rdfs:comment
| - A standard marketing strategy for breakfast cereals and other products meant for children is to put some sort of "prize" at the bottom of the package--typically something plastic and useless, but still pretty cool to the target audience. Cracker Jack, having started this practice in 1912, was likely the first to do so. Since this strategy is specifically used to sell to kids (or, more accurately, their parents), it is most often seen referenced in cartoons, comic strips and other media that are considered as being meant for children, although that's not always the case.
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abstract
| - A standard marketing strategy for breakfast cereals and other products meant for children is to put some sort of "prize" at the bottom of the package--typically something plastic and useless, but still pretty cool to the target audience. Cracker Jack, having started this practice in 1912, was likely the first to do so. In fiction, when characters notice the Free Prize At the Bottom label on their box of cereal (or other package), they will attempt to cash in immediately. This means employing a method of getting past the actual product, such as sticking one's entire arm into the box and digging around while pieces of food fall out. More innovative characters will come up with a less messy method. In some cases, they find that the prize is missing and may have already been taken. Since this strategy is specifically used to sell to kids (or, more accurately, their parents), it is most often seen referenced in cartoons, comic strips and other media that are considered as being meant for children, although that's not always the case. Competition Coupon Madness is a variant. While that trope deals with the collection of box tops or some other part of a product package and sending away for the prize via mail, this trope is for situations where the prize is immediately available in the package itself. Examples of Free Prize At the Bottom include:
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