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Crackers

Yep, this one’s about exactly what the title says. But it isn’t about ANY old crackers—not boring soda crackers or zipper-edged Ritz ones, much as I like them. This post is about the heavenly delicacies in those cute little containers from when we were kids—animal crackers.


The boxes came in two colors: fire engine red (my favorite) or butter yellow, like the one shown, each side depicting a circus wagon. While no longer PC, the wagons caged wild animals seen at any circus—apparently also no longer PC. I especially liked the box’s string handle, making it a pretend purse.


So how to get these cute boxes with delicious cookies inside? Only by being a VERY GOOD LITTLE GIRL. They only cost a nickel, but to me they were the Holy Grail and were worth $50 at least. As I grew older, and still loved them, I wondered about the name “crackers,” since all of us consumers knew they were slightly sweet and certainly didn’t belong in soup, despite what Shirley Temple sang.


Fast forward to now, as a friendly grocery store employee offered me a sample of “today’s special.” Lo and behold, housed in a tiny cup, were TWO animal crackers. They didn’t taste as good as I remembered, but that may be the result of burned-out taste buds from too much spicy food.  


There were several other changes, too. First: the animals. I got a sea turtle and an elephant. Since this was in Florida, after all, where apparently sea turtles are in trouble, my little cookie was clearly designed to raise my awareness of their plight. And as to the elephant, I considered that a nod to the political leanings of the region.


I immediately headed to Aisle 9, where the helpful employee told me to find more. There I discovered a second difference: the container. To my horror, my little animal friends were crowded into a large, ugly bag, like the one shown.   

Besides their container and taste, there’s also the little matter of price. The one shown sells for $3.69. Maybe the price per animal is cheaper, but that many cookies at once removes those delicious treats from the realm of “special” and lands them squarely in the “everyday” category.


I guess those cute, affordable boxes will have to remain in my Old School memory, another victim of “progress.”  

1 comment

1 commentaire


Jay
Jay
16 oct.

When I was in elementary school, I used to love those crackers. It was a very special treat that my mother would give me on rare occasions. And now, I can't imagine I would relive those taste buds - as my taste buds too are incapacitated by the fancy cuisine of today. Ha - I guess I'll go get my roller skate key and go outside without my crackers today.

J'aime
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