Wacky Packages Stickers

1982 Cereal Premiums

Back in the summer of 1982, you could find a small unique set of Wacky Packages in boxes of Breakfast Cereal.

"Two Free Wacky Packages Stickers Inside This Package - Collect All Eight"

There were 8 stickers to collect, but those weren't the only cereal prizes.  Each cereal box also had a large 6"x 8" Wacky Pack printed on the back panel for you to cut out and hang on your bedroom wall.

"Free Wacky Packages Poster - Collect All Eight!"

The cereal boxes refer to the back panel as a "Poster".  But due to their size and cardboard material, we in the Wacky World call them "box panels" so as not to confuse them with other poster sets.

When Topps was putting out its 1982 Album Stickers, they made a deal to promote the new set with Ralston Purina.  Topps created four new titles - Crookie Crisp,  Dinky Gonuts,  Laffelos, &  Whale-Os, spoofing Ralston's cereals.

The four new wackys, plus another four titles spoofing Topps' products - Beastball,  Foolball,  Gadzooka,  & Wormy Packages, were inserted into cereal boxes.  The cereal inserts had a special back, unique to this 8 sticker set.

The Cereal Sticker backs alerted children that wackys would be available soon in stores, or they could mail away for more stickers plus a wacky album.  The Cereal Stickers had the same numbers on the front as their Album Sticker cousins, but the Cereal Sticker backs were NOT numbered, and also said "MADE IN ITALY".

Hookey from the 9th Series was originally picked to be one of the four Topps products, as shown in this ad.  But it was dropped and replaced with Gadzooka. 

Uncut Cereal Boxes are very hard to come by, in part due to the competition from Cereal Box collectors.   Below is a list of items associated with this set.