Remember the days when a box of cereal rattled with a plastic toy? Amelia Tait hears how they got there and where they went – and meets the enthusiasts still tracking down these elusive treasures
o one would ever guess, says product designer James Allerton, just how many people it took to make the glow-in-the-dark, lightsaber-shaped plastic puzzles once dropped by Kellogg’s into boxes of Corn Flakes.
“We went on to film sets. We were flown out to LA,” says Allerton. Once, when designing Spider-Man water squirters, he was taken on a top-secret trip to Hollywood for a sneak peek at the upcoming film. Meanwhile, Madeley got to walk the red carpet London film premieres and stay at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Ranch in San Francisco.
Yet Logistix did not invent the concept of in-the-packet cereal toys. In 1957, Kellogg’s created miniature plastic submarines that could be filled with baking soda so they would sink and surface in the bathtub. That same year, “the amazing underwater frogman” was available in packs of Nabisco Shreddies.
‘Each toy had to be above a certain weight so it would drop properly into the packet on the production line.’“We were heavily restricted,” Madeley says. “So to produce something that might capture kids’ attention for a few minutes was quite challenging.” Each toy had to be made for around 6p and most had to be gender-neutral with the occasional “slight boy bias” . Promotions would last anywhere between six weeks and three months.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Qld tenants reluctant to dispute rent increases as housing options shrinkWhile record-low housing availability in Queensland led to more disputes over rent rises in the last financial year, authorities expect such complaints to remain relatively low as rents continue to climb.
Read more »
Credit Suisse wipeout shows why blind diversification is dangerousAussie bank hybrids are showing resilience in the face of recent events, but investors are learning that the search for yield is a reach for risk, writes cjoye.
Read more »
Tornado in Mississippi kills at least 14, with more trapped under rubbleBuildings wrecked and power lines downed by ‘supercell’ storm system as governor says search and rescue efforts continuing
Read more »
Search for driver after woman killed in hit-run involving stolen carA woman is dead and three others were injured after a collision in Melbourne’s northern suburbs overnight, with police searching for a driver who is believed to have fled the scene.
Read more »