Sunday, June 6, 2010

that's cracker, jack


Friday afternoon, my local Aldi store happened to have a huge display of Cracker Jack bags on special for 99 cents each, right in front of the check out lanes. For old times sake, I tossed a bag in my cart. I haven't eaten any in ages, not since I was at least five years old. Part of the whole Cracker Jack experience was the individual box, the feeling of ownership, opening it up like a birthday present and looking for the prize tucked inside. So, I was a bit disappointed that foil bags have replaced the lovely little boxes. As I tore the tear off strip at the top, I wondered if they still included prizes. My heart skipped a beat. Maybe I'd find one of those cute pot metal rings like Paul Varjak so charmingly had engraved at Tiffany's for Holly Golightly? Or maybe one of those teeny plastic hand tools I remember from the 50s?

Sure enough, on the top was one of those familiar paper packets. I ooo-ed with delight and carefully opened the perforated edge. Inside was a tiny booklet with a lame cartoon of two mountain climbers scaling a pencil. The image had two slits and was dubbed a "pencil topper", supposedly to decorate the tip of a pencil. Okay, Frito Lay, I admit it was a huge letdown. But, it tasted even better than I remembered. In fact, it tasted so good, I ate the entire seven ounce bag. Actually, it's only six ounces, since there's at least an ounce of those crumbly lip-sticking kaniggets at the bottom. I nearly fell off my computer chair when I read the nutritional facts on the back of the bag. Serving size: 1/2 cup. Calories: 120. Do you know how many kernels of Cracker Jack fit into 1/2 cup? Six. Who eats just six?
According to legend, a unique popcorn, peanuts and molasses confection, that was the forerunner to Cracker Jack caramel coated popcorn and peanuts, was introduced by F.W. Rueckheim and Brother, at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago's first World's Fair. In 1896, Louis Rueckheim, F.W.'s brother and partner, discovered the process for keeping the molasses-covered popcorn morsels from sticking together. Louis gave the treat to a salesman who exclaimed, "That's crackerjack!"

"Crackerjack" was originally a noun, appearing in the U.S. around 1895, meaning "a person of excellence, superior knowledge and ability." The root of "crackerjack" is a sense of "cracker" current in the early 1860s meaning "a remarkable individual" or "an outstanding example of something." This sense of "cracker" was based, in turn, on a very old (around 1460, in fact) sense of "to crack" meaning "to boast or brag." The "jack" element of "crackerjack" doesn't really mean anything. Its role in the word is to rhyme with "crack." (You know how much I adore rhymes and ditties.)

Speaking of ditties, the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" written by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer in 1908, immortalized the snack with the third line, "Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack." Since 1918, Sailor Jack and his dog, Bingo, have appeared on the packages. I noticed Jack and Bingo have a new updated 21st century look. In 1964, our Columbus, Ohio based Borden, Inc. purchased the Cracker Jack Company, and in 1997 Borden sold it's division to Frito Lay. The new packaging is okay, but come on; the prize needs a little work.


last two photos borrowed from Google images

52 comments:

  1. are there still peanuts in the box too, er, bag?

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  2. Yep, still has peanuts. They fall down with the kaniggets at the bottom of the bag, just like they did in the box!

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  3. My granddaughters each had a box of Crackerjacks to eat on the way to Texas. I still love the caramel popcorn and peanuts. The treats stink though.

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  4. In the forties one quickly learned to open the bottom of the box first. That is where the little prizes were found. I always liked the prizes more than the popcorn.

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  5. Yeah, that bag is lame beyond belief. Put it back in the box, Lays!

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  6. Oh, how I loved Cracker Jacks & the prizes. Wonderful, informative post. Sad that the prizes have gone downhill--love that photo showing the old prizes. & I'm with Roy on the bag concept.

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  7. They used to have pretty good prizes. No longer. Sad.

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  8. What a disappointment -- the prize, I mean. Glad to know the stuff still tastes good though. (I wonder if Crackerjack will experience a rise is sales in the coming days...)

