12

A Prize in Every Box

On June 16, 1893 R. W. Rueckheim of Chicago, Illinois invented Cracker Jack. His

hot new product was a concoction of popcorn, peanuts and Molasses. It was first

introduced at the World

‘

s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

R. W. Rueckheim and his brother Louis were operating the firm F. W. Rueckheim

& Brother when they discovered a process to keep the tasty popcorn morsels

from sticking together.

Their formula is still in use today with the product offering

―

A prize in every

box

‖

since 1912. Another product of the firm was Angelus Marshmallows. The

Cracker Jack Company was purchased by Borden in 1964. Frito-Lay purchased

the brand in 1997.

One advertising piece for the

products was a combination over-

the-top cap lifter and folding

corkscrew.

―

Cracker Jack

‖

was

stamped on one end of the handle

and

―

Angelus Marshmallows

‖

on

the other. The corkscrew

combination tool was produced by

the J. E. Mergott Company based on

William C. Hiering

‘

s February 12,