Thursday, December 24, 2020

Stocking Stuffer

I'll be posting on Thursday this week and next in view of where Christmas and New Year's Eve fall on the calendar, then back to the normal Saturday schedule in (gulp!) 2021.

One reason I'm moving things up is so everybody can get a stocking this year:


Yes, that is a five cent 1952 Topps Baseball pack peeking out from a polythene stocking! This stocking was not a Topps product but something they must have worked on as a "special promotion" as detailed in last week's post. I say that with confidence as the promotional piece above appeared in an August 1952 trade journal.  Given the lead time to assemble this holiday treat, the time to prepare the publication and the practice of advancement of issue dates on printed matter in the early 50's, I'd estimate Topps had this deal in place around June 1952 if not earlier, possibly smack dab in production of the middle of the "long" series of cards spanning nos. 81 to 250,  or even close to the time the semi-highs were being printed.  

Offically dubbed "Santa's Sack" before such a moniker would produce a ROFL or LOL, the stocking appears to have also held some hard candies and a pack of candy or gum cigarettes called "Mumps" (Correction: "Humps", as per Brett Alan's comment below). At a guess, more than one brand of candy cigarette would have been available.  Here's a slightly closer look.


Topps probably ran such cross-promotions well into the 1960's while also selling their own Fun Packs and the like at various points in the year (which were roughly keyed to Valentine's Day, Hallowe'en and Christmas).  They also had their own Candy Divison pumping out some holiday treats in the early 50's.

Merry Christmas everybody!

3 comments:

Brett Alan said...

Those candy cigarettes are "Humps", not "Mumps". Like, a parody of "Camel" cigarettes, so they're "Humps". They appear to be chocolate cigarettes, although the only image I can find of them online is very small and low-def. http://cardhouse.com/candy/thompson/humps-sweet-chocolate-cigarettes-t.png

I did find a writeup on a book that mentions them. They were from a company called Thompson's Candy. https://www.c-spot.com/book-reviews/middle-shelf/chocolate-the-sweet-history-by-beth-kimmerle-2005/

Anonymous said...

I think that's Santa's Sock, not Sack, though Sack is way funnier.

toppcat said...

I think you are right, gotta get my prescription checked!