12 Vintage Cereal Box Toys That Could Be Worth A Pretty Penny Today

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Do you remember those Saturday mornings as a child? Getting up early, pouring out a bowl of your favorite cereal, and plopping down in front of the tube for the parade of morning cartoons was the morning routine of many a childhood. While the toys inside the box were a definite bonus, most of us would have never guessed that they'd be a valuable collector's item in 30, 40, or even 50 years. The history of cereal box premiums started in 1909 with Kellogg's Funny Jungleland Moving-Pictures Book. Back in those days, kids and would-be collectors had to mail in a proof of purchase to get the prize. But fast forward a couple decades, and General Mills started the trend of tossing those prizes right in the box with its Skippy baseball cards. And people loved them.

The cereal box toy collecting scene on eBay alone is surprisingly prolific with nearly 4,000 pre-1970s listings. In addition to this e-commerce site, fans can find vintage cereal box toys on Facebook groups, Ebay, Etsy, online auctions, and at flea markets. The most valuable cereal box toys were released before the 1990s, and are appraised on factors like rarity, age, condition, completeness, and brand recognition. So, if you've discovered a stash of premiums tucked away in your grandpa's attic, keep reading. Here are a dozen vintage cereal box toys that could be worth a pretty penny today.

When many of us think of Ralston Purina, dog chow comes to mind, even though the company offers one of the oldest cereals still on shelves. Long before the company merged with Nestlé's Friskies division, it made a brand of breakfast cereal called Freakies. The maker enlisted a group of monsters to promote its sweetened puff cereal in the 1970s. The iconic monsters' creator, Jackie End, crafted each creature's personality based on her fellow coworkers, and the seven-piece collection was born.

The ghoulish troop was led by BossMoss, and together with Hamhose, Gargle, Cowmumble, Grumble, Goodie-goodie and Snorkeldorf, this cast of misfit characters embarked on a hunt for the mythical cereal tree that would feed them forever. Freakies fan clubs popped up and cereal box covers promised excited patrons that a "free Freakie inside" awaited them should they buy the product — a genius move by the ad agency. Now, complete sets in near-mint condition can sell for as much as $250 on auction sites, like eBay.

Kellogg's is no stranger to cereal box toys. In the 1970s, it introduced stretch pets to its lineup of in-box gifts, and collectors could find the toys in Ricicles, Apple Jacks, and Sugar Pops cereals. There were a total of eight plastic animals in the series and each one stood just an inch and a half tall. There was a stretch pet for every animal lover, including a dog, buzzard, cat, elephant, monkey, rhinoceros, alligator, and fish. The prizes had connecting parts, and once assembled, it allowed them to stretch and bend thanks to their accordion-like mechanism.

Even though the company has been around since 1898 and holds the spot as the top cereal maker in the world, no one could have predicted that this Kellogg's cereal box toy would become a sensational collector's item. Just one, colorful vintage stretch pet dog is on sale on eBay for $20, with complete sets going for nearly $250. Just imagine what your cache of stretch pets could be worth.

It's clear that cereal companies love promotional giveaways, and General Mills isn't any different. The food manufacturer debuted two monster cereals in 1971: the chocolate flavored Count Chocula and its strawberry tasting Franken Berry cousin. The monsters have recently debuted their first woman mascot, but 50 years ago these figures were modeled after wildly popular classic horror film characters.

Cereal lovers got both breakfast and an audio track pressed onto a 45 RPM "flexi-disc." These genuine vinyl records were attached to the back of the box in 1979 and played on a real turntable. The prizes attracted both cereal and record enthusiasts alike and featured the monster mascots belting out their scary tales. Fast forward to 2025, and collectors can pick up a copy of "The Monsters Go Disco" for 25 bucks on eBay. General Mills released two other tracks in the series, including "Monster Adventures in Outer Space" and "Count Chocula Goes to Hollywood," both of which scare up about the same dough.

