A Man and His Popcorn
Nothing screams Americana quite like the 7th inning stretch and a box of Cracker Jacks. But would you believe this time-tested snack was created by a German immigrant and debuted not at the ballpark, but at the World’s Fair? The story of this American candy classic is an interesting one, indeed.
Frederick William Rueckheim had been selling popcorn on the streets of Chicago for years, when, in 1893, he came up with a new popcorn creation for the Chicago World’s Fair. When his brother Louis arrived from Germany, they established the F.W. Rueckheim & Bro. company to sell their popcorn together.
What is a Cracker Jack?
In 1896 the name Cracker Jack was officially registered (before then the snack had been called candied popcorn and peanuts) and the familiarly sticky and sweet candy we know today was born.
Back in the day, the term “cracker jack” could refer to anything of high quality, so it’s no wonder the name stuck! The coining of the name, however, was just the first of many big steps for this candy favorite.
Out of Left Field
Henry Gottlieb Eckstein’s invention of the “Eckstein Triple Proof Bag” in 1899 made him the perfect business partner for the Rueckheim brothers. And, in 1902, the company became Rueckheim Bros & Eckstein.
But it would take six more years before Cracker Jacks came into their own. In 1908, Jack Norworth penned the infamous lines of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” that shot Cracker Jacks into the limelight. Since then, no baseball game has been complete without at least one box of the crunchy, sweet treat.
Changes came to the company, fast and furious, as Cracker Jacks grew in popularity. In 1912 Rueckheim Bros & Eckstein began adding tiny prizes to each box of Cracker Jacks. Candy and toys? These guys really knew what would sell. The face of Cracker Jacks got another boost in 1918, when Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo were added to the packaging.
The endearing duo was apparently based on Rueckheim’s grandson and dog. But, I’d say it’s probably not a coincidence that they appeared at the end of the 1st World War. A patriotic move, if I do say so myself.
A Home Run
Four years later, the company underwent another name change, this time becoming The Cracker Jack Company. This name lasted through much of the 20th century, until Borden bought it in 1964.
Today, Cracker Jacks are made by Frito-Lay. They’re still a fan favorite at baseball games, enchanting the young and the young-at-heart as they have for decades. So while the prizes may have changed over the years, you can be sure that the candy inside hasn’t changed a bit.
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Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_Jack
- http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcrackerjacks.htm
- http://www.delish.com/food-fun/cracker-jack-history-snack-foods#slide-2
Thanks for the kind words! WE try to add hard-to-find and cool retro products as much as possible. The good news is that supply issues seem to be easing, which means more fun products from which to choose!
Are you kidding me? This has to be a joke regarding the issue of being offended of the name? I’m laughing reading this. Sadly the same concept changed the name Aunt Jemima to Pearl Milling Co. Really? When does it end? Pull up your big girl panties and get over it.
Are you kidding me? This has to be a joke regarding the issue of being offended of the name? I’m laughing reading this. Sadly the same concept changed the name Aunt Jemima to Pearl Milling Co. Really? When does it end? Pull up your big girl panties and get over it.
The current recipe for Cracker Jack is garbage. There is no prize, the box is gone and now its these trash bags barely any peanuts and the recipe is garbage – the caramel is fake. Its not even made in the USA anymore. It says made for Frito Lay in Plano TX, but its made in Mexico. The original recipe used real sugar and actually had some peanuts and tasted much better. Borden did a great job with Cracker Jack and Frito Lay is a stinking Larry Fink Blackrock ESG score woke trash company selling low-quality genetically modified ingredients and destroying our food, our history and our brands.
I still eat cracker jacks and love them Iam 58 and can say I will always eat them my mom used to buy them for us eight kids when I was growing up the prizes were the best wish they would bring nice prizes back it’s something that will always be in my heart I know Cracker Jack will truly go down in history in years to come.