This Blow Racer boat is one of a series of 40 Cracker Jack prizes
first issued in late November and early December 1998.
The complete series of 40 paper prizes includes 8 sub-sets: 6 Blow
Racers, 6 Cracker Jack Greetings, 4 Drop Catches, 4 Flick 'Ems, 6
"Hey, What's on Your Finger?" prizes, 4 Retro Rings, 6 Silly Sentence
Sliders, and 4 Sports Nut Rings. The prize pieces are approximately
1 1/2" x 2 1/8" and are printed in color on the front and in black
and white on the back.
Prize Cover - Front View
Each of these colorful and clever prizes has a removable front and
back cover; a perforated strip of paper is to be torn off the side of the
wrapper to reveal the prize inside. The back cover contains "jack's
funny facts!" and shows Bingo saying "That's a fact Jack!" The Cracker
Jack web site address (www.crackerjack.com) is found there, too. The
reverse side of this backing gives the category of the prize, which
number it is in the category, and prize instructions. As an extra bonus,
the inside of the front cover is a Ploid (the currency on Planet Lunch)
worth 1, 2, or 3 points toward premiums available from Frito-Lay.
Prize Cover - Back View
Each of the prizes in this group has an individual 5-digit number
(except as noted below). Some of the sub-sets have the identification number on the front, and others have
the number on the back. The identification number
starts with "98" to indicate the year the prize was created,
followed by a unique sequential number for the prize. For example,
the Kayak Jack Blow Racer at the top of the page is numbered 98006,
indicating it is the sixth prize of the 40 created in 1998.
One
deviation from the unique identification numbers is that 98027 has
been used for two different Silly Sentence Slider prizes. One of
the prizes ("Dog Dialogue") marked 98027 should have the number 98032, which was not
used at all. In addition, the prize numbers were reversed on two of
the Cracker Jack Greetings prizes, 98023 and 98024, based upon
their sequence numbers within the Greetings sub-set.
Even so, this numbering system is a welcomed enhancement for
determining the age of a prize in the future and for prize identification.
The 6 Blow Racer boats are to be folded along the perforated dotted
lines in such a way that they can be blown upon to move them along.
On the back, there is a picture to color and a name for the boat on the bottom.
"Tank You" Cracker Jack Greeting
The 6 Cracker Jack Greetings prizes are miniature greeting cards
with a message inside relating to the cover illustration. The
Cracker Jack "hallmark" is on the back.
Quickatch Drop Catch
The 4 Drop Catch prizes are games in which the prize is dropped
and caught between the index finger and thumb, and the outcome is
whatever is covered up by the thumb. The same "Catch a Magic Answer"
Drop Catch game is on the backs of all of these prizes.
Bouncin' Bingo
The 4 Flick 'Ems are placed between the thumb and index finger
and pinched to cause the prize to eject. Contests for distance and
accuracy can be played, or the Flick 'Em can be used to make a
decision, similar to flipping a coin.
"Hey, What's on Your Finger?" Elephant
The 6 "Hey, What's on Your Finger?" prizes have a perforated
circle to punch out. A finger is inserted into the hole for some
fun effects.
Sun Retro Ring
The group of 4 punch-out Retro Rings features "hip" symbols.
Each of the rings is reversible, with Bingo's Magic Answer
Ring on the back, either with a black ring band and a white background
or a white ring band and a black background.
Animal Antics Silly Sentence Slider
The 6 Silly Sentence Slider prizes have a a vertical strip, the
slider, and four horizontal strips of words to be woven through it.
Sliding the word strips right and left makes for some humorous
combinations, thus the "silly sentences."
Basketball Sports Nut Ring
The 4 Sports Nut Rings are basically the same as the Retro Rings,
except they picture sports balls instead of symbols. On the back they
have the same two types of Bingo's Magic Answer Rings as the Retro
Rings.
By April 1, 1999, variations of ten of these prizes were being
distributed as a series with test market Cracker Jack Treat Bars. The treat bar
prizes are basically the same as the originals, although there
are a few differences.
The unopened Treat Bar
prizes are 5/16" narrower than the originals, as are the prizes. The top and bottom
edges of the prizes and covers are straight cut, whereas the original
ones are notched top and bottom. The values of the Ploids attached to
some of the prizes are not the same as the originals. At least one of the
Cracker Jack Greeting Cards - "Peas" on Earth - is marked with a
different sub-set sequence number ("4 of 6" rather
than the original's "3 of 6").
The colors of the Treat Bar prizes
are slightly lighter compared to the originals. Also, the images on
the prizes appear to have been graphically "stretched" before being
resized to fit the reduced dimensions, with the result that the
proportions of the images are different. (Compare the two prizes
below: the original is on the left and the Treat Bar prize is on the
right.)
