SHREDDED WHEAT BOX INSERTS [CARDS]
[Many of these cards, which are printed on a soft tan or gray cardboard, resemble blotters – they are not. Please check the BLOTTERS list for true blotters]
This is a brief description of Shredded Wheat CARD BOX INSERTS from The Shredded Wheat Company, and its successors, National Biscuit Shredded Wheat, then Nabisco Shredded Wheat, and the current Post Shredded Wheat. We will also include the Canadian Shredded Wheat Company, now also part of Post [Kraft-General Foods]. British box inserts will be listed at a future time. The British company is now part of Nestlé.
While Shredded Wheat was an early entry into the field of box inserts and premiums to draw continued purchase, its efforts seem to have waned by the end of the 50’s, at least for Shredded Wheat and its variants, Spoon Size and Frosted Shredded Wheat. With the beginnings of “The Age of Plastic,” Nabisco seems to have chosen to include this type of premium in Rice & Wheat Honeys, instead of Shredded Wheat – no doubt viewing those cereals as more kid-friendly. In Canada and Great Britain, the same can be seen in an emphasis away from the basic Shredded Wheat product for premiums, and their more frequent inclusion in Shreddies – a product which never quite succeeded in the States, but is still very much alive in these only other countries where the original Shredded Wheat was made.
We have arbitrarily decided to include only Shredded Wheat and its direct line extensions, and Shreddies, leaving other Nabisco premiums to be covered by others. To that end, a number of LINKS are provided to other useful cereal sites. We have further divided the Shredded Wheat box inserts into CARDS and PLASTIC PREMIUMS [the latter including some other non-card inserts – such as metal flags, pressed paper items and skill ball games]. The list below contains all cards we know of. For other items included in boxes of Shredded Wheat and some mail-in premiums, check out the PLASTIC PREMIUMS list.
The sets below are listed chronologically – as best as we know. Any further information on dates of specific sets is welcome, or of sets not yet listed here. This is very much a “work in progress.”
For an expanded listing of each set and some illustrations, please click on the DETAILS link at each set.
192? SLOGAN CARDS DETAILS
The Shredded Wheat Company, Niagara Falls, NY
brown printing on buff card stock (as alphabet cards below)
These cards feature slogans and messages re: SW, Triscuit, etc.
Common element: “Use other side for grocery list”
1927? ALPHABET CARDS DETAILS
The Shredded Wheat Co., Niagara Falls, NY, The Pacific Coast Shredded Wheat Company, Oakland, Ca. & The Canadian Shredded Wheat Company, NF, Ont
brown printing on buff card stock
features alphabet pictures to color for prizes
1930? UNEEDA CARDS DETAILS
National Biscuit Co.
Brown printing on gray card stock
These cards feature both Shredded Wheat and other products produced by National Biscuit Co. For example: Visit us in Oakland & NF, SW w/all the bran of the whole wheat, SW & Uneeda grocery list, Uneeda Boy Biscuit and Crackers
1930? BROWN RECIPE CARDS DETAILS
Recipe and picture of the recipe on each card; printed in brown on gray cardboard.
Shredded Wheat with sliced bananas, strawberries, creamed chicken, creamed dried beef, & poached egg
Across bottom: “Put this card in your recipe file”
1932? HOT BREAKFAST HINTS RECIPES DETAILS
Hot Breakfast Hints – 2 recipes on each card; printed in blue on gray cardboard with blue banners top and bottom.
Across bottom: “East Shredded Wheat Daily – The Natural Energy Food”
1933? SLOGANS DETAILS
Printed in blue on gray cardboard, Title & text, for example:
A Man’s Success May/Depend on his Food!
Popularity Usually/Begins at Breakfast
Your Skin Shows/What You Eat! Etc.
1933 BLUE RECIPES DETAILS
National Biscuit Co.
