My oldest son, Darrin, has been into cereal for a long time. Not so much for the flavor but for the extra goodies, either inside the box or available by sending in proof-of-purchase seals. He's married now, but when he got engaged, he came to dinner with Andrea, the young woman he intended to marry, and just waited for us to notice her ring.
We failed the test, because they were both wearing red and white "Where's Waldo" cereal-connected wrist watches. When they put their wrists together to display the watches, we were expected to notice the ring - but Waldo won out.When he and Andrea were at our house recently, he was showing off a "Tony the Tiger stop watch," another cereal trophy. Having not read cereal boxes in depth for a long time, my interest was piqued. So I stopped by the local grocery store and read every cereal box in the place.
I can now tell you that the industry is prolific and the offers numerous. Besides, the cereals with the offers, usually sugar cereals, are displayed at eye level, meaning most customers will notice them first.
I won't tell you which cereal companies offer which gifts, because that would be too crassly commercial. You will just have to go hunt down the ones that appeal to you.
The first one I picked up offered a "treasure troll with an official wishstone jewel in its belly button - so you can make your own wishes. Trolls stand 27/8 inches tall or 63/4 inches tall if you count their hair. They come in a fun variety of colors. Each troll is a $4.49 value, but you can order yours for only $2.89 with a proof-of-purchase seal."
That is typical. Another cereal offers free 90210 trading cards. When you get all 12, you can play 90210 trivia and learn interesting things about Beverly Hills.
If you try another box you can save 25 percent on NBA team sportswear. With proof-of-purchase seals you can pay extra money and get all kinds of things that say Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, or - our big favorite around this state - Portland Trail Blazers.
You also can get a set of "Hollyrock toys" free (with two proof-of-purchase seals) including Dino the producer, Fred the director or Barney the Cameraman. Another cereal box offers free "wild wrist bands" in three different colors.
You can get Disney TV character figurines - 16 in all. When you get them all, you can create your own Disney adventures.
Or how about something unique like a two-ounce Gac splat? You squeeze it, stretch it, squish it or drip it. Another cereal box offers the opportunity to buy two "Classic Holiday videos" for $5.95 each - "It's a Wonderful Life," and "A Christmas Carol."
You can get 1992 U.S. Olympic coins through a cereal box - or a U.S. Olympic jacket starring Larry Bird, David Robinson, Chris Mullen, Karl Malone or John Stockton. The jacket allegedly retails at $19.95, and you can get it for $4.49 and two proof-of-purchase seals.
If you used to be into Legos and want to get back in, you can get a "Lego Building set" ($2.59 retail value). You may want to collect all 4 - the glory glider, the track blaster, the stunt chopper and the wave jumper.
Finally, your tastes might be simple, and all you really want is a soft, lightweight mini-soccer ball - one you can kick, block or rock, either indoors or outside.
So stop worrying about which cereal has the least fat and cholesterol - and go for the best proof-of-purchase offer.