I loved Cracker Jack's as a kid. I still have a small box of charms that I collected and charms that I collected out of the bubble gum machines. I looked them up on line a few years back and some are worth a couple of dollars. That is one of the few things that I still have from my childhood. I haven't had Cracker Jack's in ages, and I think the last box that I ate had some kind of paper tatoo or something; nothing like the charms you used to be able to get.
On this day in history, February 19, 1912, Cracker Jack's 'prize in every box' debutsCracker Jack started its "prize in every box" promotion on this day in history, Feb. 19, 1912.
German immigrant F.W. Rueckheim first invented the now-ubiquitous ballpark treat in the late 19th century.
It was initially sold at his small candy and popcorn shop, F. W. Rueckheim & Bro., says the website SnackHistory.com.
The caramel-coated popcorn made its official debut at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, notes the website.
Three years after that, Rueckheim began to market the snack as "Cracker Jack," the Encyclopedia of Chicago pointed out.
It would take nearly a decade before another innovation would further boost the product's popularity.
