Kellogg’s has a long history of including baseball cards in their cereal packages to help promote their products to young customers. Starting in 1952 with their first baseball card insert program, Kellogg’s helped build enthusiasm for the game of baseball as well as generate sales for their breakfast foods by tapping into kids’ interests. Over the following decades, Kellogg’s produced several highly collectible baseball card sets that brought the sport straight to the breakfast table.
In Kellogg’s earliest baseball card promotion, they included cards in packages of sugar-coated Corn Flakes cereal from 1952-1956. Featuring players from the American and National Leagues, these crudely designed 0.75″ x 2.25″ cards stocked young collections. While not the most aesthetically pleasing, they sparked the baseball card collecting hobby for many children. The simple black and white images achieved Kellogg’s primary goal of increasing cereal sales. As interest grew, Kellogg’s cards became more elaborate in future years.
From 1956-1958, Kellogg’s took their baseball card inserts to another level with finely produced cards of All-Star players. Called Kellogg’s All-Stars, these larger 2.5″ x 3.5″ cards highlighted stats on the front and career bios on the back. With brighter colors and player signatures, Kellogg’s All-Stars had broader appeal than their earlier cards. They offered collectors higher quality cards with more details on the athletes. Sales of Corn Flakes rose substantially as kids eagerly searched boxes hoping to complete highly coveted card sets.
Perhaps Kellogg’s most iconic baseball card release was their 1962 Topps-licensed issuance found in Sugar Smacks boxes. Featuring the same card designs as the 1962 Topps flagship set, these 3.25″ x 2.125″ cards were instant classics among children and fueled cereal purchases. With legendary players like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle depicted, the cards stimulated newfound fandom. Sugar Smacks sales skyrocketed to record heights as legions of fans young and old chased this exclusive cereal-only subset of the hallowed ’62 Topps set. The partnership was a smashing promotional success that captivated card collectors nationwide.
In the later 1960s, Kellogg’s created their own distinctive card designs once more. The 1968 Kellogg’s 3-D Baseball Cards featured lenticular holograms on the fronts that conjured the illusion of players swinging their bats when tilted from side to side. Inserted in Corn Flakes boxes, 3-D cards showed the latest innovations in cardmaking. Then in 1970, Kellogg’s made history by becoming the first issuer of baseball cards in living color. Their 1970 Kellogg’s Color Baseball Cards marked a revolutionary leap forward found exclusively in Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes. Fully accentuating players’ uniforms and facial features, the introduction of color increased Kellogg’s cereal sales tenfold that year.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Kellogg’s continued treating youngsters to baseball fun by regularly distributing new card sets highlighting the sport’s biggest stars. From the 1972 Kellogg’s Wax Pack Cards to colorful 1980 Kellogg’s World Series cards, kids could always look forward to finding their favorite athletes straight from breakfast boxes. Even into today, Kellogg’s still delights children periodically with insert cards promoting MLB franchises and hot prospects. While their earlier releases hold tremendous nostalgia and value today, Kellogg’s baseball cards first and foremost were a savvy marketing move reminding kids to eat their Corn Flakes. Overall, Kellogg’s undoubtedly boosted the baseball card collecting phenomenon among America’s youth through decades of memorable cereal insert programs. Their efforts helped expand enthusiasm for America’s favorite pastime to new generations at the breakfast table.
