When did the toys disappear from cereal boxes?

[sent]

I went to buy DD some colorful cereal and found a box of "Limited Edition Mini-Trix with a free Minion inside!" I was going to look for some other options but then I noticed none of them had toys - When did this happen?  So obviously I bought the sole box with the Minion and I get home to find it in a separate package right on top of the cereal.  What is this? I was all prepared to dig that Minion out!

Brought to you by my mom observing at pickup that DD was crawling under the lunch table to retrieve and eat some other kid's colorful food off the ground at daycare today.   And apparently I have not bought cereal since 1989.

[Deleted]

Well the separated from the cereal part is the 'avoid litigation' and likely made in a different factory issue.

We have had some 'toys' in our cereals. But maybe once a year. Like a spoon- straw (plastic) and one time something like a spinning top.

[Willis Jackson]

I don't remember them being in our cereal boxes very often when I was a kid either, but my parents only bought boring cereals.

[cincodemayo]

I forgot all about that! I haven't seen this in cereal in like 20 years.

[anna7602]

Some of the cereals in France still had toys regularly, and you had to dig in to find them. (But, no fear of law suits, as @hannymaren points out.) I can't remember seeing them here in recent years.

[momin2013]

By first response was, heyyyyy, you're right! I seriously can't remember, but I'm sure it was back when I was a kid, so 36835 years ago. And in my case, it's not for lack of continuing to buy kid cereal over the years.

Yeah, having the toy at the top is no fun at all. I mean, I get the reasoning, but still no fun. I remember shaking the box from side to side to look down the sides, and often ending up digging my arm down inside to find that toy. Aah, those were the days...

[Deleted]

I read somewhere once it has to do with litigation issues and with the health push (bribing kids with toys to eat crap cereal).

Cereal box toys are a highlight of childhood and I'm sad.

However, Kellog's as a thing where you can save a certain area on the box and send them in for free books. I've done that with the kids and it's decently fun. No immediate gratification but still nice.

[anna7602]

Sept 24, 2015 8:55:25 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

I read somewhere once it has to do with litigation issues and with the health push (bribing kids with toys to eat crap cereal).

The obvious answer is to stop putting High-Fructose Corn Syrup in the cereals, not to stop putting the toys in. 

I'm being sort of TIC, but not really. I don't understood how there can be shelves full of cereal (and other foods) without HFCS in other countries, but not here. 

ETA: Also, this is the third data point I've seen on the boards in just 2 days that hints at a population of parents who need to grow a pair if they would only buy the cereal their kid shouts out for due to a toy inside, or sign up for services they're guilted into or buy more of some specific toy for their kid merely because another parent was "evil" enough to introduce the concept of said toy to their child. I don't know if this is really how the world works, but it's alarming if it is. 

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2015 9:20:39 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Sept 24, 2015 8:55:25 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

I read somewhere once it has to do with litigation issues and with the health push (bribing kids with toys to eat crap cereal).

The obvious answer is to stop putting High-Fructose Corn Syrup in the cereals, not to stop putting the toys in. 

I'm being sort of TIC, but not really. I don't understood how there can be shelves full of cereal (and other foods) without HFCS in other countries, but not here. 

I'm with you. 

HFCS is cheap here. That's most of it. It's a fast easy easily grown sugar. (Not that I'm complaining. Corn farmers and all..lol). I just don't think it needs to be in EVERYTHING. 

Also, I think cereal is a pretty American thing. All my exchange students (except the French one. He "knew" cereal) are nuts about cereal because it's not a thing there. I still haven't figured out Ukranian "cereal." It's like oatmeal but not. Malt o Meal but not. Warm but not. Milk. I've checked stores with the kids, listened to descriptions of it, tried a few recipes and it's just not here...lol.

[anna7602]

@justdairy, it is a pretty American thing, but has creeped onto European shelves in the 20 or so years since I first lived in Spain, a time at which there were no cereals on the shelves and no, gasp, Oreos, either. You can now find a fair amount of the American classics and some local knock-offs in western European supermarkets, at least (I can't remember what I saw in Russia or Turkey). And they have no HFCS. And, btw, when they introduced Oreos abroad, they didn't have trans fats at the time, either.

