This Looney Tunes Launcher is one of a series of Cracker Jack prizes first issued in June 1999. The series includes 50 paper prizes from 10 sub-sets: 8 Looney Tunes Launchers, 6 Funny Flippers, 6 Tongue-Twistin' Turners, 2 Digit Disguises, 2 Cracker Jack Greetings, 2 Blowracers, 7 Mini Morphs, 7 Peanutbowls, 5 Frame-Ups, and 5 Flip-On Stick-Ons. These last two sub-sets are self-adhesive stickers.
The prizes are approximately 1 ½" x 2 1/8" and are printed in color on the front and in black and white on the back. There is a prize number on the back of each prize, beginning with "990" followed by a two-digit number to indicate the number of the prize within the series.
The
wrapper used for the prizes is the same sort of removable front and back cover used with the previously released series. The inside of the front cover gives the name of the prize sub-set, the sequential number of the prize in the sub-set (such as "4 of 8"), and instructions.
Back Cover
The back covers, printed in black, are one of 37 different Eye Benders, Jack's Brain Strains, Jack's Funny Facts, Rebus Madness, or Tongue Tie-Ups. There is one prize with a unique backing title; the activity on the back of the #5 Tongue Twistin' Turners is labeled "Jack's Funny Fact" rather than Jack's Funny "Facts." These black backs are not all unique to a particular prize; some of the same backings are used twice or three times with different prizes, a total of 13 repeats. For example, one of the Frame-Ups has the same Tongue Tie-Ups on the back as one of the Flip-On Stick-Ons. So collectors must be careful and not just go by the back in determining the prize inside.
Inside Back Cover
The inside back covers, printed in blue, contain 14 of the activities or fun facts from the back covers of other prizes in the series, some repeated more than once. In addition, there are also 16 new activities or fun facts on the inside back covers that are not found on the back covers of other prizes.
The back covers, both inside and out, give the Cracker Jack web site address (www.crackerjack.com).
Now, for the actual prizes: The 8 Looney Tunes Launchers, like the one shown at the top of the page, are to be folded up at the corners along perforations and then flicked from a flat surface or the palm of the hand to see how far they will fly. There is a space scene on the back to color. Unlike the rest of the sub-sets, all the Launchers have the same prize number in error.
Funny Flipper
The 6 Funny Flippers are to be torn along perforations and then the flaps folded in such a way that the top of one character is combined with the bottom of another, creating some amusing effects. There are 3 additional Looney Tunes characters on the back to color; these are black and white versions of characters from other prizes in the sub-set.
Tongue Twistin' Turner
The 6 Tongue-Twistin' Turners also have perforations for creating flaps. When the flaps are folded, different tongue twister combinations result. Additional words in black and white are on the backs of these prizes, but still beginning with the same letter as the words on the front.
Digit Disguise
The 2 Digit Disguises are re-issues of two "Hey What's on Your Finger?" prizes from the previous series. A hole is to be punched out of the middle of the prize and a finger inserted for funny effects. There is a riddle on the back.
Cracker Jack Greeting
The 2 Cracker Jack Greetings, a continuation of prizes from the previous series, are miniature greeting cards. Once the cards are folded, there is a Cracker Jack "hallmark" on the back and a funny saying on the inside.
Blowracer
The 2 Blow Racer vehicles are re-issues from Frito-Lay's first series of Cracker Jack prizes in 1998, but printed in deeper colors. The corners are to removed and the sides folded down along perforations. Then the blow racers are to be blown upon for air-propelled races. Blow Racer play suggestions are on the back.
Mini Morph
Reminiscent of the inside back covers of Mad magazines, the 7 Mini Morphs are clever pieces with perforations for folding the prizes to create four panels. Some of the top and the bottom panels are joined together to create the impression that the picture is a sports ball; but when unfolded, an unattractive face is revealed. Some are other subjects. With the Mini Morph shown above, the top and bottom join to form a baseball, hiding the gruesome stitched face that is exposed when the prize is unfolded. A riddle are found on the back.
Peanutbowl
The 7 Peanutbowls encourage playing with food, as long as the food is the candied peanuts found in Cracker Jack. The six squares are to be separated and folded along the dotted lines to create bases for standing up the targets. Then the playing pieces are lined up in a triangle like bowling pins. Points are determined by the numbers on the backs of pieces knocked down when Cracker Jack peanuts are rolled at them.
Frame-Up
The last two sub-sets in the series are the first Cracker Jack sticker prizes from Frito-Lay. Each of the 5 Frame-Ups is self-adhesive with a hole to be punched out. The sticker is to be placed over the face of someone in a photograph for some silly fun.
Flip-On Stick-On
And finally, the 5 Flip-On Stick-Ons, also self-adhesive and also with a space to be punched out, are to be placed over an electrical switch plate, with the switch poking through the hole. Looney Tunes characters appear on some of the Stick-Ons.
Also in June 1999, specially marked Cracker Jack packages for the Mark McGwire/Rawlings promotion appeared on store shelves containing most of the prizes from the series above, but with game pieces used as the back covers. The Mac sweepstakes included a trip to meet Mark McGwire as the grand prize; other prizes included baseball cards, baseballs, bats, miniature baseball mitts, and posters. (The grand prize was claimed, and the event occurred on March 3, 2000.)
Prize with Game Piece - Back Cover
According to Frito-Lay, 40 of the 50 prizes were converted to McGwire promotion versions; that is, they are the same as the prizes from the series above, except for the different backing. You might say they were drafted for the baseball game. The two subsets from the "non-Mac" series not used in the Mac promotion set are the Frame-Ups and the Flip-On Stick-Ons (making a total of 10 not converted to Mac versions).
In addition to these re-issued 40, there are 10 self-adhesive Mark McGwire related "Mac Stickers" prizes that were originally developed just for the promotion (unique from any of the prizes in the original series of 50), for a total of 50 prizes in the game piece "series." The Mac Stickers include "Mark's Marks," Swingin' Stickers," "Eye on Mac," "Rawlings Gold Glove Award," Yo-Yo Mac," "Yak with Mac," and others. Two types in this set of 10 are familiar concepts: a couple of the Mac Stickers are Frame-Ups, and two others are Flip-On Stick-Ons. But they are all Mark McGwire related and completely different from any prizes in the original sub-sets of these types.
Frame-Up Mac Sticker
The prize numbers for this set run from #99091 through #99100. The 5th Mac Sticker in the set shows no prize number, but should be #99096.
As a part of this McGwire series of 50, non-winning game pieces contain one of 50 Mac Facts, found on the inside of the prize backing. Unfortunately, collecting all 50 of the prizes does not guarantee getting all 50 of the Mac Facts. Some identical prizes have different Mac Facts, and some different prizes have identical Mac Facts.
There is a later series of stickers that is a hybrid of both the Mac and non-Mac paper series. Though the Mac Stickers were at first unique to the Mac contest series, by mid-October 1999, Mac Stickers had been released that were no longer Mac contest versions--that is, the back covers are not game pieces. Instead, they have backs with word games and such borrowed from the original non-Mac series of 50. You might say the backings are pinch hitting. (Enough with the baseball analogies before I strike out.) The backs of the prizes themselves have similar activities (except for #5 Eye-on-Mac, which requires the use of the back for stickers), but these are all baseball related, and only one (on the back of #2 Frame-Ups) is borrowed from the back of an earlier prize.
In September 1999, another series of Mark McGwire related prizes, Mac lenticular disks
, became available in 4 oz. bags of Cracker Jack.
