The World’s Fair of 1893 offered visitors a strange concoction of popcorn, nuts and maple syrup. This confection, unnamed at the time, was an instant hit with the public. For the next three years the inventors of the popcorn treat, William and Louis Ruedkheim, worked to find a way to keep the sticky confection from clumping together. They discovered that by adding a small amount of oil during mixing that the kernels of corn would remain separated. They packaged their tasty treat in a small box bearing a picture of “Sailor Jack” and his dog Bingo. They named it “Cracker Jack.”
While the snack has been regaled in song (“…buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack”) and consumed by millions, it is the “prize” in every box that has sustained it’s popularity for a over a century.
In it’s first six years of production Cracker Jack issued 144 different baseball cards featuring such greats as “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson. Other early “prizes” included wooden toys, tin and metal machines and lithographic paper items. The odds of finding any of these pre-1920 pieces are very slim, but well worth the search. If you doubt me, just ask the Rochester, New York man who sent his collection of the 144 original baseball cards to auction where they brought $800,000!
An overview of the prizes through the years offers us a fascinating look at the trends and fads of America in the 20th century. The earliest prizes consisted of paper dolls, yo-yos, baseball cards and song books. The first toys made of wood, tin and metal appeared in the late 1920s. “Made in Japan” lithograph tin whistles, compasses and other tin litho toys were offered in abundance in the 1930s. During the 1940s, propaganda and war toys were a favorite. By the 1950s Cracker Jack boxes contained toys of a happier nature with dolls and colorful plastic animals common finds.
The race for space in the late 1960s was reflected with space ships and polyethylene space men. Coin holders, magnifying glasses, slot machines and “flower power” pieces appeared in the 70s and 80s and the favorite toys of the 1990s were metallic stickers. Cracker Jack toys have delighted children for decades. In fact, Cracker jack is recognized as the world’s largest purveyor of toys, with a distribution of over 18 billion pieces since 1912.
It is important to mention that not all “toys’ contained in Cracker Jack were intended for children. There is a very early issue series of 24 “pretty lady” pins, made of celluloid, which are definitely of an adult nature. These are of special interest to collectors.
If you are a current collector or are thinking of starting a collection the Cracker Jack Collectors Association (CJCA) is a great way to network with others who share your passion. They offer buy/sell/trade opportunities both at their annual convention and also online through their Web site, www.crackerjackcollectors.com. Here you will also find information on pricing and identification guides as well as how to sign up for their annual newsletter.
Cracker Jack is truly an American tradition, and American’s don’t like their traditions tampered with. Case in point: In 2004 the New York Yankees organization decided to remove Cracker Jack from their concession stand and replace it with a similar product called Crunch ‘N Munch. The public outcry of disapproval was so great that after two weeks the Crunch ‘N Munch was removed and the Cracker Jack returned. Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com.