And... Mexican Coca-Cola is still made with real sugar v. American Coca-Cola. Whenever my local supermarket stocks Mexican Coke, it flies off the shelves. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Coke)

[sent]

Mini-Trix doesn't have HFCS, phew! And DD loves minions so that's like the main reason I bought Trix and not Fruit Loops or something else. Remember all the elaborate commercials for stuff like cereal and Happy Meals? Those don't exist anymore either, huh. Yet childhood obesity is a thing now. It must've been all those singing Chicken McNuggets from the 90s that led to childhood obesity in the 2000s. (note sarcasm)

[sent]

Sept 24, 2015 9:30:38 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

And... Mexican Coca-Cola is still made with real sugar v. American Coca-Cola. Whenever my local supermarket stocks Mexican Coke, it flies off the shelves. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Coke)

It's crazy right! HFCS makes me mad too. But I don't have enough money to fight the corn lobby so I just shop at Trader Joe's.

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2015 9:30:38 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

@justdairy, it is a pretty American thing, but has creeped onto European shelves in the 20 or so years since I first lived in Spain, a time at which there were no cereals on the shelves and no, gasp, Oreos, either. You can now find a fair amount of the American classics and some local knock-offs in western European supermarkets, at least (I can't remember what I saw in Russia or Turkey). And they have no HFCS. And, btw, when they introduced Oreos abroad, they didn't have trans fats at the time, either.

And... Mexican Coca-Cola is still made with real sugar v. American Coca-Cola. Whenever my local supermarket stocks Mexican Coke, it flies off the shelves. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Coke)

Due to a large Mexican population here, Mexican coke is everywhere where I live. Even the small town grocery stores stock it. H much prefers it. I don't like soda period, so no dice for me. 

The kids I get who come from more wealthy backgrounds are pretty well versed in the American infiltration...haha. I get a lot of kids who are just trying to survive at home, so this all new and fun to them. 

[anna7602]

Sept 24, 2015 9:32:39 GMT -5 sent said:

Mini-Trix doesn't have HFCS, phew! And DD loves minions so that's like the main reason I bought Trix and not Fruit Loops or something else. Remember all the elaborate commercials for stuff like cereal and Happy Meals? Those don't exist anymore either, huh. Yet childhood obesity is a thing now. It must've been all those singing Chicken McNuggets from the 90s that led to childhood obesity in the 2000s. (note sarcasm)

Do kids even watch commercials anymore (even if they exist for "bad" food)? 90% of what we watch is on Netflix, Amazon Prime, DVDs or the iPad. If DD happens to be subject to TV in real time, she just walks away during the commercials. 

Her capitalist consumption urges are motivated by YouTube videos of people opening toys on film or playing with toys she didn't previously know existed. Maybe there's a YouTube channel for cereal or happy meals? 

[anna7602]

Note: one of my hot-button issues is how expensive shitty or sub-par food is in the U.S. Why is it so hard to price healthy options affordably in a country as large and wealthy (on a macro-level) as ours?

tagging @justdairy, because perhaps you have thoughts on this... 

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2015 9:36:58 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Sept 24, 2015 9:32:39 GMT -5 sent said:

Mini-Trix doesn't have HFCS, phew! And DD loves minions so that's like the main reason I bought Trix and not Fruit Loops or something else. Remember all the elaborate commercials for stuff like cereal and Happy Meals? Those don't exist anymore either, huh. Yet childhood obesity is a thing now. It must've been all those singing Chicken McNuggets from the 90s that led to childhood obesity in the 2000s. (note sarcasm)

Do kids even watch commercials anymore (even if they exist for "bad" food)? 90% of what we watch is on Netflix, Amazon Prime, DVDs or the iPad. If DD happens to be subject to TV in real time, she just walks away during the commercials. 

Her capitalist consumption urges are motivated by YouTube videos of people opening toys on film or playing with toys she didn't previously know existed. Maybe there's a YouTube channel for cereal or happy meals? 

Haha. When DD has to watch real TV she whines at me "Make the commercials stop MOMMMYYYYYYYY. My show is not on......" Too much Hulu for her apparently. 

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2015 9:38:50 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Note: one of my hot-button issues is how expensive shitty or sub-par food is in the U.S. Why is it so hard to price healthy options affordably in a country as large and wealthy (on a macro-level) as ours?

