"A Surprise in Every Box!"

 "A surprise in every box!" When I was a kid, that was one of the advertising jingles for Crackerjacks.

We didn't get Crackerjacks very often, but when we did, we rooted around for that prize before eating the carmel corn. (Same with cereal boxes; whoever opened a new box got the rights to inserting their arm up to their elbow and snagging the prize inside.)

Putting surprises or add-ins into a box when you've sold a model, doll, haversack, or other hobby item is very popular now. And I am all in. Not only do I make big haversacks, but I make little ones as well.

I jazz them up with  a "jewel" and have a supply of various charms, stickers, and other items that I tuck inside each little bag. Then, when I get an order, I pop one inside the package before mailing it as a thank you for the customer's business.

By the way, I am aware that Crackerjack isn't plural, but where I live in Indiana, an S is often added to a product or place. For example, I go to Kroger's to get my groceries (pronounced gro-shr'ees) and I buy some of my fabrics from JoAnn's. And of course, we all drink coke (lower case c because it's not a proper noun in that Hoosier context) and ask each other, "What kind of coke do you want?" when we are getting a soft drink. 

There is also how folks here in Lafayette pronounce "Lafayette," the name of our town and that of the stunning black Saddlebred released earlier this year by Breyer. But I've already talked about that, so I'll end the lesson on regional Hoosier dialects!

(Sometimes it's hard to turn the teacher mode off, even in retirement.)