Here's a useful appendix from the bubblegum book... but do please note: I'm not a dealer in cereal box records, and I can't tell you the value of yours. I recommend you go to eBay.com, get an account, and "search completed auctions" for "cereal box" and the name of the artist to see what they're selling for, or click on the link below to see live auctions. Have you got questions not answered on this page? So sorry, I don't know the answer either!

Discography of known cereal box records compiled by Kim Cooper with help from Don Charles, Michael Cumella, James Porter, David Smay, Vern Stoltz and especially Lisa Sutton

One of the most delightful of bubblegum artifacts is the cardboard cereal box record, cut raggedly from the back of the box by an impatient child, or carefully by a helpful adult. At the peak of the bubblegum era, it was possible to compile an excellent library of lo-fi gems by most of the major kinderpop artists, provided a kid could talk his family into eating the right cereals.

These records have interesting precedents in the annals of American marketing. Among the earliest records offered as cereal premiums was a series of six fairy tales with follow-along books put out by Post Raisin Bran in 1949. These mail-away offers included "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Golden Goose." In 1954, General Mills released a series of at least eight different 78-rpm children's songs that were actually imprinted on Wheaties cereal boxes. These included such proto-gum faves as "Take Me Out to the Ball Game, " "Three Little Fishes," and "On Top of Old Smokey." On the same boxes kids were also invited to send in a quarter to receive Wheaties-produced red-orange vinyl 78-rpm albums.

Vintage Scooby Doo Mystery Machine T-shirt

Vintage Scooby Doo Basketball T-shirt

Vintage Shaun Cassidy T

And more vintage T-shirts and iron-ons from RetroDuck.com

Around the same time there were at least two Walt Disney's Mousketeer Records, cardboard cereal box 78s that featured Mickey, Donald and Goofy singing "I'd Rather Be I" and the title character performing "Donald Duck's Song." In 1964, buyers of Kellogg's Corn Flakes could mail in a quarter and a back-of-the-box coupon to receive a 7" long-playing record with the story and theme song from Hanna-Barbera's animated movie Hey There, Yogi Bear.

In perhaps the strangest twist of all, around 1967 the pre-bubblegum Shadows of Knight released their great "Potato Chip" single-which was only available inside packages of Fairmont Potato Chips!

Bubblegum-era cereal box records typically recycled the same design for between three and five possible songs in each series. The song titles appeared on the label, and a kid could pick which box they wanted by the identifying numeral stamped onto the cardboard.

The following bubblegum cereal box record discography is as complete as we could make it in a full year of research. Once a kid cut the disk off the identifying box, these babies became an archivist's nightmare.

THE ARCHIES

Archies design #1 (Big Ethel, Dilton, Moose, Midge, Reggie, Sabrina, Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead dancing against a yellow background) (Honey Comb/ Kirshner) 1. You Make Me Wanna Dance 2. Catchin' Up On Fun 3. Jingle Jangle 4. Love Light

Archies design #2/version A (Archie, Betty, Jughead, Hot Dog, Reggie and Veronica holding the black ring in the center of the record) (cereal unknown/ Kirshner) 1. Archie's Party 2. You Know I Love You 3. Nursery Rhyme[s] 4. Jingle Jangle."

Archies design #2/version B (Archie, Betty, Jughead, Hot Dog, Reggie and Veronica holding the black ring in the center of the record) (cereal unknown/ Kirshner) 1. You Make Me Wanna Dance 2. Catching Up On Fun 3. Jingle Jangle 4. Love Light

Archies design #3 (The Archies playing their instruments with Hot Dog panting, no track list or numbering) (Post
Super Sugar Crisp/ Kirshner) [Michael Cumella reports that the concept for this disk was developed by Harry
Gorman of Allied Creative Services in Port Jervis, NY]

Tracks include (but may not be limited to) the following: #. Sugar, Sugar #. Hide 'N' Seek #. Boys And Girls #.
Feelin' So Good (SKOOBY-DOO) #. Bang-Shang-A-Lang #. (Archie's Theme) Everything's Archie.

BANANA SPLITS

There were two mail-order vinyl 7" EPs offered by Kellogg's cereal; only the first track on each is taken from
the band's LP.

Kellogg's 34578: "The Tra-La-La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" "That's The Pretty Part Of You" b/w "It's A
Good Day For A Parade" "The Very First Kid On My Block."

Kellogg's 34579: "Doin' The Banana Split" "I Enjoy Being A Boy (In Love With You)" b/w "The Beautiful Calliope" "Let
Me Remember You Smiling"

JACKSON 5

Jackson 5 design #1; (Rice Krinkles/ Motown) (Photo of band standing off to the left, stacked vertically-yellow
label, blue tint to grooves) 1. ABC 2. I want you back 3. I'll bet you 4. Darling dear 5. Maybe tomorrow

Jackson 5 design #2/ version A (Alpha Bits/ Motown) (song titles on a cartoonish flower shaped background-no
mention of the J5, blue tint to grooves) 1. Sugar Daddy 2. Goin' Back To Indiana 3. Who's Loving You

Jackson 5 design #2/ version B (Alpha Bits/ Motown) (song titles on a cartoonish flower shaped background-no
mention of the J5, blue tint to grooves) 1. I'll Be There 2. Never Can Say Goodbye 3. Mama's Pearl

JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS

(1970) These were mail away 45s. Up to four were offered for 35¢ each and the
coupon from the back of a box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.