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  9. willow i huffed back a few boxes of crackerjack when i was a kid. it was a huge treat!! strange about the box - i know a few companies have gone from foil pouches back to boxes because the box can be recycled. cool story. it brough back good summertime memories. steven

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  10. Wow ... I don't think I've had Cracker Jack since I was in the single digits. I'm glad to know the product itself hasn't changed. I can't say I'm surprised about the prize, though. Like many other companies, they have to cut costs somewhere. It's too bad. I think my favorite Cracker Jack prize was a tiny little board that you drew on with a plastic "pencil" and then lifted the cellophane sheet to "erase" it.

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  11. Don't you hate it when a "serving" of something is minuscule? I think it shouldn't be allowed :-)

    Great information. I suspect they changed the prizes because they posed a choking hazard. Everything's about legal liability now.

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  13. Willow, you inspired me to take out some Cracker Jack "toys" from a little box and scan them. They're from the late 1980s, none of the really great ones we remember as children. Still, at least they were giving little books, something to read. I've been thinking of posting them for a long time. Now you've taken all the pain of the research out of it for me.



    http://tinyurl.com/2clgw98

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  14. i used to love cracker jacks as a kid...

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  15. Going back a few years here aren't we Willow? You young whipper snipper snapper! :) The Bach

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  16. Well dear Willow, I wouldn't expect a wise woman of the world to be enchanted with a 'Cracker Jack' prize. LOL. But the 'Cracker Jack' is itself every bit as good. That was a great piece of history too.
    QMM

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  17. I bet that brought out old dusty memories from when you were a five year old. It would me. I am not a person who craves sweets but Cracker Jacks have peanuts and popcorn with some gooey molasses. I know there are newer trendy companies that make caramel corn but we don't see that in our little town.This was a fun flashback.

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  18. I would always eat the popcorn and leave the peanuts : )

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  19. I confess, I have always like the peanuts more than the popcorn. The prized used to be so much better than they are now. A pencil toppper?! Yuck!

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  20. my MIL just bought some and it came in the box. it's still sold that way, perhaps not in your area?

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  21. I wish I had some Cracker Jacks...right now! My mouth is watering remembering how much I loved eating them.

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  22. Well this was a crackerjack post!

    I was right there with you, just tasting this memory.

    Just loved the way you brought in the Breakfast at Tiffany's part - loved that part of the movie, but completely forget that it's origins were the CrackerJack box!

    This was fun!

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  23. Hello Willow. I happened across your blog while browsing and must say I enjoyed my journey down memory lane. Cracker Jacks were one of my favorite treats while growing up, though I'm not sure whether it was the snack itself or the anticipation of the prize.

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  24. They haven't had decent prizes for decades. Not even when my kids were little. but I do remember the cool ones. the little plastic toys the you pictured here, the puzzles, the little books, I even seem to remember a little punch out that you assembled like a model or plane.

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  25. Oh I remember the little plastic pencil with the cellophane sheet - that was a COOL prize! I've had crackerjacks in recent years, but I was disappointed in both the prize and the amount of peanuts - I felt like there weren't as many. The popcorn is still just as tasty - its own unique flavor.

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  26. All these memories! It makes me almost sad that I was born on the wrong side of the pond, even though we did have something similar.

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  27. Well, I STILL love Cracker Jacks, but who can get by with only a 7-ounce bag??? Hmmmmm?

    One guess--Not ME!

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  28. Looks like you got a crackerjack jump on the Theme Thursday prompt for this week! Definitely brings back some memories...

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  29. This post made me smile ~ I still have my Cracker Jack matching game from childhood. The prizes you match with cards look just like some of the prizes from the snack when we were kids. Great fun!

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  30. Six Cracker Jacks sure are only a measure for small things! I almost cracked up reading your crackety jackety story. :-)))

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  31. I just wish all the really cool toys were back! Sometimes we can get the "big" bags, if I look hard enough .But still like to get them from th' box :P

    And they vend the peanuts separately, as well ( droool! )

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  32. Memories

    I remember Cracker Jack
    The caramel covered corn;
    It seems like yesterday
    Right after I was born.

    I called it Cracker Jax
    And in each box were metal toys;
    Some for the girls
    Mine were for the boys.

    Then World War II came along
    And metal went away.
    After the war, it was the "Made in Japan"
    At the 5 and 10 cent store.

