stores. Okay, the Disney job still sounds better than endless grocery store aisles.
Except for one thing: I would get to be Cap’n Crunch at several in-store events.
Yes, the cereal is one big sugar bomb, but the Cap’n himself? He’s pretty high in the ranks of cereal characters. Way cooler than the Trix Rabbit or that Lucky Charms dude.
The costume itself was Disney quality with a cartoony sailor vibe. It was shipped across the country for local grocery events because, hey, when the Cap’n shows up, cereal boxes fly off the shelves. The problem is, I was stuck in a costume. Not literally. Though it was a tight fit.
The costume was made for a small cartoon character…and I’m 6’4”. So the sleeves stopped at my forearms and the sailor pants ended at my calves. Alas, it gets worse. Way worse. Because that heavy costume gets really hot inside. And apparently the last person got overheated and sick—inside the mascot’s head. Which was now on my head. I know it seems glamorous, but the life of a breakfast cereal mascot isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And that wasn’t even my biggest aha moment that summer.
The cereal icon who sailed the seas had a far greater truth to teach me than how to find the perfect crunch berry. As a grocery store rep, I was mostly invisible—except when I wore the costume. Then I was wildly popular. I began to wonder where else in life I felt unseen or unknown. In what settings did I feel I wasn’t enough? Why was I often more comfortable when cloaking my true self to gain the approval of others?
Where is your original self in hiding? The first step to getting unstuck might be the courage to finally step out of your costume and fully become the person God created you to be.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God.Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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