History Main / FreePrizeAtTheBottom

[[folder:NewspaperComics]]
* Happens frequently with Jason in ''ComicStrip/{{FoxTrot}}''.
** In one Sunday strip, Peter is seen wolfing down bowl after bowl of cereal until the box is empty. He sheepishly turns to Jason and asks "Did you ''really'' want that decoder ring?" Jason's reaction shows that [[NoodleIncident this isn't the first time this has happened]].
* A StoryArc in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' concerned getting one free marble in a box of Snicker-Snacks cereal. In one strip Charlie Brown told Shermy that the packing center made an error - there were 400 marbles and one Snicker-Snack.
* In one SundayStrip, ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} dove into a bag of cat food after Jon told him about the prizes at the bottom. Garfield surfaced with a whistle and Groucho Marx glasses.
** Cereal boxes with prizes in them have appeared more than once. [[https://garfield.com/comic/1988/11/28 One strip]] has Garfield throw the cereal all over the table (and Jon) to get the toy ring inside, [[https://garfield.com/comic/1990/08/04 another]] features a box that ''has no cereal in it'', only a large toy robot (which smashes the bowl), and [[https://garfield.com/comic/1997/11/19 a third one]] where Garfield accidentally ate not only the cereal but also the prize.
* In ''Do They Ever Grow Up?'', a book of one-panel comics by [[ComicStrip/ForBetterOrForWorse Lynn Johnston]], a boy, who has dumped three boxes of cereal on the floor, tells his disapproving mother, "I couldn't 'member which one had the free helicopter."
* Parodied in one ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' cartoon where a family of dinosaurs is having breakfast, the son digging through a box of cereal that advertises "Free Kid Inside!" on the box. His mother sternly tells him to eat his breakfast and look for it later.
* One ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' arc has Calvin get excited when his favorite cereal has a promotional giveaway for a beanie hat with a battery-powered propeller on top. Hilarity ensues as Calvin endeavors to eat enough cereal to get all the box tops needed. And then he's disappointed when it finally arrives and he discovers that no, it doesn't enable him to fly.
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Since this strategy is specifically used to sell to kids (or, more accurately, their parents), it is most often seen referenced in cartoons, comic strips and other media that are considered as being meant for children, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids although that's not always the case]].

In fiction, when characters notice the free prize at the bottom label on their box of cereal (or other package), they will attempt to cash in immediately. This means employing a method of getting past the actual product, such as sticking one's entire arm into the box and digging around while pieces of food fall out. More innovative characters will come up with a less messy method. In some cases, they find that the prize is missing and may have already been taken. Sometimes in animation, a character, particularly a BigEater, ''will'' scarf down the prize.

* one ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' are has Calvin get excited when his favorite cereal has a promotional giveaway for a beanie hat with a battery-powered propeller on top. Hilarity ensues as Calvin endeavors to eat enough cereal to get all the box tops needed. And then he's disappointed when it finally arrives and he discovers that no, it doesn't enable him to fly.

A once-standard marketing strategy for breakfast cereals and other products meant for children was to put some sort of "prize" at the bottom of the package--typically something plastic and useless, but still [[RuleOfCool pretty cool]] to the target audience. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_Jack Cracker Jack]], having started this practice in 1912, was likely [[UrExample the first to do so]]. Unfortunately, repeated instances of children simply disregarding the notice of a prize contained inside and scarfing down the contents and choking on the toys led to the widespread abolition of this practice, in some cases by legislation, in others by the willing initiative of the companies manufacturing the product for the sake of avoiding lawsuits. Cracker Jack "Prizes" are now just little paper squares that have little puzzles and stickers on them that even little kids realize are lame, and just end up being thrown away. As a result, the term is nowadays used as an analogy for something ''very'' cheap.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TimothyGoesToSchool'', Nora decided to forego her normal breakfast cereal in favor of something called "Weeds and Seeds" so that she could get the prize of emerald slippers at the bottom as a birthday present for Yoko. And she was such a good little girl that she actually ''ate'' the stuff, only to find that to her disappointment, there was only one slipper, and it was some dinky little thing. Her mother suggested making a necklace out of it and she did but thought her gift was lame and didn't want to give it to Yoko at first. When she finally did, Yoko was delighted, as the slipper was the mate to one that she already had.

[[caption-width-right:350:At least as much nutritional value as actual cereal!]]

-->'''Judge Stone''': ''You know 'Zippy Bits,' that breakfast cereal that promises a free circus whistle in each box? Well I bought a box, polished off the whole thing. No whistle. I even called them. They said there was a whistle in every box. Guess they were right.''

** In one Sunday strip, Peter is seen wolfing down bowl after bowl of cereal until the box is empty. He sheepishly turns to Jason and asks "Did you ''really'' want that decoder ring?" Jason's reaction shows that this isn't the first time this has happened.

