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Collect 'Em All...but you can't!

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  • HardyGirl
    Mego Museum's Poster Girl
    • Apr 3, 2007
    • 13950

    Collect 'Em All...but you can't!

    Cereal box prizes, gumball machine prizes, Cracker Jack prizes, Wonder Bread prizes, Hostess snack cake cards, heck, even Happy Meal prizes!

    We've all gotten these at some point, and we all look forward to collecting whatever series these have to offer; whether it was Star Wars cards from Wonder Bread, HR PufNStuf rings from the cereal box, or all the McNugget Buddy figures in your latest Happy Meal. But did you ever try and collect the whole set, only to get the same thing over and over? This once happened to me when I was about 4. I can't remember the name of the cereal, but HR PufNStuf was on every Saturday morning, and some cereal was offering these rings of the characters of the show. The icons on the rings were big, round circles that came in different colors, and each character was raised and accented in silver paint. I remember I'd look longlingly at the back of the box, dreaming of each character I'd collect, esp. Puff himself! It seemed like forever until that box was empty, and I got a dark blue ring w/ Ludicrous Lyon on it. After much begging, the second box was eaten, and I got...Ludicrous again. Oh well, better luck next time, right? Wrong...he was in the 3rd box too. At the tender age of 4, I was disenchanted w/ the notion of cereal box prizes. Though I didn't stop collecting other cereal premiums, I began to realize that some of the cereals would put the same prizes in the boxes, knowing that kids would do just what I did; beg their parents for another box in the hopes of adding another prize to their collection. Seems like a rotten thing to do to a little kid, doesn't it?

    Did this ever happen to you? What was the coveted prize and where did it come from?
    "Do you believe, you believe in magic?
    'Cos I believe, I believe that I do,
    Yes, I can see I believe that it's magic
    If your mission is magic your love will shine true."
  • thunderbolt
    Hi Ernie!!!
    • Feb 15, 2004
    • 34211

    #2
    It teaches a valuable lesson about life. You don't always get everything.
    You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace. -Ernie Banks

    Comment

    • Hotfoot
      Dazed and Confused
      • Dec 30, 2007
      • 2564

      #3
      Its called Marketing! They are always designed to be near impossible to get a complete set because 1 or 2 of the series is in short supply. Remember the 102 Dalmations Happy Meals (102 different Dogs to complete the set!) The Beanie Baby Happy Meals. People bought a ton of Happy Meals and threw away the food!

      Cereal Premiums are near impossible because the promotion doesn't last as long as it takes to eat all the cereal and often times the prises shipped in each case or lot are the same!

      eBay has evened out the field as you can almost always find the missing pieces.
      Last edited by Hotfoot; Mar 25, '08, 4:33 PM.
      Too many toys. Not enough space!

      Comment

      • Adam West
        Museum CPA
        • Apr 14, 2003
        • 6822

        #4
        My son is now 13 but I remember the big Pokemon rage when they first came out and Charizard was completely impossible to find in a package.

        My son would buy pack after pack looking for that elusive card only to be disappointed to not find one.

        Finally, I gave in and bought one off of Ebay. Rather than tell him what I did, I carefully opened a pack, pulled out the premium card, slipped the Charizard in there, and carefully resealed the pack.

        To this day, he still has no idea what I did. Even though he doesn't even care about Pokemon any more, he still has fond memories of opening that pack and plucking a Charizard from it.
        "The farther we go, the more the ultimate explanation recedes from us, and all we have left is faith."
        ~Vaclav Hlavaty

        Comment

        • toys2cool
          Ultimate Mego Warrior
          • Nov 27, 2006
          • 28605

          #5
          Originally posted by Adam West
          My son is now 13 but I remember the big Pokemon rage when they first came out and Charizard was completely impossible to find in a package.

          My son would buy pack after pack looking for that elusive card only to be disappointed to not find one.

          Finally, I gave in and bought one off of Ebay. Rather than tell him what I did, I carefully opened a pack, pulled out the premium card, slipped the Charizard in there, and carefully resealed the pack.

          To this day, he still has no idea what I did. Even though he doesn't even care about Pokemon any more, he still has fond memories of opening that pack and plucking a Charizard from it.
          that's awesome man,you're a great dad


          I remember buying the McDonalds cards back in the early 90's during Shaq's rookie year,it was so hard to complete that set and try and get the super rare Jordan Hologram..now I see them on ebay for close to nothing
          "Time to nut up or shut up" -Tallahassee

          http://ultimatewarriorcollection.webs.com/
          My stuff on facebook Incompatible Browser | Facebook

          Comment

          • mitchedwards
            Mego Preservation Society
            • May 2, 2003
            • 11781

            #6
            The modern get them all is Webkinz.

            My daughter wants to get them all, but I have told her to enjoy what she has. Her Webkins will be for special occasions.

            $15.00 for a small stuffed animal is ridiculous.


            Think B.A. Where did you hide the Megos?

