Cracker Jack under the Big Top

This advertisement for P & G White Naphtha Soap appeared in the August 1931 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. It demonstrates the popularity that Cracker Jack enjoyed at the time and shows what a recognizable part of American life it was. The presence of Cracker Jack in another company's ad certainly speaks highly of its success!

Click on the illustration for a larger view.
Click it again to return.
Though Cracker Jack is not mentioned in the ad, there is no question as to what the red-headed boy is trying to keep from the elephants. The box's familiar blue and red circles in the corners and the diagonal wording with lines above and below in red are unmistakable--what else could it be but Cracker Jack? It was such a mainstay at circuses and carnivals back then that including it in the illustration was only natural.

Detail of the Cracker Jack Box.
Close inspection of the Cracker Jack box adds a bit of suspense to the scene. With the opened end of the box tilted down, will the redhead's efforts to save his Cracker Jack from the elephants result in his spilling the contents to the ground? Hopefully, his Cracker Jack prize is already in his pocket!