Cracker Jacks

By Kathy Kovach

Mention Cracker Jack, and the iconic song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” springs to mind with the lyric, “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack”, along with the childhood thrill of finding a toy surprise. The final sensory emotion evoked is the taste of the molasses popcorn treat. Let’s face it, before taking a bite we dug our tiny fingers into the box, seeking the treasured toy inside like a pirate with a backhoe.

Who came up with this innovative treat? That’s up for debate. Two confectioners have claimed the title, C.F. Gunther and Frederick William Rueckheim in the late 19th Century. Whoever came up with it first, though, Rueckheim ran with it. The twenty-three-year-old German immigrant started his career by selling popcorn on the streets of Chicago. Soon, his brother Louis came to America to join him in his new venture. Together they founded the F.W. Rueckheim & Bro. Company.

In 1893, they added a molasses concoction and introduced the sweet and savory snack as "Candied Popcorn and Peanuts" at the World’s Columbian Exposition, a.k.a. the Chicago World’s Fair. It flopped because the recipe was too sticky. Eventually, with the addition of a little oil in the pot, that resembled a cement mixer, the problem was solved.

By 1896, the generic moniker was dropped, and the treat became Cracker Jack. The story of how this came about is shrouded in myth, but the most popular is of an employee/salesman/customer who sampled it for the first time and proclaimed, “That’s a crackerjack!” At the time, the term referred to anything spectacular. The slogan "The More You Eat, The More You Want" was registered along with the new name.

The snack, at this time, came in tins. In 1899, the company hired packaging expert Henry Eckstein who invented “triple-proof packaging,” incorporating the first moisture-proof, wax-sealed container. These lightweight boxes ensured prolonged freshness and were easy to pack, making wide distribution possible.

Cracker Jack has a connection to Teddy Roosevelt, in particular, his infamous hunting trip to Mississippi where he refused to shoot a defenseless bear. Hence the Teddy Bear craze was born, which took off in all forms of businesses, including the Cracker Jack decision in 1907 to hire artist B. E. Moreland to create cartoon bear mascots. The two bears graced postcards in a set of sixteen and could either be purchased for ten cents, or sent for with the inclusion of ten sides off of Cracker Jack boxes.

We're a great success upon the field
And with effect the bat can wield
But playing ball grows rather slack
When we can eat good "Cracker Jack"

Free advertising came about when, in 1908, 29-year-old vaudeville performer Jack Norworth happened to be riding the Ninth Avenue El train to midtown Manhattan. Never having been to a baseball game, he spotted an advertisement for the ball field where the New York Giants played. The lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was soon pitched, and its popularity became a homerun for the Cracker Jack company. The tune is traditionally sung by the crowd in the seventh inning stretch.

In 1910, the company’s marketing geniuses came up with placing coupons for prizes inside the boxes. These could be redeemed for all manner of things, including sewing machines, watches, silverware, etc. Two years later, they went a different direction and decided to appeal to children. Once they included a small prize in each box, sales soared. Never underestimate the buying power of a frazzled mom with an insistent youngster.

Baseball cards were added to the prizes in 1914 and again in 1915, capitalizing on the still popular song. In mint condition, these are worth thousands of dollars today.

Ty Cobb

Babe Ruth

By 1918, a new mascot was adopted, the boy Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo. As this was at the end of World War I, the popularity of all things military no doubt made the decision to go Navy. The artist rendering was based on Rueckheim’s grandson, who, sadly died of pneumonia at the age of eight, just a year after becoming the face of the company. His memory would live on for over a century as Cracker Jack still includes him on every package.

Four years later, the F.W. Rueckheim & Bro. Company became the Cracker Jack Company, which was eventually sold to Borden who then sold it to the current company Frito Lay. The prizes have morphed from bear postcards to coupons for goods, then toy prizes made from wood, tin, and later paper during wartime. Tiny porcelain dolls even made an appearance. Modern consumers found jokes, temporary tattoos, and most recently, QR codes for accessing games on an app. The peanut count has gone from approximately thirty down to a mere 5-ish. However, one thing has remained constant—the delicious caramel popcorn treat.

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

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