by Cracker Jack began its “prize in every box” promotion on this day in history, February 19, 1912.
The now ubiquitous ballpark was invented by German immigrant FW Rueckheim in the late 19th century.
It was first sold at his small candy and popcorn shop, FW Rueckheim & Bro., says the website SnackHistory.com.
Caramel-coated popcorn made its official debut at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the website notes.
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Three years later, Rueckheim began marketing the snack as “Scracker Jack,” the Encyclopedia of Chicago said.
It would take nearly a decade before another innovation would boost the product’s popularity.
Cracker Jack was invented by a German immigrant named FW Rueckheim in the late 19th century and sold at his popcorn and candy store. (AP Newsroom)
By 1912, FW Rueckheim & Bro. he employed about 700 people in his Chicago factory, noted the Encyclopedia of Chicago.
It was on February 19 of that year that someone came up with the idea of ​​putting a small “prize” in each box as a promotion – and sales boomed.
Previously, prizes or coupons were only included in random boxes, said the Cracker Jack appreciation website called The Art is Cracker Jack.
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The “prize in every box” strategy worked.
Cracker Jack has given away about 17 billion toys over more than a century, The Art is Cracker Jack site said.
“Cracker Jack was not the first company to use free premiums to promote its product. As its longevity proved, it did better,” the site said.
Cracker Jack began counting toys and coupons in random boxes before deciding to put a “prize in every box” on this day in history, February 19, 1912. (AP Newsroom)
Ten years after the first “prize in every box” promotion, the company’s name was officially changed to “The Cracker Jack Co.”
The first prizes in Cracker Jack boxes were mostly made of paper, metal or wood — and were mixed in with the food product, according to The Art is Cracker Jack website.
Jack Ripper “wisely began to issue certain prizes in series or series.”
“It wasn’t until decades later in 1948 that Cracker Jack began distributing prizes wrapped in waxed paper,” the site said.
In an appeal to collectors—and to increase sales—Cracker Jack “wisely began issuing certain prizes in a set or series,” according to The Art is Cracker Jack.
Initially, Cracker Jack boxed toys and prizes were unwrapped and mixed in with the food product. (AP Newsroom)
“The Cracker Jack slogan might be ‘The more you eat, the more you want,’ but for Cracker Jack prize savers the slogan might as well be ‘The more you collect, the more you need to collect,’ website.
In 1946, Cracker Jack began distributing plastic prizes in its boxes, thanks in part to “Innovations in the injection molding plastic process,” said The Art is Cracker Jack.
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These innovations “enabled the mass production of inexpensive goods, opening a new era for the Cracker Jack prize.”
The Cracker Jack Co. was sold. by Borden Inc. in 1964.
The “arcade” features classic games, including a version of Connect Four.
Then, in 1997, Frito-Lay Inc. bought Cracker Jack.
Nineteen years later, the “prize” inside a Cracker Jack box or bag was replaced by an app, “at the end of an era,” says The Art is Cracker Jack.
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Today, Cracker Jack buyers will receive a sticker that will give them access to the online “Prize Inside Arcade” on the Cracker Jack website.
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The “arcade” features classic games, including a version of Connect Four.
