Cracker Jack Take-Back: No More "Toy Prize Inside!"

Remember picking up a box of Cracker Jack excited to find a "toy prize inside?" Well, that time — and your childhood — is officially over.

Cracker Jack is officially getting rid of the prize inside and replacing it with a scannable code that will allow you to partake in a "baseball-themed experience" on your smartphone or tablet, the company announced in a press release.

“The Cracker Jack Prize Inside has been as much a part of the nostalgia and love for the brand as the unforgettable combination of caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts,” said Haston Lewis, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay.

“The new Prize Inside allows families to enjoy their favorite baseball moments through a new one-of-a-kind mobile experience, leveraging digital technology to bring the iconic Prize Inside to life.”

We ask — is nothing "real" anymore?

It was bad enough when Cracker Jack replaced the original toys and charms with cheap stickers or temporary tattoos, but now the "prize" is nothing more than an invitation to download an app. While they're at it, why not give the sailor on the Cracker Jack box some skinny jeans, a tank top and a fedora?

So what can people expect when they get their QR Code, and scan it with the free Blippar app?

The codes will take users to a "mobile experience" with four different activities — Dot Dash, Dance Cam, Get Carded and Baseball Star — according to the press release. Essentially these are iPhone games, where users can dance like they're on a fake Jumbotron, participate in a fake Dot Race and make fake baseball cards.

To be fair, Cracker Jack has been a staple at baseball games for a century and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is still sung in the 7th inning in stadiums around the county. The move to replace real prizes with iPhone games could be a good way to get a younger, more digitally oriented, generation interested in baseball. Because nothing sums up the current state of baseball better than a bunch of people staring at their iPhones, waiting to get hit by a stray foul ball.

Yet Cracker Jacker jack insists that these "experiences" are just as good as a real, tangible prize.

“We are a brand that authentically reminds people of simpler times, childhood memories and family experiences,” Lewis said. “With this redesign and new mobile game experience, the Cracker Jack brand embraces a modernized, young-at-heart attitude while keeping that treasured feeling of childhood wistfulness.”

Ah yes, the childhood wistfulness of mind-numbingly tapping away at a glass screen. Remember those glory days?

[Photo credit: Cracker Jack]