Why You Never Find Prizes In Cereal Boxes Anymore

Some of you may fondly recall seeing the "free prize inside" text on cereal boxes from your childhood. It was difficult not to rip open the package just to get at that sweet, sweet toy, completely ignoring the cereal. Many of the best cereal box prizes over the years felt like true treasures, but all at once, they seemed to vanish, leaving many wondering why. While it mostly involves safety issues, there are several reasons that you don't see toys offered inside snacks and cereals anymore.

Times change, and so do health regulations, environmental concerns, and toy technology. These factors all came to a head during the early 2000s, which is when you may have noticed a decline in prize toys on cereal aisle shelves. For those of us who grew up with these cheaply made but fun delights, this may leave us feeling pretty bummed. However, they faded into obscurity for good reasons and are unlikely to return in any large-scale way.

Cereal box promotions have been around since 1905, but manufacturers didn't actually put goodies inside the packaging until decades later. Cereal box prizes first really hit the scene in the 1930s in the form of General Mills sports trading cards and foldable airplanes, both things that could easily fit in the box. From there, cereal box prizes grew in popularity, hitting their "golden age" between the 1950s and 1980s.

Sad to say, the lack of toys in boxes began with numerous lawsuits involving toy pieces being choking hazards. Over the years, there have been multiple times when children were injured or even nearly killed by these prizes, including a time when Quaker issued a major recall all because of a popping toy. The real final blow, however, likely came in 2006 with an increase in protocols against advertising unhealthy food to children. Toys are one heck of an incentive to buy sugary cereal, so companies were less likely to include them. The plastic waste produced by the toys was yet another factor that came under scrutiny during those years. All of this meant that toys in boxes might be fun, but they could be a PR nightmare.

Luckily, cereal box prizes grew up with us in one major way. With advancements in technology, cereal companies were able to offer digital toys and games in the form of QR codes on their boxes. Kids can download these playable prizes on their phones, tablets, or computers. It may not scratch the nostalgia itch, but at least cereal box prizes are living on in this new form. And even now, on rare occasions, you may see a toy or two included in a snack box for anniversary events or holidays.

In 2021, Kellogg released five kinds of collectible "Bowl Buddies" inside select boxes of their cereal. These plastic figures of recognizable characters, ranging from Tony the Tiger to Toucan Sam, could sit on your bowl of cereal to keep you company during breakfast. It was a short-lived promotion, but if they did it once, they might do it again. So, while we will likely never again see metal charms, colorful spoons, or baseball cards distributed in our morning cereal, you still may have a chance to grab a "prize inside!" toy if you keep a patient, watchful eye.