1950 and Cereal Premiums
Back in August I shared a 1975 newspaper article that was against cereal premiums. The article was a start down the road we’re on today — when did you last find a toy in a box of cereal? Kids these days sure have it rough.
But where did the whole “toys and prizes in cereal” get its start? Well, here’s a 1950 newspaper article that takes us back to early days of incentivizing kids to want specific cereal brands. And the article even has info that has me seeking out a book. The article states:
“Premium giving is as old as history, Frank Waggoner, a New York trade publication editor who has written college textbooks on the subject, says one of the earliest premiums on record was a medal given to natives of Pompeii who attended the baths.”
I’ve gotta find the textbook with this info in it!
Related articles
- Lunchboxes a “Statement of taste” (battlegrip.com)
- Saturday Morning Cereal Time with Monster Cereal Masks (battlegrip.com)
- “No toys in the box?” in 1975 (battlegrip.com)
So they’re specifically talking about the “save up the boxtops and send them in for the toy” premiums, rather than the “free toy inside the box” premiums.