Here's a preview of a useful appendix in the bubblegum book...
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.
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
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