From the 1970s through the 1990s, it seemed like you could
find your favorite baseball stars on food product packaging everywhere you looked: supermarkets, corner stores, restaurants, and beyond. This past year, in an effort to capture a little more nostalgia, I set a
goal to expand my own collection of these "food-issue" cards. In
this series I'll show the specific examples I've acquired, and share a
little bit of history about the food or beverage sponsor as well.
Based on the calendar, you know that Spring is technically right around the corner. But it sure doesn't feel that way. You're still wearing your winter coat, gloves, scarf, and hat on the way to school in the morning. (Mom's orders.) And what's more is that there's still no baseball being played—on TV or on the Little League fields. It's been another restless weekend.
What can help get you through the winter doldrums?
Well, mom has just come back from the supermarket, and check out what she bought:
Jiffy Pop popcorn! That's always a treat, especially now that you're old enough to help mom make it on the stove top.
But the excitement doesn't stop there. Before you can even look into the other brown bags to see what else mom bought, you notice the bottom portion of the Jiffy Pop label.
A free Major League baseball card is inside? No way. You resist the urge to tear into the package right there on the kitchen counter, and wait patiently for the popcorn-making opportunity to arrive.
A few days later, it does, and you're doubly excited. You can't wait to see what card is inside the package. You can't wait to help make the popcorn and watch that foil dome pop up as you shake the container over the stove-top burner.
You peel back the lid, and here's the player you find:
Not bad at all. Hernandez is a big star on the 20-card checklist. You ask mom to wait for you to put the card up in your room before she starts the popcorn. And as you're running up to your room, you remember that mom bought some Jiffy Pop with a baseball card inside a couple of years ago, too. You open your closet door, rummage through your shoe boxes, and finally see it.
Another good one! Mr. McGee had a great season that previous year, leading the National League in hits (216), triples (18), and batting average (.353). He was also an All-Star, won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award, and was the National League MVP.
You bet he likes a hot-off-the stove container of Jiffy Pop, too.
Here's a little more about the product:
It was marketed under the Jiffy Pop name for the first time way back in 1959 by its inventor, a chemist named Frederick C. Mennen. From there, a company named American Home Products caught wind of it. They enjoyed the novelty of the product so much that they purchased the rights from Mennen, and began marketing Jiffy Pop nationwide within a year. Their slogan? "As much fun to make as it is to eat."
And it was. An aluminum pan contained the corn kernels and other ingredients, while a somewhat intricately folded sheet of foil sealed the top of the pan. As the heat and steam began popping the kernels, they'd crash into the foil top, gradually expanding it into a dome.
That description might not have sounded too exciting, so I think I'll allow this vintage television commercial to do the whole thing a little more justice.
A countdown from launch control, space travel, alien friends, and a glow-in-the-dark Goonies cap. That rounds up the mid-1980s pretty well.
And you know what? Jiffy Pop still exists! You can find it at grocery stores and other outlets, like Walmart. (Unfortunately, the packages no longer come with a baseball card inside.)
How about you readers? Did you ever make Jiffy Pop when you were a kid? Do you have any Jiffy Pop baseball discs?
Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading.