Because honestly, people don't want to pay for it. This is a pretty hot button issue in agriculture too (So it's not a farmer push like the internet would lead you to believe.) People really want their food as fast and easy and CHEAP as they can get it. They say they don't, but the second you make changes for the better, people don't want to pay for it. 

Also, people here are so far removed from agriculture and how the food system works that there's no middle ground. It better be organic, grassfed and hand raised by virgin maids so expensive or people just don't give a damn so Hot Pockets for everyone. The middle area where food could still be raised effectively, safely, productively and healthy is lost on a lot of people so they jump from one end of the extreme to the other (Thank the internet and extremist groups for that too!). 

Also, up until the last year government subsidies for farmers (which by the way the greatest majority farmers where not thrilled with) and control over the Chicago Board of Trade (which sets price of crops for farmers)  and the middle man manufacturers were completely whacked, off the scale and made no sense. Now that the Farm Bill has reformed, their should be improvements in this area. 

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2015 9:20:39 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Sept 24, 2015 8:55:25 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

I read somewhere once it has to do with litigation issues and with the health push (bribing kids with toys to eat crap cereal).

The obvious answer is to stop putting High-Fructose Corn Syrup in the cereals, not to stop putting the toys in. 

I'm being sort of TIC, but not really. I don't understood how there can be shelves full of cereal (and other foods) without HFCS in other countries, but not here. 

ETA: Also, this is the third data point I've seen on the boards in just 2 days that hints at a population of parents who need to grow a pair if they would only buy the cereal their kid shouts out for due to a toy inside, or sign up for services they're guilted into or buy more of some specific toy for their kid merely because another parent was "evil" enough to introduce the concept of said toy to their child. I don't know if this is really how the world works, but it's alarming if it is. 

ITA with this. I read yesterday that the Big Macs in other countries doesn't have HFCS. WHYYYYY do we still have HFCS in everything? The answer of course is because it's cheap due to govt subsidies on corn. But really, WHY government?

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2015 9:48:52 GMT -5 @republicrat said:

Sept 24, 2015 9:20:39 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

The obvious answer is to stop putting High-Fructose Corn Syrup in the cereals, not to stop putting the toys in. 

I'm being sort of TIC, but not really. I don't understood how there can be shelves full of cereal (and other foods) without HFCS in other countries, but not here. 

ETA: Also, this is the third data point I've seen on the boards in just 2 days that hints at a population of parents who need to grow a pair if they would only buy the cereal their kid shouts out for due to a toy inside, or sign up for services they're guilted into or buy more of some specific toy for their kid merely because another parent was "evil" enough to introduce the concept of said toy to their child. I don't know if this is really how the world works, but it's alarming if it is. 

ITA with this. I read yesterday that the Big Macs in other countries doesn't have HFCS. WHYYYYY do we still have HFCS in everything? The answer of course is because it's cheap due to govt subsidies on corn. But really, WHY government?

This is actually not all that true. Yes, there is subsidies on corn, but not as much the food grade stuff as the animal feed kind.  (All corn you see grown is not the same. A good percentage of it is not for human consumption at all, but animal feed).It's more due to manufacturers trying to maximize profits and keep the price low so people will buy it. People in other places are more willing to pay for their food. Americans quite honestly love to b*tch about their grocery bills. 

And if you ask the greatest majority of American farmers how they feel about crop subsidies only about 1% are going to tell it's awesome and they're in for the subsidies. The other 99% would love to see it all disappear. 

It's a hard uphill battle from an agriculture perspective to fight. Imagine if your pay check was determined by government drones who have no idea what your job is about, corporate manufacturers trying to make a buck without regard to the people growing their food and Mother Nature. That's my life every day. 

[MamaMaui24]

I think the real reason they were removed was because it was a choking hazard.

This is why American kids can't get those damn Kinder Surprise Eggs so we just get to watch YouTube videos of adults opening them! (wilted)

[momin2013]

Sept 24, 2015 10:36:52 GMT -5 MamaMaui24 said:

I think the real reason they were removed was because it was a choking hazard.

This is why American kids can't get those damn Kinder Surprise Eggs so we just get to watch YouTube videos of adults opening them! (wilted)

Lol - your kids are missing out!

DS loves getting Kinder eggs; only problem is now we have tons of these useless little cheap toys all over the place. The mini Minion figurines are pretty cool, though.