WORLD’S GREATEST TOYS: The Wild Tale of History’s Most Successful Cereal Premium

SNEAK PREVIEW: World’s Greatest Toys Digest #12 is here!

It’s Saturday. What better day to take a SNEAK PEEK inside the new issue of Benjamin J. Holcomb’s World’s Greatest Toys Digest?

The magazine began with a singular focus on Mego — Holcomb wrote the Mego Bible, Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! from TwoMorrows — but it’s since branched out into Star Wars and, now, those cheap-yet-exciting playthings and nicknacks we used to get in cereal boxes.

Here’s the opening line to Benjamin’s piece from The Wild, Untamed Tale of History’s Most Successful Cereal Premium:

He could not sleep. It was around 3 am, that night in September 1954. Bruce Baker was stress-smoking while taking a dump in his Lake Forest, IL home. The strained ad executive was under the gun to pitch new ideas to Quaker Oats, one of Chicago advertising agency Wherry, Baker & Tilden’s biggest clients. Nearly two decades later, Baker recalled “sitting in the can, smoking three cigarettes at once — well, at least two.” Adding to his stress, Baker’s budget was not to exceed 3 cents a package to buy and distribute.

There is some Mego in the ish — in particular a history of Action Jackson’s brief time as a cereal giveaway. (You can click here to check out a preview of that!)

Other cereal premiums covered include Superman, Willy Wonka and Winnie-the-Pooh. Plus, in keeping with the theme of the issue, there’s a prize in every copy: a free collectible sticker!

World’s Greatest Toys Digest #12 is available to order now. Each ish is $15.99, plus $2.75 shipping. To order, PayPal $18.74 to benjamin@worldsgreatesttoys.com. He requests that you use the “friends and family” payment option. Also: Be sure to send Benjamin your mailing address if you are a first-time reader.

MORE

— That Strange Time When ACTION JACKSON Was a Cereal Toy. Click here.

— Man, I Loved the 1977 STAR WARS Wonder Bread Trading Cards. Click here.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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