So, I open my box of Cocoa Krispies this morning and find a toy! I haven't gotten a toy in my cereal in forever. But when did they start putting the toys outside the bag of cereal and ON THE TOP!? I mean, you used to have to WORK to get these things. First convince your parent to purchase the cereal at the grocery store. Usually went something like:
Child puts box of cereal (Cap'n Crunch) in cart. Parent (let's say mom in this case), sees.
"Put that back," she says.
Child. "What for?"
Mother. "There's too much sugar in it."
Child. "But I've gotten in before."
Mother. "Put it back."
Child puts it back. Fetches another box of cereal (Corn Pops). Mother allows it.
Child confused, says nothing, box of cereal with prize in it secured. Kids know better.
(I actually had a version of that conversation with my mom when I was twenty).
Once home, the next morning child gets up. Fights off siblings to be the first to get the new box of cereal. Mom catches them--you have to finish the OLD box first, and despite that box being your Former Favorite Cereal, it now tastes like Grape Nuts. Shove old box at younger sibling to eat Kid Cereal That Now Tastes Like Soggy Grape Nuts.
Open new box. Shove hand into bag of opened cereal and start digging.
Get yelled at by mother to GET YOUR HAND OUT OF THAT CEREAL BOX.
Make a face at mom when she turns her back. Wait for her to leave room.
Resume digging and rooting, getting cereal bits up under fingernails.
Pull prize out of box. Open it. Play with it.
Fix now billowed out cereal box to look like normal.
And now, as a grownup, with my own cereal (and I did responsibly finish the other box, a respectable grown up cereal of low fat granola), and no mom to avoid, the prize is at the top.
But it's a Spidey Signal that flashes a red spidey on the wall! How COOL!
posted
one of the joys of parenthood is all the toys in all the stuff they get. Cereal and happy meals being the best.
But I heard in the teacher's lounge the other day that cracker jacks don't put the prizes in anymore. That was a huge bummer.
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
WHAT??? no prizes in the cracker jack box?? Do they expect us to buy it for the crappy popcorn?? This is devestating
Posts: 197 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I think I could get over Cracker Jacks with no prize, even as devastating as it is. But if they ever stop putting comics in Bazooka Joe bubble gum my world will just end.
Come to think of it, do they even make Bazooka Joe any more?
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Last time I bought a box of Cracker Jacks, maybe a year ago, it had a prize in it--one of those temp. tatoos, I believe. Of course, the cracker jacks themselves were pretty stale, so god knows how old the box was. Maybe I should have kept it and sold it on ebay as vintage Cracker Jacks.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I got a Toy Story 2 "Woody Bendin' Friend" in a Frosted Flakes box a while ago. Soon afterward my roommate got a "Jessie Bendin' Friend" to go with it, and now they sit on top of our refrigerator all happy.
When I got the box of cereal, I figured the toy would be one of those mail-in things that I wouldn't have the time to do (although I got some of my favorite matchbox cars from a mail-in thing back in elementary school.) I was happily surprised to find the Bendin' Friend actually in the box. I think he hung out with me while I was on Hatrack Chat that night.
Posts: 1592 | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
Knowing the toys are still inside makes me feel much better. I'll have to corret my co-worker now. That's always makes me smile. Ha, you're not so freaking know it all after all. Because he was very sure of this.
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
It's strange that the toys wouldn't be in the spiderman novelty cereal. But maybe they aren't making it this time. Wish I could get me some Doc Oc cereal. Can't believe I didn't realize it was Alfred Molina! I was really curious who it was. He looks pretty fine with no shirt and 4 robotic arms affixed to his thorax.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Cracker Jack has been disappointing for a long time. Back when I was a kid, they had cool prizes that did something after you assembled them. The change to stickers and tattoos and other flat paper things just ruined it.
I am really glad to see cereals with a substantial toy that doesn't require multiple proofs of purchase to be mailed away with a shipping and handling fee higher than the value of the prize.
Not that any of them will ever rise in value after being stored away for 40 years like my two-headed Wishnik troll, which I got by mailing in the end of a box of nickel candy and 15 cents postage.
posted
Hee hee.. I bought my kids corn pops just so we could get that cool spidey too. I think I'll go buy some more if there are any left My kids love it when mom thinks the prizes are cool... its the only time I buy the darn stuff. Posts: 1132 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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quote:I want to know just when healthy low-fat, high fiber cereals are going to start giving away cool prizes in the boxes.
Yesterday I was in the market for a new health cereal and found an utterly irresistable choice. Who can resist an over-the-hill yet frighteningly happy interracial couple? It has Tastier Twigs, for chrissakes!
(Don't worry, it satisfied my geek criteria too. Tops in its class for nutrition per volume among those whose flavor didn't appear to resemble the substance they're trying to expel. BTW, death to the companies that change the sample serving size within their own product line.)
[ May 26, 2004, 11:28 PM: Message edited by: Richard Berg ]
Posts: 1839 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
I have to go out and get an "adult Happy Meal" because my son wants the step-ometer. Doesn't McDonald's know that adults love the toys, too and that they should put in fun stuff? Step-ometer. Give me a break.
That and "adult Happy Meal" brings to mind a whole other thing for me. Any thing that has the word "adult" in front of it, usually gets an eyebrow raise from me. I was expecting a prize of padded handcuffs, or condoms, or something.
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
I just got a matchbox car in my Honey Nut Cheerios the other day. What a coincidence! But that's not nearly as cool as a Spidey toy.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote: I would love that! Like peace sign tattoos with the Peace cereal, or "eat organic stickers" or something.
So you want people to eat stickers? Well, I guess it's okay, you know, as long as they're organic and all.
Posts: 1547 | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Wow, mack! That's exactly how it goes! Except I always had to fight over the prize with five other kids, and that was only when we got that cereal. We always had to eat the healthy stuff. Raisin Bran is a treat. Granola is *really* a treat.
Posts: 4174 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Do they expect us to buy it for the crappy popcorn??![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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Doesn't McDonald's know that adults love the toys, too and that they should put in fun stuff? Step-ometer. Give me a break.![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
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