449 West 14th Street, New York, NY
“Vitally Different” heading; printed in blue on gray cardboard, 2 recipes per card
1936 PICTURE STORY ALBUM –
NURSERY RHYMES DETAILS
National Biscuit Company
printed in blue on gray cardboard
nursery rhymes printed in blue, title card + 35 others
1937? PICTURE STORY ALBUM – DETAILS
BOYS & GIRLS OF ALL NATIONS
National Biscuit Company
printed in blue on gray cardboard
title card + 35 others
(also an extra Chinese card – I suspect one withdrawn and a second issued, and a 2nd Scotland card)
1937? PICTURE STORY ALBUM – DETAILS
TONY SARG’S ANIMAL CIRCUS
National Biscuit Company
printed in blue on gray cardboard
Tony Sarg’s Animal Circus, title card & 35 others
1942? BLUE NUMBERED RECIPES DETAILS
Nabisco
449 W. 14th Street, New York, NY
printed in blue on gray cardboard
1 recipe per card, to cut out; 36 recipes to collect
mentions meat shortages and rationing
1942? HOW AMERICA TRAVELS CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
36 forms of transportation
1943? HOW CANADA TRAVELS CARDS DETAILS
Canadian Shredded Wheat Company
36 forms of transportation
1946 TOYTOWN & DETAILS
TOYTOWN CARNIVAL CARDS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
2 sets of 36 houses & buildings & circus acts, animals etc. to color and cut out
1946 CANADIAN TOYTOWN & DETAILS
TOYTOWN CARNIVAL CARDS
Canadian Nabisco Shredded Wheat
28 houses & buildings to color & cut out
1948 FLYING CIRCUS CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
12 notebook cards + 24 paper airplanes
1949 – ’52 STRAIGHT ARROW CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
4 “books” of 36 cards each, with an extra #19 in book 1 [first two books printed in blue, 2nd 2 in green]
CANADIAN STRAIGHT ARROW CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
1 book of 28 cards
1953 NABISCO TV THEATER CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
2 sets: Straight Arrow & Big Fun Filled Show
2 double cards of finger puppets & props, instructions, commercials, & scripts + 2 box stages)
195Os? BIRDS OF CANADA CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
at least 2 books of 28 cards each, both English only and bilingual (Eng. & French)
1953 WILD ANIMAL 3-D CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
10 cards which could also be ordered by mail + 3-D glasses and order card
1953 ARTHUR GODFREY COUPON DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
10¢ off coupon on Shredded Wheat
1954 MODEL SPORTS CAR CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
Assembly card, wheel card, Jaguar, Corvette, & Buick Skylark
1954 SOUND JET CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
3 cards in one box (complete)
1954 SOUND JET CARDS – CANADIAN DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
3 cards in one box (complete)
1950’S HOWDY DOODY CARDS DETAILS
Canadian Nabisco Shredded Wheat
Puzzles and cutouts featuring Howdy Doody and friends
1956 TRAILBLAZERS OF AMERICA CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
9 sets of 3 cards, to build trucks
1956 TRAIN-O-RAMA CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
12 sets of 3 cards, making up a train diorama
1957 LOCOMOTIVE HALL OF FAME CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
7 slot together train replicas, hinged tri-fold die-cut sheets + plain cardboard platform
1956-7 RIN-TIN-TIN CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
13 order forms, printed in green:
1957 WESTERN COMICS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
a gift from Rin-Tin-Tin
6 comics, about the size & shape of box insert, on rodeo champions
1958 RIN -TIN-TIN INSIGNIA PATCHES DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
7 stick-on patches featuring Rin-Tin-Tin characters
1958 FOLDABIRD CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
a total of 8 bird construction cards, which could also be ordered by mail
1958 FOLDABIRD CARDS – CANADIAN DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
a total of 8 bird construction cards, which could also be ordered by mail
1958 & 1959 DEFENDERS OF AMERICA CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
2 sets of shiny chrome cards of US defense weapons
packed one to a box, no date on first, 1959 on 2nd
1959 SHIPS IN BOTTLES DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat Juniors
4 different ships on cards
1959 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS & JETS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat Juniors
paper constructed carriers on box backs & jets
1960 WONDERS OF THE WORLD CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
24 cards, packed one to a box
1960 HISTORICAL DIORAMA CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
8 dioramas of American History
1960 HISTORICAL DIORAMA CARDS – CANADIAN DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat
8 dioramas of Canadian History
1963 MARVELS OF NATURE CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Shredded Wheat?
10 Marvels of Natural History/shiny cards
1992 BASEBALL CARDS DETAILS
Nabisco Canada
36 artist drawn cards packed 3 to a box