Cecil the Ambitious Cornflake

My daughter's baton coach, who is one of my best friends, likes to tell of a story she first heard when she was a young adult. A friend of hers told her about Cecil the ambitious cornflake.

There once was a cornflake named Cecil. Cecil was ambitious. He wanted to be the best cornflake he could be, and he wanted others to see what a great cornflake he tried to be. He knew, to do this, he needed to be at the top.

It started out well. As the cornflakes were made, they were put in a giant drum. But Cecil started out at the bottom of the drum. Luckily, he was an ambitious cornflake. So he wiggled and squirmed, and squirmed and wiggled, and made his way to the top of the drum.

Then the drum was dumped onto a conveyor belt, and Cecil landed on the bottom. But he was an ambitious cornflake, so he wiggled and squirmed, and squirmed and wiggled, and made his way to to the top of the pile on the conveyor belt.

The conveyer belt eventually led to a large bin. Poor Cecil again started out at the bottom. But he was an ambitious cornflake, so he wiggled and squirmed, and squirmed and wiggled, and made his way to to the top of the bin.

Next, the bin was dispersed into the plastic bags the cereal would be distributed in. When Cecil made it to his bag, he found himself at the bottom. But he was still an ambitious conflake, so he wiggled and squirmed, and squirmed and wiggled, until he made his way to the top of the bag.

The bags were next dropped (rather unceremoniously) into labeled boxes. Since Cecil had been at the top of his bag, when it was dropped in upside down, he was again at the bottom. He was an ambitious cornflake. So he wiggled and squirmed, and squirmed and wiggled, and made his way to the top of the box.

The boxes were then loaded into a case, and Cecil's box landed upside down. He didn't care which way the box would land next, he wanted to be at the top! He was an ambitious cornflake. So he wiggled and squirmed, and squirmed and wiggled, and made his way to the top of the case.

This? Is the point in the story when whoever you're telling it to (it's best told verbally), will ask when it all ends?!?

It doesn't end - it's a serial (cereal - get it?!?).


This is the story our coach tells each year to the girls who have excelled at their competition level and been moved up to the next level. Being Cecil is hard. The girls are moved up a level when they have enough WINS at the previous level. They go from the top of their class, to - well - not the top of the next class.

I tried to google this story, since I loved it so much and figured someone HAD to have published it already. I couldn't find it anywhere. So this is my retelling. Like I said, it's better in person, but the idea still deserves repeating.