Goodbye, Toy Prizes! Cracker Jack Gets a New Look

After 125 years of including wrapped toy prizes in each Cracker Jack caramel popcorn box, parent company Frito-Lay is making a modern change. According to TODAY, Cracker Jack boxes will now come with a digital code that consumers can use to play baseball-themed games through a mobile app. The boxes themselves will also receive a makeover, with redesigned graphics and new versions of the iconic mascots, Sailor Jack and his dog, Bingo.

In a press release, Frito-Lay's senior director of marketing, Haston Lewis, called the old prizes a "part of the nostalgia and love for the brand," adding that the new gaming codes will provide a "one-of-a-kind mobile experience, leveraging digital technology to bring the iconic Prize Inside to life."

The four new games include a simulated jumbo screen dancing experience, a dot race, and a digital baseball card maker that lets you be the star of the team.

The new packaging will follow the same classic scheme, but instead of a red logo against a blue and white background, red and white stripes cover the bags and boxes from top to bottom. Other changes: There are fewer pieces of the snack included below the logo, and the sailor is shown eating a Cracker Jack kernel instead of giving a salute. Lewis said that the new prize and package design "embraces a modernized, young-at-heart attitude while keeping that treasured feeling of childhood wistfulness."

If you're a Cracker Jack purist who isn't ready for change, reminisce about the good old days with 14 Classic Facts About Cracker Jack.

[h/t Today]

Images via PRNewswire/Cracker Jack