I joined ebay in 1997, since then like clock work, i have searched "Black Hole" and "Shreddies" in hope of finding this item. Recently on one boring Tuesday morning, there it was with a Buy It Now price that was so agreeable, it still makes me smile.
Sure it's an empty cereal box but to me, it's just something slightly more.
I've written about this promotion before , it's one of those incredibly happy moments in childhood that you just smile about whenever you think about it.
Shreddies was never my favourite cereal, yet for a month in 1979, I endured three boxes of it (with a lot of help from sugar) to get these....
Actually, it was one box top per figure, an additional $2.50 per figure (plus sales tax) and my mom had to write a cheque! Hell, this wasn't even that great a deal!
But i did it and waited the eternity for that bubble envelope (with a cool drawing of Maximillian on it) to arrive. I'd love to reunite with that envelope as well, I hope one still exists. Those figures were just....kind of earned and I still have my Vincent nearly 40 years later.
One of the saving graces of this promo that really kept me going were the kick ass Space Pal Pencil caddies that came in every box. I'm positive I ate Shreddies well into 1980 to finish my set.
These guys lined my fourth grade desk and actually i still have one at work right now.
I'm thrilled to share this happy memory, it's one of the reasons I collect.
Thanks for reading, have a terrific weekend.
Growing up in Buffalo NY, I used to watch a lot of Canadian TV. I was always super jealous of the awesome prizes (Good good whole wheat) Shreddies had. Star Trek ships, The Black Hole and a ton of other Disney tie-ins. I also thought it was genius to have desirable prizes in a "good for you" cereal as opposed to sugary crap cereals.
ReplyDeleteScott, as someone who grew up on the border watching American TV I can tell you that we were waaaaay more envious of all the stuff you could get in the US.
DeleteCaptain Crunch, Ding Dongs, the Hostess Pies advertised during Charlie Brown cartoon specials and TAB.
All things we cross border shopped for well into the 80s because you couldnt get it in Canada.
I still can't get Nutter Butters here and I'm very bitter about it.
Yeah I gotta back up Qween on that. Toy commercials alone were the stuff of legend let alone the junk food, cereals and restaurants I never visited.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 7 I made my parents pull over to visit a Carvel. It then dawned on me that we couldn't take a fudgie the whale on our trip.
I had these (pencil caddies) come into the store (vintage toys) in the late 90s - along with some other Canadian premiums, and nobody cared! Very well designed and executed. Very cool premium and I am so glad getting the love they deserve now.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't about the toys; it's about the cereal! I'm sure your intestines were happy with all that fiber!
ReplyDeleteSee the whole collection of Black Hole Space Pal pencil holders here: http://www.womprat.com/articles/blackhole.html
ReplyDeleteGee, the stuff ya take for granted. I wasn't aware you guys were denied so much diabetes inducing fun.
ReplyDelete