Long, long ago, when my grandfather was a boy, he would pay very little(a coin or two) for a bag of Cracker Jack, and would get a very good prize. Maybe he got a ring, maybe he got a toy truck(one of which we still have to this day). Of my childhood(which is still technically going on), you pay much more, and get much less. You would get a piece of paper. OH NO! It's not a piece of paper! It's a pencil eraser-topper! Hours of fun! Whee!

Well, those plentiful days of paper-prizes are apparently gone. On a very cold, tiring ride back from Florida to Virginia, I stopped to get a snack at a rest stop. I decide to get a bag ofCracker Jack. I open my bag on the bus, excited to see my papery treasure.

THERE WAS NONE.

Imagine my disappointment when I saw that my bag contained no prize, but crushed caramelly popcorn and two or three peanuts. Heartbreaking.

Have they no soul? To crush a girl's chances of brightening her day with a prize? It is so.

One thing is for certain, I am shocked and ashamed at the decline of such a product that has set the benchmark of the caramel-corn industry.

I will never buy Cracker Jack again. Forget you, Sailor Jack. You too, Bingo.

So, has anyone else experienced this absurd ordeal?