Three decades before pre-teens were bopping to the Monsters on their Fisher-Price record player, kids were playing with another General Mills' cereal box toy. But, well, this one was radiated. Yikes. In 1947, kids could find a swell toy in their boxes of Kix cereal: an atomic bomb ring. The toy actually contained polonium-210. Yes, that's the toxic radioactive isotope you think it is. For just 15 cents plus a Kix cereal box top, this radioactive marvel could be yours.

The ring featured a silver warhead, red tailfin, and an adjustable gold band with lightning bolts on each side. The tailfin was also hollow, making it perfect for storing secret messages. But that's not the best part. This premium promotion glowed in the dark, and not due to some newfangled paint. If you looked into the "atomic chamber" you could see flashes of light from radioactive decay. Nice. Don't worry, the company claims it was perfectly safe for kids to play with. It was just a tiny amount of polonium, really. If you're lucky enough to have one of the Lone Ranger's atomic bomb rings, it could fetch you more than $400 at auction.

Quaker Oats' Cap'n Crunch was many people's go-to cereal back in the day, and many were lucky enough to get a bo'sun whistle. If you weren't born in time to cash in on this craze, like fans in the late 1960s were, you may be able to find one in mint condition today. This coveted toy is actually one of the best cereal box prizes of all time. Kids could discover this now vintage toy at the bottom of their cereal box and it turns out there was more to this promotional premium than meets the eye.

Little did Quaker Oats know at the time, but this vintage toy emitted a 2600 hertz tone that could deceive a telephone routing machines and score people free long-distance calls. While the company designed it to mimic official whistles used by sailors, the tone allowed callers to enter into operator mode. John Draper, a former U.S. Air Force electronics technician, was the lucky duck that discovered the AT&T phone line hack. Those days of free long distance with this vintage cereal box toy are over (does anyone pay for this service anymore?), but you can still score a quick $140 if you sell yours on eBay.

General Mills certainly did jump on the promotional item bandwagon, even in the 1940s, with cool toys printed on Cheerios boxes. These donut shaped treats were once called Cheerioats, but that didn't stop kids from collecting this company's awesome prizes. The cereal maker produced a packaging box with a frontier town printed on the back. Each one of these cardboard sets featured elements from the Lone Ranger's Old West era. Once punched out and assembled, you and your pals could pretend to fight for law and order alongside the masked vigilante and his faithful companion, Tonto.

General Mills produced four sets that featured paper model buildings like the community smokehouse, blacksmith shop, and the "Lazy 'Y" ranch stable. Each section of town featured notes about the buildings and who worked there, like jolly Dr. Drummond's office in the Northeast Section set. You could sell this vintage cereal box for as much as $95 each or you can auction off a set of four models, unpunched with maps for a whopping $295.

Kellogg's has come a long way since the brothers introduced their first wheat flake cereal in 1894 in the most unusual way: at the Seventh-day Adventist sanitarium. Who would have thought this healthy yet plain cereal would become the vessel for collectable vintage toys like these erasers? The Hanna-Barbera's Wacky Races spinoff, "Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines," came out in 1969. This Saturday morning cartoon show was set during World War One and featured the Vulture Squadron and their endless pursuit to stop their flying nemesis from completing his mission. The crew included leader Dick Dastardly, his faithful partner Muttley, aircraft mechanic Klunk, Zilly, Klunk's translator, and their antagonist: Yankee Doodle Pigeon.

As part of the cereal maker's "Stop That Pigeon" premium promotion, Kellogg's released a set of collectables modeled after each character. These vintage cereal box toys were 1.5 to 2.5 inch tall rubber erasers and came one per specially marked Kellogg's box. Kids found a few in boxes of Sugar Smacks and you could unload a complete set of five characters for as much as $650 to the right avid collector.

Is it a bird? A plane? No. It's Kellogg's Superman airplane ring. This vintage cereal box toy came out in 1948 and likely gained popularity thanks in part to the advertisements on the superhero's radio program. This nifty toy must have been a pretty high-tech plaything to find at the bottom of your cereal box nearly 80 years ago. Kids simply had to press the ring's lever to watch the F-87 Super Jet takeoff into the air. Sweet.

