Although our tree has been decorated for a couple of weeks now, I put the final touches on it today when I added four boxes of animal crackers. We will have them as treats on Christmas morning. It's much harder than it used to be to find animal crackers in boxes with a handle but Ward eventually found some yesterday.
Below is a previous post that talks about the first time I made the animal cracker-Christmas correlation. And I'm glad I did.
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Animal Crackers for Christmas
or Now that makes sense.
I ran into a friend the other day while shopping. She was buying Barnum Animal Crackers and I was trying NOT to buy some Doritos. She told me that every year at Christmas, she buys a box of animal crackers for her kids since the crackers originally started as Christmas ornaments. Wow. I had never heard that. I guess that explains the string on the box.
Very curious, I went home (with a bag of Doritos) to see if this story were a piece of lore or truth. Here's what I found out. Animal crackers have a long history starting in England before the colonies were formed. After importing them for several years, they were eventually produced here. There were various companies involved that eventually merged together to form the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco). In 1902 they started to call them Barnum's Animals from Barnum and Bailey's Circus. That was the same year they had the idea of marketing them at Christmas with a colorful box and string to hang on a Christmas tree. I'm not sure how long the this campaign kept up, but the box, largely unchanged, with it's string is still around over 100 years later.Guess what Santa is going to bring Ward, Wally, and Theodore for Christmas this year? It will be hanging on the tree waiting for them Christmas morning. A new tradition has begun.
Want to read more?
http://collectibles.about.com/od/advertisingstuff/a/blTFbarnums.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_cracker
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artanimalcrack.html
I had never heard that story about those boxes of animal crackers as Christmas ornaments. I loved those boxes as a child and eventually bought a couple for my own children. I haven't seen them in stores for quite a few years. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt was always so much fun when I got box of animal crackers--naming all of the animals then dismembering them as I ate them. :) The boxes are hard to find, and this year they had a cardboard top instead of a string. A little harder to work with, but they are hanging all the same.
DeleteThat's really interesting. The last time I bought animal crackers in a box was a few years ago when we were at Wall Drug in South Dakota. They had boxes with animals native to that area such as bison. I think my kids still have the boxes even though the cookies are long gone.
ReplyDeleteSpecialty animal crackers--what fun. I love the Nabisco animal crackers. I'm not sure if they will last until Christmas.
DeleteThank you for that tidbit of information. It was totally new to me and now I will have to start looking for boxes of animal crackers!
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard it, I was fascinated to learn that there was a special origin to the string.
DeleteThat's new to me, too! Needless to say that animal crackers weren't a part of my childhood, but, my daughter might have had some when she was a child (although I can't remember if she liked them or not!).
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to ask your daughter if she remembers them. They were a part of my childhood, so I got them for my kids, too. Although, not that often.
DeleteI haven't seen animal crackers for a long time in stores. Where on earth did you find them?
ReplyDeleteThey sell bags of them in Walmart, but we found these boxes in the local grocery store.
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