ABSTRACT
The Cracker Jack Company has been an American institution for most of the twentieth century. Its practice of packing toys into boxes of caramel-coated popcorn began in 1908, after the confection alone had been marketed for 12 years. Feedback from consumers has convinced the firm that the magic of its success is contained more in the toy than in the popcorn. Cracker Jack also took note of the fact that sales were dismal in those states which used to forbid the inclusion of premiums in packages of edibles. Some grownups can still remember a time when toys in the Cracker Jack boxes were made of wood and/or metal. These were often imported from Japan, Germany, and other places; however, World War II cut off most of these markets and necessitated the heavy use of plastics in their construction.