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  33. love loved Crackerjacks as a kid. Salty and sweet.
    I don't remember any prizes that were coveted, I was more of a Red Rose tea prize collector :).

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  34. Abe, what a charming little poem! Thank you, dear Sir. xx

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  35. Marion, thank you! I rather liked the Cracker Jack/Varjak sound, too.

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  36. There were never enough peanuts for me. Haven't had them in years. I like the old sailor better. Wish I would have kept all the little toys now, for the life of me I can't remember a single one, only the thrill of looking for it. I actually learned about the Cracker Jack introduction at the Chicago World's Fair while reading the fantastic book, "Devil in the White City".

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  37. Hello Willow,

    In UK, Crackerjack is a children's TV show that I remember from the 1960s (although it spanned from '55 to '84).Whenever the name was mentioned, one had to shout out "CRACKERJACK"! Good old innocent fun. I'm sure I would love the popcorn and peanuts too though!

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  38. Oh, Willow, you always take me back...Cracker Jacks! Memories are flooding in...decoder rings in my cereal...deeds to one square inch of Alaska (wonder if I still have those)...how times have changed. Thanks for the memories. BTW, did they have high fructose corn syrup in them? Just wondering.

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  39. Yum, I love Cracker Jacks. And I always wish that there were more peanuts.

    I also love that photo/painting at the top of your blog. What's the story behind that?

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  40. I am probably the only person on earth who doesn't like popcorn, but I do like your post! I agree that the new packaging just doesn't have the same panache as the old, or bring the same sense of delight. Eating six crackerjack would be like eating six potato chips ... impossible!

    I adore the banner you have at the top! Gorgeous.

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  41. Elizabeth, it's the portrait of Marguerite Kelsey by Meredith Frampton, my latest artist crush. I'm working up a little post on her.

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  42. I did not realise that the dog was called Bingo (I sometimes call my husband that...!)
    You cannot put me anythere near Cracker Jack because I will eat the entire box.
    I think I need some NOW

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  43. those little prizes from yore are probably worth a fortune now. :)

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  44. CHK, Cracker Jack has regular corn syrup, but no HFCS.

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  45. Dear Willow: Earliest memories of Crackerjack; the song "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and playing with the "clicker" metal crackerjack toy for hours. Wonders if Crackerjack could be made into a granola-type health food; honey instead of molasses? On occasion I suppose it will "do no harm" hopefully. Imagine that Crackerjack must smell like Beernuts when cooked at fairs, circuses, delicious! Always loved the taste. I'm sure CJ makes dentists a fortune!

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  46. Our Wal-mart sells the individual sized boxes! And I agree...it tastes better than a few decades ago! They must have improved it! :)

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  47. Bags, huh? I liked the boxes better, too. Sorry you got a lame prize.

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  48. Further proof that the little things are the big things. ;)

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  49. awwww--and I like the old Cracker Jack and Bingo,too. Joe LOVES cracker jacks, but I have to admit, it's too sweet for me--I like my popcorn with melted butter and parmesan cheese all over it...with a glass of white wine.

    As a kid, I loved those little "prizes" in them. I'd get so excited.

    Have you ever seen the website for Candy You Ate as a Kid? I sent a box off to a friend with a birthday recently--wax lips, candy necklaces, bubble gum cigars, dots on paper, Good n' Plenty, Chuckles, etc...brought back tons of memories and a good laugh.

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  50. Sweet post! Love crackerjacks, myself.... have you ever tried Poppycock? Similar idea, but more caramelly.

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  51. just did a google on CrackerJack prizes and ran across this blog.
    Even well into my 50s, I still love crackerjacks and will buy them once in a while.
    A lot of the comments made are similiar to my memories and thoughts. I too, learned to open the box at the bottom to get to the prize first. I remember getting the "clicker", the "magic tablet", tattoes, and many other of the prize. My most favorite toy was a plastic boat that had a rubber-band powered prop.
    The peanuts were the best, but the last box I had, just a few weeks ago, had about 5 peanuts.. very disappointing. :(

    I was surprised that no one in this blog mentioned the ditty "What do you want, when ya gotta eat something, and it's gotta be sweet and ya gotta have a lot, and ya gotta have it now...."... :)

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)