Pulled From The Pack: Cereal Prizes!

Martinex1: Good day BitBA fans!  Today we are pullin' a variety of toys from a different type of pack!  Let's take a look at cereal and the "Free Toy Inside!"

As a youngster, going to the grocery story with my mom was an adventure in boredom control. Unless there were comics or toys or gumballs involved, my attention span in aisles of fruit, soap, and canned vegetables was limited to say the least.   But when we turned the cart into that magical cereal aisle, a whole new world of fun for the senses erupted.   From the colorful cartooned boxes to the slightly sweet smell of sugar and cardboard, I was suddenly locked in and ready for shopping.   My mom would generally buy a few boxes for the family - the tried and true Cheerios, Wheaties, and Quaker Oatmeal, but she typically allowed me to pick one box by myself, and let me wander up and down searching for the perfect pack.  There were a lot of choices in the early 70s and most were geared toward the purchasing prowess of kids my age.

Martinex1:  I would look for a combination of taste and fun vibrant boxes to read while eating, but the single most significant driving factor for my mom's dollar was the prize inside.  Super Soap Shapers! Yo-yos! Racing Coaches! Magic Tricks! Terrariums! Trinkets! Even Records!  They all vied for my attention. 

Martinex1:  There was quite the selection, from Freakies to Peanut Butter Crunch to Quisp or Quake to the monster cereals of  Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Frankenberry, Fruit Brute, or Yummy Mummy.  To make it even more difficult, many of the cereal characters were designed by the best cartoon animators in the business, and they had endless commercials on Saturday mornings.  But it was usually that lower corner blurb on the box that often got my mind churning.   Free Inside! Free Inside! Inside! Inside!

Shot with Sugar....Indeed!

Martinex 1: I had so many favorites and had various collections going at once.   From the dinosaur coins in the Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles which were endorsed by Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble no less to the state license plates for my bike straight from the Honeycomb hideout, my bedroom drawers were filled with these items. I liked the plastic ships in bottles and growing sprouts on the terrarium sponge.   I tried to "collect them all" but I just couldn't eat that much.  Take a look at some of the offerings!

Martinex1;  Sure, sometimes unwitting me didn't realize I had to mail in money for the prize, but I always enjoyed reading about them even if I didn't have the two-bits to send away for their "awesomeness".

Martinex1: And I mentioned records... some cereals would have cut-out records on the back of the box that could actually play on your turntable.   The Archies, Bobby Sherman, and others were big hits with my friends.

Martinex1: There was so much joy brought about by those small plastic doodads in the cereal box.  I can remember reaching in and digging through the cereal for the prize.  Not exactly sanitary I know, but a cheerful memory nonetheless.   Here are a a few more images that hopefully will jog your memory as well.

Martinex1:  I understand why this marketing approach has pretty much gone the way of dinosaurs; a bowl of sugar and milk is probably not the healthiest way to start the day, but there is still a nostalgic pang in my heart for the rather simple joy of finding something "cool" in the bottom of the cereal box.

So what are your memories around these toys and tastes?   What were your favorites? And did you have similar experiences to mine?   So pull out the big bowl, get that square waxed carton of whole milk out of the refrigerator, choose your favorite flavored corn flake or puffed rice, and share your musings and memories!  I am sure we can have a wonderfully raucous discussion today.