Josie & the Pussycats Record #1 "A Letter to Mama"/ "Inside, Outside, Upside Down"

Josie & the Pussycats Record #2 "Josie (And the Pussycats)"/ "With Every Beat of My Heart"

Josie & the Pussycats Record #3 "Voodoo"/ "If That Isn't Love"

Josie & the Pussycats Record #4 "It's Gotta Be Him"/ "I Wanna Make You Happy"

THE MONKEES

(note: the absence of Peter Tork on designs #1 and #2 dates them to 1969 or after)

The Monkees design #1 (Rice Krinkles/ Colgems) (Micky, Davy, Mike; green label with guitar logos between each
head in spiral) 1. Monkees theme 2. Tear Drop City 3. Papa Gene's Blues 4. The Day We Fall In Love

The Monkees design #2 (Alpha Bits/ Colgems) (big Monkees logo in middle, Davy, Mike & Micky's heads around
logo, black label) 1. Last Train To Clarksville 2. I Wanna Be Free 3. Forget That Girl 4. Valeri

The Monkees design #3 (Honey Comb/ Colgems) (red and white Monkees logo and musical notes, blue or purple
grooves) 1. I'm A Believer 2. Pleasant Valley Sunday 3. I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone 4. Mary, Mary

H.R PUFNSTUF

There was an offer from an unknown Kellogg's brand cereal in 1970 where for 50¢ they would send you a
ten-song 7" EP of songs from the show, plus a lyric sheet and a picture of H.R. Pufnstuf himself.

BOBBY SHERMAN

Bobby Sherman design #1(Honey Comb/ Metromedia) (blue shirt-some printed purplish-with blue label) 1. Easy Come, Easy Go 2. La, La, La 3. July Seventeen 4. Time 5. Fun and Games

Bobby Sherman design #2(Alpha Bits/ Metromedia) (blue shirt with red label) 1. Easy Come, Easy Go 2. La, La, La
3. Seattle 4. Love 5. Spend Some Time Lovin' Me

Bobby Sherman design #3 (Raisin Bran) (purple shirt with orange label) 1. Little Woman 2. Hey Mr. Sun 3. I Think
I'm Gonna Be Alright 4. Show Me 5. I'm Still Looking For The Right Girl

Bobby Sherman design #4 (Rice Krinkles) (striped shirt with blue label) 1. Little Woman 2. Hey Mr. Sun 3. I'm In A
Tree 4. Bubblegum and Braces 5. Make Your Own Kind Of Music

Bobby Sherman Canadian design #1 (Raisin Bran) Lisa Sutton reports: "These are odd variations-they came flat
& square inserted in the box-each of the records has its own title with the same art. I only have "Free To
Roam" of design#1, which has Bobby in the same picture and pose from the Rice Krinkles box off to the left,
though they've made his pants black. The label is red, no name on it at all, but there is a row of cartoon
teenagers dancing down the right side of the record. the background is black like a circular record-it is orange
behind that bleeding out to the four corners of the square. There were four of these, I've no clue what the other
three were."

Bobby Sherman Canadian design #2 (cereal unknown) Same as Canadian design #1 except instead of the cartoon
kids on the left, there's a picture of Canadian singer Anne Renee. There is one Bobby song and one Anne Renee
song per record. On the back, along with playing directions, these have a logo that says "Auravision-an activity
of Columbia Special Products"

1. Tout Tournee Et Tout Bouge/ Run Away 2. Pas De Marriage/ Bubblegum & Braces 3. Toi Et Moi/ Bus Stop 4.
Comme Je T'aime/ I Think I'm Gonna Be Alright

A READER'S NOTE:

I am a Bobby Sherman fan, am a member of his fan club and have begun collecting various Bobby memorabilia. I have developed quite a collection of the cereal box records. I noticed that you mention in the list some that are from Canada and have cartoon teenage dancers down the side. You mention that you have one with the song "Free to Roam" and indicate that there were four of these. I now have 5 of these, all different from the one you have. The song titles are below:

"I Think I'm Gonna be Alright"
"Bubble Gum and Braces"
"Waiting at the Bus Stop"
"Run Away"
"It Boggles the Mind"

I think it is interesting that you must have seen something that indicated that there were a total of four but yet I have these 5. I have not seen the other design you mention. Just thought you might be interested in this information. -Lynne

THE SUGAR BEARS

The Sugar Bears (Sugar Crisp) (Sugar Bear, Honey Bear, Doobie Bear and Shoobie Bear playing musical
instruments in a circle with a background that looks like a gold record)

1. Love-you're a long time comin' 2. You are the one 3. Feather balloon 4. Happiness train 5. Anyone but you

back to the Bubblegum Book

Email us