Why did Cracker Jack stop putting "good" prizes in their bags?

probably something racist

Like most other things nowaday, they got lazy and CHEAP. It’s so disappointing. Last time I had cracker jacks there was a piece of paper as the prize. I don’t remember what it was but it SUCKED.

Because there was a time you could play with something that could choke you.

ummmm…money?

Maybe it’s cheaper? Actually, I’d go with ChazMaz up there and say its all the potential choking.

Money. Crappy prizes are cheaper than cool prizes.
The old prizes might not be as good as you remember though. As a 23 year old you have better taste than you did as a kid, and the maze you thought was super cool 17 years ago might have been a total POS too.

Kids swallowing rings and the company being sued?

Most likely a combination of the things mentioned above, cost and frivolous lawsuits. It’s sad because the special prizes suck in all products these days.

When my mom was a kid, Cracker Jack prizes were even better. I still have a turtle pendant she got from a box of the stuff in the 1930’s. It is made out of some silvery metal but has never rusted or corroded so it still looks quite nice. She also got various charms, including a pink elephant that I still have.

When I was a kid, the most common prize seemed to be a small compass.

I suspect another reason why today’s prizes suck is that we no longer believe in secret decoder rings.

They made a decision in the early 90s and yes it was about money. They could either continue giving good prizes and raise prices or they could give cheaper prizes. They talked to a lot of parents and some well known Cracker Jack collectors and found out that no one really did anything with the toys now but collect them. Therefore, they decided to keep their regular price – which has not since increased – and give out cheaper toys.

What I really want to know is why did they stop putting fucking PEANUTS in the Cracker Jacks. If you like Cracker Jacks and not just caramel corn, the peanuts are the distinguishing characteristic. Now days you can buy a box and end up with 3 fucking peanuts at the bottom. Raise the price by a dime, get rid of the paper tattoo and give me some fucking peanuts.

‘Cause they’re some cheap mofos, that’s why! I’ll bet Kraft/William Morris, or Campbell’s or some other POS food conglomerate bought then and did what they could to slash costs.

when i was little they used to put plastic charms, all colors and animals and objects. my grandmother collected them and made me a little necklace with string. i wish i had it, just for sentimental value.

Cracker Jacks are nasty tasting and only survive because of their mention in “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”.