The tradition of including small prizes and novelties inside Cracker Jack popcorn began all the way back in 1912. That was the year when the Frito Company, which manufactured Cracker Jack, decided to include a small paper baseball card inside each box. This was an attempt to capitalize on the growing popularity of baseball across America at the time.
The first Cracker Jack baseball cards were simply small pieces of cardboard featuring images of famous baseball players from that era. They did not have any stats or biographical information. They ignited a collecting craze among children and helped boost sales of Cracker Jack significantly. Within a few years, millions of children were eagerly awaiting to see which baseball great they might find in their Cracker Jack box.
In 1915, the Cracker Jack company stepped up their baseball card game. They began including full color lithographed cards that featured the headshot of a player on the front along with their name, team, position, and a short bio on the back. These early Cracker Jack cards helped popularize baseball card collecting as a mainstream hobby. They also introduced legions of young fans to the stars of the day like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Honus Wagner.
During the 1910s and 1920s, Cracker Jack released sets of baseball cards that featured the top players from that current season. The cards were not issued in standardized sets with a fixed number of cards. Rather, they were inserted randomly into boxes so that no two collections would be exactly the same. This added an element of surprise and chase to the collecting experience for many young fans.
In the 1930s, Cracker Jack upped the quality and size of their baseball cards. They transitioned to large portrait style cards with even more vivid color illustrations. They also began including stats and career highlights on the back of most cards. This decade saw the rise of legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio who all had highly collectible Cracker Jack cards issued.
World War 2 presented challenges for Cracker Jack production due to rationing of supplies. As a result, they ceased including baseball cards from 1943 to 1947. When production resumed in 1948, the cards returned in full color and featured a new crop of stars like Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, and Ted Williams who were revolutionizing the post-war game.
The 1950s were the golden age of Cracker Jack baseball cards. Advances in color lithography allowed for even more lifelike and detailed illustrations of players on the front. The back of cards also contained more in-depth stats, career narratives, and fun facts. Iconic players of the era like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron all had their early career Cracker Jack cards issued during this decade.
In 1956, Cracker Jack took their baseball card game to the next level by issuing cards in standardized sets for the first time. Their 1956 and 1957 sets each included 78 cards featuring all teams from the American and National Leagues. This was a major milestone as it allowed young collectors to finally chase “complete” sets with each box of Cracker Jack they purchased.
The late 1950s also saw the rise of the bubble gum card industry with brands like Topps. Their glossy cardboard cards began to overshadow the Cracker Jack issues in terms of quality, photo reproduction, and collecting incentives like jersey cards. As a result, Cracker Jack ceased including baseball cards in their products after the 1957 season.
While their baseball card runs were short-lived compared to other brands, Cracker Jack cards from the early 20th century remain highly coveted by vintage collectors today. Their simple design and colorful illustrations helped spark the baseball card craze. Legions of players also had their earliest trading card appearances in Cracker Jack boxes. In many ways, Cracker Jack can be credited for first introducing millions of young fans to the hobby of baseball card collecting. Their small surprise treats inside helped create lifelong baseball memories for generations.
