They were the BEST! It was always at the very bottom of the box and may or may not have even been packaged in anything. My older brother and I were forever in races to see who could get the last bowl of cereal and ultimately... the prize. What joy a box of Apple Jacks or Cheerios could bring!
I remember my friend Margaret and I getting in trouble at her house because we dumped a FULL box of Froot Loops all over the counter just to get to the Neon Leon {remember it?} in the bottom of the box. Whatever trouble we got into was worth it because our bracelets were AWESOME!!! So the dirty cereal went back into the box, but we got our prize.
I used to cruise the aisles of "The Pig" with my mom when I was a child. I looked for the best prizes and that would determine which cereal we bought. Prizes in boxes are few and far between now. There are lots of "mail-in" prizes with 400 proofs of purchase, etc.
But that's no fun!
Why'd they change it? My kids don't look forward to the simple pleasure of digging through a box or anxiously awaiting the last bowl of cereal. The few boxes that do have prizes, they are all packaged up and taped to the side of the box, to eliminate digging, I suppose.
But that's no fun either!
The other day Oliver picked out a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch because it had the Justice League Superheroes on the front. He didn't realize there was a comic book inside, but boy did his brothers! Sam was so excited to be the first one to get into the box the next morning. The book was literally taped to the inside of the box. Totally easy access...BOO! The dig was so much more fun. Regardless, he got it and flipped through the comic and passed it off to Fulton, who flipped through it and gave it to Ollie.
It took me back about 25-30 years and reminded me of how simple surprises are often the best.
2 comments :
When I was a kid - the prizes that were supposed to be found in cereal boxes were mysteriously similar to the ones we found in our stockings on Christmas morning ... and it only took me about 14 years or so to figure that out... genius am I - brilliant was my mother!
My siblings and I thought that the best prizes came with Cheerios. So we'd talk my mother into buying them, against her better judgment because no one in the house liked them. Every time we'd promise that this time is different, we'll eat them. But after we got the toy out, our promises were forgotten. Saw your blog on Pinterest. Thanks for the memories.
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