* Parodied in one ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' cartoon where a family of dinosaurs is having breakfast, the son digging though a box of cereal that advertises "Free Kid Inside!" on the box. His mother sternly tells him to eat his breakfast and look for it later.
* one ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' are has Calvin get excited when his favorite cereal has a promotional giveaway for a beanie hat with a battery powered propeller on top. Hilarity ensues as Calvin endeavors to eat enough cereal to get all the box tops needed. And then he's disappointed when it finally arrives and he discovers that no, it doesn't enable him to fly.

* In the ' 'WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' episode, "Lunch Break", a flashback is shown where Mordecai and Rigby, who were pre-teens at the time, are trying to find an action figure of RGB2, one of their favorite TV show characters, inside a box of "RGB2iOs". Unlike other examples, there is not a prize in every box; only 1 in 5 boxes. Mordecai and Rigby buy 5 boxes of the cereal, but Rigby's father catches them sifting through one of the boxes just to get the toy, and forces them to eat the entire box of cereal before opening another box. Mordecai and Rigby DO end up eating each box of cereal they open, but end up not finding the action figure in either of the boxes, and get food poisoning from eating too much cereal after eating four of the five boxes. Mordecai and Rigby are sent to a hospital, where they are given the action figure by two representatives of "RGB2iOs". Turns out the action figure was defective.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' had an early episode in which Bart tries to find a police badge in the bottom of his cereal. It turns out Homer got to it first.
** Another episode features a box of Krusty-O's brand cereal that comes with a free jagged metal O at the bottom. Bart accidentally eats it, and wins a court settlement from the company, which he then spends [[spoiler:on something for Lisa, [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe because she was the only one who believed he was sick]].]] He plans to get another settlement from the new Krusty-O's prize - flesh-eating bacteria.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TimothyGoesToSchool'', Nora decided to forego her normal breakfast cereal in favor of something called "Weeds and Seeds" so that she could get the prize of emerald slippers at the bottom as a birthday present for Yoko. And she was such a good little girl that she actually ''ate'' the stuff, only to find that to her disappointment, there was only one slipper, and it was some dinky little thing. Her mother suggested making a necklace out of it and she did, but thought her gift was lame and didn't want to give it to Yoko at first. When she finally did, Yoko was delighted, as the slipper was the mate to one that she already had.

* In one SundayStrip, ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} dived into a bag of cat food after Jon told him about the prizes at the bottom. Garfield surfaced with a whistle and Groucho Marx glasses.

** Cereal boxes with prizes in them have appeared more than once. [[http://www.garfield.com/comics/vault.html?yr=1988&addr=881128 One strip]] has Garfield throw the cereal all over the table (and Jon) to get the toy ring inside, [[http://www.garfield.com/comics/vault.html?yr=1990&addr=900804 another]] features a box that ''has no cereal in it'', only a large toy robot, and [[http://www.garfield.com/comics/vault.html?yr=1997&addr=971119 a third one]] where Garfield accidentally ate not only the cereal but also the prize.

A once-standard marketing strategy for breakfast cereals and other products meant for children was to put some sort of "prize" at the bottom of the package--typically something plastic and useless, but still [[RuleOfCool pretty cool]] to the target audience. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_Jack Cracker Jack]], having started this practice in 1912, was likely [[UrExample the first to do so]]. Unfortunately, [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing repeated instances of children simply disregarding]] the notice of a prize contained inside and scarfing down the contents and choking on the toys led to the widespread abolition of this practice, in some cases by legislation, in others by the willing initiative of the companies manufacturing the product for the sake of avoiding lawsuits. Cracker Jack "Prizes" are now just little paper squares that have little puzzles and stickers on them that even little kids realize are lame, and just end up being thrown away. As a result, the term is nowadays used as an analogy for something ''very'' cheap.

-->--'''''[[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]]''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrSgHAIqIkQ Email #194, "Specially Marked"]]''

* In the ' 'WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' episode, "Lunch Break", a flashback is shown where Mordecai and Rigby, who were pre-teens at the time, are trying to find an action figure of RGB2, one of their favorite TV show characters, inside a box of RGB2iOs. Unlike other examples, there is not a prize in every box; only 1 in 5 boxes. Mordecai and Rigby buy 5 boxes of the cereal, but Rigby's father catches them sifting through one of the boxes just to get the toy, and forces them to eat the entire box of cereal before opening another box. Mordecai and Rigby DO end up eating each box of cereal they open, but end up not finding the action figure in either of the boxes, and get food poisoning from eating too much cereal after eating four of the five boxes. Mordecai and Rigby are sent to a hospital, where they are given the action figure by two representatives of RGB2iOs. Turns out the action figure was defective.