Cracker Jack

From Free net encyclopedia

Revision as of 01:48, 21 April 2006; view current revision
←Older revision | Newer revision→

For the 1960s British children's television series, see Crackerjack.

Cracker Jack is a brand of snack consisting of caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts. The treat was a mixture of popcorn, molasses, and peanuts and the initial name was "Candied Popcorn and Peanuts". As stated by [1], Cracker Jack was first mass-produced and sold at the first Chicago World's Fair in 1893.

By 1896, the company devised a way to keep the popcorn kernels separate, the mixture had been difficult to handle because it tended to stick together in chunks.

The name "Cracker Jack" is said to have originated when Frederick William and Louis Rueckheim showed it to a salesman and he said "cracker, Jack"; although at the same time "crackerjack" was an expression which at the time meant "awesome" or "cool".

In 1912, prizes were included in Cracker Jack boxes for the first time; this has become a signature feature of the product.

The snack is popular at baseball parks and it appears in the lyrics to the 1908 song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". It has also been mentioned once in the 1977 song, "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," performed by rock singer Meat Loaf. Cracker Jack also plays an important role in the 1924 Harold Lloyd movie Girl Shy.

Since 1918, its mascots have been cartoon characters Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo. They both appear on the packaging and marketing, and have appeared in the product's television commercials.

The Cracker Jack Company was purchased in 1964 by Borden. In 1997, Borden sold the product to Frito-Lay. July 5th is Cracker Jack Day.

Recently, a set of baseball cards given as prizes in 1914 sold for $800,000.

To say that something was "found in a box of Cracker Jacks" is to insinuate that it is poorly made, like a cheap trinket.

Nickname of the U.S. Navy's enlisted dress blue uniform, since it resembles the clothing of the character on the "Cracker Jack" box.

[edit]