Everything we thought we knew about Cap'n Crunch has been a lie.

Upon closer examination, the three stripes on his coat indicate he's a lower-ranked commander, not a captain.

An attentive Reddit user was the first to make the discovery, but the story has now been picked up on popular food blogs.

With the Napoleon-style hat, you might question whether the stripes on the coat are more emblematic of the French Navy. The French version of Frigate Captain has three stripes, but that translates to 'commander' in English.

Either way, Cap'n Crunch is either a fraud or he's French.

Or maybe since he goes by 'Cap'n' instead of 'captain' he's immune from such scrutiny. Or maybe he's a cartoon cereal caricature.

Do you detect a French accent on Cap'n Crunch?

http://youtu.be/_ypTZsktvns