When I was a kid, we ate cereal based upon how cool the toy inside was and not based on nutritional value. In recent years, this has changed, but I’m glad to (sort of) see the idea of the prize inside come back.
First off, I stumbled upon some Quisp at Target and first thought it said that the prize was inside. Little did I know that it was a mail-in offer. With three UPCs and shipping and handling charges you could own one of the following: a Quisp watch, a Quisp bobblehead or a Quisp rubix cube. When I realized that this was a mail-in offer I was more excited because I figured that if it was a matter of getting the prize inside the box, I’d probably end up with the rubix cube, my least desired item. Needless to say, I also ate a lot of Circus Fun as a kid and have no desire for any kind of watch probably ever again.
Two weeks and one day to the moment when my check cleared the bank, I received this happy fellow in my mailbox. He’s a lot bigger than I thought he was going to be, probably because I thought he’d be sized to fit inside the cereal box. Nonetheless, I know that I made the right choice in my prize as the other two would’ve been nice but probably less stylish in my apartment.The thing I like better about doing the mail-in than having the prize in the box is that you get to pick and choose which item you want. Rather than buying box after box of the same cereal, you only have to buy a set amount (In this case three). I wonder what the odds are of my getting one out of three items in a box of cereal if I bought three. Logic would dictate that maybe you’d get one of each, but that seems the least likely scenario. So I will say that, yes, this is a good deal and I’m glad I did it. Plus I got some yummy cereal on top of it all.
Up next, Cap’n Crunch has started an offer to get a retro looking t-shirt. It requires four UPCs and shipping and handling charges, but here’s the kicker: You have to have the special UPC codes (which are circles and cannot be scanned) in order to participate. My first thought when I saw the mail-in was, “I have more than four Cap’n Crunch UPCs at home, I could do this if I just buy one box and get the mail-in form”. So by hopes were quickly dashed on that idea. Still, with the promotion being on the original Cap’n Crunch, with Crunch Berries, Oops All Berries and Peanut Butter Crunch, you could literally buy a box of each and be set. I, however, bought two boxes of Oops All Berries and passed on the original.
The reason why this mail-in is such a good deal is because you have to buy the cereal of the prize you’re getting. Imagine that you love Godzilla and had to eat a cereal you hated to get some sort of special Godzilla t-shirt. At the same time, as much as I like Frosted Flakes, for instance, I definitely don’t love them enough to eat four boxes to gain a free t-shirt. But for Cap’n Crunch, yes, yes I will. It’s one of those things where if you’re going to get the shirt and wear it, you’re going to eat the cereal as well because, well, why would you wear the shirt if you didn’t eat the cereal and vice versa? This deal is a win all around; especially since there are very few cereals out there right now that I’d send away for a free t-shirt by eating it. (But, keep in mind that there are still a few--- You hear me, Trix??)On a final note, has anyone seen this in stores yet? I’ve seen the advert on all the boxes but haven’t actually seen the product yet. Everything seems to be going chocolate. Oh well, this one just looks gross.
