Old Familiar Memories - Photo 173

Cracker Jack Prizes

We loved these because they were tasty and we loved the small prize. Cracker Jack includes a small "mystery" novelty item referred to as a "Toy Surprise" in each box. The tagline for Cracker Jack was originally "Candy coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize" but has since become "Caramel coated popcorn & peanuts" under Frito-Lay.

Prizes were included in every box of Cracker Jack since 1912. One of the first prizes was in 1914 when they produced the first of two Cracker Jack baseball card issues, which featured players from both major leagues as well as players from the short-lived Federal League. Early "toy surprises" have included rings, plastic figurines, booklets, stickers, temporary tattoos and decoder rings.