The silver option came in a box of Pep cereal, while you had to get your mom to buy a box or two of Corn Flakes to score the black one. Both rings featured adjustable bands embossed with jets, and Kellogg's even included a coupon you could share with friends. For just 20 cents each, they too could get their own Superman airplane ring. We can just imagine all of those little gliders buzzing around like bees in playgrounds across America. If you're curious about how much they're worth today, some folks are peddling these online for $700 including box and coupon and you could, too.

There wasn't a better pastime for kids in the 1950s then pedaling their Schwinn's around the neighborhood. Well, that is, after a hearty Wheaties cereal breakfast, of course. General Mills went out on a limb and combined the two pursuits with its now vintage miniature auto license plates. These premium replicas represented America's 48 (at the time) continental states. The cereal maker stashed 12 plates per Wheaties box and they turned out to be the perfect bling for kid's bikes. These miniature auto license plates were made of solid steel, roughly 4 or 5 inches long, and they really looked authentic.

General Mills seemed eager to spread the toys across the nation, as you could also mail in a box top and 25 cents and get a series sent right to your mailbox. This was a good move for the cereal giant as these license plates led to a 50% boost in Wheaties sales nationwide. In addition to the states, the company produced sets for Territories and Possessions, Canada, and Old World and Europe. If you won a storage unit auction that happened to include a few dozen of these license plates, you could get $150 or more for them.

In the 1960's Quaker Oats Company released a pair of virtually identical sweetened cereals, each with their own character: Quisp and Quake. The company's ad agency came up with a great idea to promote the wacky pink alien character and his miner-themed rival: the battle of the breakfast mascots. The company turned to the airwaves for a consumer vote in 1972 and the race was on. Viewers were invited to choose one as their favorite cereal, and Quisp came out the victor.

Inside boxes of the alien's namesake cereal awaited a soft plastic toy. Yes, a small model of Quisp's space gun, the Cosmic Clouder. This vintage cereal box toy was red and just over 7 inches long. It touted a futuristic design and all you had to do to get your very own toy was mail-in two proofs of purchase and a couple quarters. The toy gun shot a cloud of smoke when you pulled the trigger, but moms didn't worry. It was really just a puff of fine talcum-like powder. Today, some auctions feature the vintage cereal box toy for a pretty penny: as much as $600, as a matter of fact.

General Mills created the Jack Armstrong adventure radio show almost a century ago. The All-American Boy character was a widely successful way to advertise the company's breakfast cereal Wheaties in 1933. Because, after all, if they were good enough for Jack, they were good enough for you. Kids could get their very own embossed badge of honor as a cereal box premium in the 1940s and seriously, who wouldn't want to go to school with proof that you were an integral part of the show's listening squad?

America's youth followed Jack's globe-trotting adventures until 1950 and this "Breakfast of Champions" toy is now worth a pretty penny. The 1 inch wide by 1 3/8 inch tall brass lieutenant listening squad toy was embossed with a prominent five-point star. At the bottom of the badge was a hole that could be used as a whistle. Today you can sell the show's collectible badge for as much as $325 or more.

Like many other cereal brands in the 1950s, Nabisco used television to promote its products to enthralled audiences across the nation. The maker of the best graham crackers of all time dreamed up the legendary character Sky King and put figurines of his cast of cohorts inside boxes of Wheat Honeys and Rice Honeys cereals. This American television series featured the Arizona rancher and pilot, Schuyler "Sky" King, and the show aired on NBC early in the decade.

Nabisco created the 2.5 inch tall figurines for the character in the pilot's supporting crew, including Penny, Clipper, Sheriff, Songbird (a Cessna plane), and Yellow Fury, Sky King's faithful palomino horse. Each one features unique details, like Sky King's classic cowboy hat and revolver, Clipper's lasso, and Yellow Fury, majestically rising on his hindquarters. If you can get your hands on the complete set, it's pretty valuable today. One could hope to wrangle as much as $124 if the items are in near mint condition.