            Comment

            • grayhank
              That Fisher Price Guy
              • Feb 9, 2007
              • 1134

              #7
              It's a sad marketing ploy with toys especially and then they wonder why people become obsessive compulsive. Almost every toy product made has the words "collect them all" on the packaging. Then toy companies turn around and do things like make chase figures, short packed figures, limited edition figures, exclusive figures, mail in figures, etc. It's almost the kid equivalent to being on heroin because it becomes an addiction. Alot of adult collectors got hooked on this kind of stuff as kids and never outgrew it. Most of us here have one thing in common...Megos. Collect them all! It wasn't until recently that I actually could get all the WGSH - about 30 years later thanks to Ebay.

              Star Wars is still very much present in my collecting habits. I had the Beanie Baby addiction for many years. I've probably got over 700 of them, just packed away and sitting in storage now. Fisher Price Little People are literally everywhere in my "toy room". 30,000 + comic books are sitting in another room. I remember collecting "Wacky Packages" as a kid. Used to spend my allowance on them like crazy. When they were recently brought back in the past couple of years...guess what? yup I bought them just like being a kid again.

              The only cereal toys I ever wanted all of were the Freakies miniatures. Luckily there was an option on the box back then where you could send away for the complete set for something like $2.00. That's what I did after trying to get them all through the cereal itself without much luck. Wish I still had them!
              Last edited by grayhank; Mar 25, '08, 9:10 AM.
              Scott D Thompson | Facebook

              Comment

              • ramsey37
                • Jun 18, 2001
                • 0

                #8
                Originally posted by grayhank

                The only cereal toys I ever wanted all of were the Freakies miniatures. Luckily there was an option on the box back then where you could send away for the complete set for something like $2.00. That's what I did after trying to get them all through the cereal itself without much luck. Wish I still had them!
                I also ordered the set that way. I think the only one I ever got out of the actual cereal box was dumb ol' Goody Goody
                George

                Comment

                • MegoGeekJr
                  Youngest Mego Lover
                  • Dec 6, 2005
                  • 387

                  #9
                  It happens a lot to me for some reason!!!
                  It started where my memory can go, but the cereal box had collectible spiderman squirt toys, they where spiderman,venom,new goblin,and sandman.So I decided to get a box, got a new goblin.I was happy, so I got another box and pulled yet anothernew goblin!I decided to try it one more time, and got spidey.So I got another box and guess what, I got a new goblin!Finally, I tried another box and finally got sandman!But I got my last box i got another sandman!But one day my brother came home a with him was a venom!

                  But now that I play a game called Heroclix, I'm used to getting crud that I already have.
                  My heighten mutant sense never lies..........................................This ain't lemonade.

                  Comment

                  • MIB41
                    Eloquent Member
                    • Sep 25, 2005
                    • 15633

                    #10
                    Get the ones you want the most and when you get older you can buy the rest... That's how I finished some of my line ups! Okay so it took 30 years...Uhm. Patience is a virtue here.

                    Comment

                    • RG
                      Removed.
                      • Oct 1, 2004
                      • 235

                      #11
                      Originally posted by toys2cool
                      I remember buying the McDonalds cards back in the early 90's during Shaq's rookie year,it was so hard to complete that set and try and get the super rare Jordan Hologram..now I see them on ebay for close to nothing
                      Oh man I remember those ... and I did the same thing, really it was a cool promo idea for McDonalds. I pulled a hologram Jordan and was like the coolest guy to all my friends because of it lol lol. I got the Mc Shaq RC from my cousin she kept getting them almost in every pack.
                      ---

                      as for other stuff I kept trying to the the blue lightsaber spoon from a few years back for my niece ... she kept getting red ones.

                      As a kid I tried to get all the glow in the dark puzzles that Captain Crunch had in their boxes, I think I got them all but one. I really wish I still had them ... I loved how the glowing part was really a hidden picture that you had to turn the lights out to see.

                      There were tons of stuff that I didn't care if I completed the set just as long as I got something lol, little things to write secret codes with numbers from Kelloggs, or coin holders of Fred and Barny from fruity pebbles.

                      Comment

                      • grayhank
                        That Fisher Price Guy
                        • Feb 9, 2007
                        • 1134

                        #12
                        I remember when Fritos had a promotion for a Frito Bandito Eraser inside the bags. I always wanted one but my older brother always grabbed them first because he was a big meanie. So I never ever got one....
                        Scott D Thompson | Facebook

                        Comment

                        • Adam West
                          Museum CPA
                          • Apr 14, 2003
                          • 6822

                          #13
                          The McDonald's around in my area will let you exchange Happy Meal toys if they are dupes.

                          We don't go to McDonald's much anymore but I remember my 7 year old used to get upset with duplicates. They would just exchange it or if they only had one toy would tell me to come back next week with the unopened duplicate and they would exchange it with whatever they have.
                          "The farther we go, the more the ultimate explanation recedes from us, and all we have left is faith."
                          ~Vaclav Hlavaty

                          Comment

                          • grayhank
                            That Fisher Price Guy
                            • Feb 9, 2007
                            • 1134

                            #14
                            WOW I'd buy these but it all seems kind of pointless NOW! I'd look kind of silly sitting at a desk in a first grade classroom at my age.



                            3 Frito Bandito Pencil Toppers 1968 Frito Lay - eBay (item 270223017801 end time Mar-30-08 20:07:24 PDT)
                            Scott D Thompson | Facebook

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