Do any of you remember those tantalizing adds on the very fronts of those ‘certain’ boxes of cereal that claimed to have the very best prizes inside….and the best part of all, was that they were ‘free’? Really. They were. Yeah, I know….my mother didn’t believe it either.
Those Saturday morning cartoon shows made sure they covered every single brand of cereal, and were sure to show just how ‘wonderful’ the prize inside was. And to convince all of its kiddie-audience that they really really ‘needed’ the particular magical miniature slate, ring, magic trick or diving frogman. I mean really. You didn’t want to be the only kid in your class that didn’t have one, did you?
My brother, sister and I would put on our very best angelic faces and earnest sounding promises of how we would eat ALL the Corn Flakes in that box. Just because none of us really LIKED cornflakes was inconsequential.
No sooner had that ol’ DeSoto pull into the drive when Mom arrived home from the store, our grubby little hands had reached to the very bottom of that cereal box, grinning as we pulled out ‘the prize’.
When I received a package in the mail from my sister the other day, I smiled as I ripped off the brown paper to find a large box of Honey Nut Cheerios. I grinned. Then giggled as those memories flooded back to me.
The significance of that particular brand of cereal to my sister and me: my two poodle pups, and Kathy’s one poodle pup will pirouette on their hind legs for Honey Nut Cheerios! They LOVE them!
I anxiously opened the box, fully intending to pull out a handful of those sweet little round ‘O’s’……but instead, felt FUR. Uh-oh. I was a little disappointed. And a wee bit leery....but lo and behold,
I pulled out the sweetest bear. With wings. Cranberry-colored velvet ones. As I sat the bear on the counter so I could stand back and admire him…..there on the bottom of his paw was “Angel of Hope” embroidered in cranberry lettering!
Thank you, Toots! I carry him from room-to-room. And that cereal box……I’m never throwing it away. It has a place of honor in my studio. Memories don’t get much sweeter than that. And neither do sisters!
