Look Fellas, You Can Win Your Choice Of Neat Prizes!

[Wee67]

Did anyone here ever sell things through these ads to try and make money? I'm talking about Grit newspapers, greeting cards, plant seeds, salve (yech)... heck, maybe you even joined the Junior Sales Club of America! These ads ran for years so I'm assuming kids did do this. Just wondering if anyone ehre has any experience/stories.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I had a friend who did it. It was that Olympia sales or whatever it was with the super hero in the ads from the mid to late 80s. I think he actually sold enough to get a remote control car or something...

Chris

[Blue Meanie]

When I used to deliver newspapers for Newsday they used to have a similar deal. You would get points for new subscriptions. I had a friend that used to get stuff from Newsday all the time because he kept getting people to get weekly deliveries. I think he got up enough points to get a 10 speed bike...and not a cheap piece of crap either...I think it was a Ross or Schwinn.

[johnnystorm]

I sold the greeting cards one year when I was like 9 or 10. I sent in the coupon without asking my parents, my Dad was none too happy. I sold a couple packs around the neighborhood, but I think my mom & my nana bought the rest. Never got any nifty prizes either- no bike or ball glove.

[samurainoir]

I always loved those ads and wanted to send the coupon, but my mom would never let me.

[enyawd72]

I always crack up at some of the stuff for sale in those full page ads. Man, you could buy cigarette lighters, explosives, gag vomit, buggy ice cubes...I remember one of my favorites was FREE! One Million in Cash! Just send 35 cents to cover postage, and of COURSE...X-RAY SPECS!

[jimsmegos]

I tried my hand at selling Grit... was a terrible failure for me. :(

[Figuremod73]

These were advertised in the comics for at least four decades.

I never tried. I was more interested in the toy, music, and video game advertisements.

[Bruce Banner]

I saw those Grit ads for years in the comics. A truly regular fixture, along with the ads for selling seeds, and of course the ads for novelties like x-ray specs, etc.
I missed them all when they stopped running them.

I also remember the Olympic ads, which wanted kids to sell catalogs :

[Earth 2 Chris]

^That's the one my friend sold for. I believe his prize was the remote control car in the middle of row 2.

Chris

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Ads like this remind me of the Ambush Bug adventure for the old DC Heroes RPG. AT one point the group must procure a time machine, and the only way of doing it is to sell 1,000,000 copies of Grit.

Don C.