Let me take you back, those old enough to be back that is, to a time of Saturday morning cartoons, three TV channels, no TV remotes, shag carpet, riding in large hunks of metal that looked like station wagons where hardly anyone wore seat belts and those sugary cereals that inundated Saturday morning television with commercials featuring all sorts of cool surprises buried inside and outside of various cereal boxes.
I was only 3 or 4 at the time, and yes I do remember those commercials (barely), but I most certainly remember that in 1969/1970 cardboard records were made available on the back of certain cereals featuring my faves The Monkees as well as Bobby Sherman, The Archies, The Jackson Five and maybe others. Okay, okay, I still have regular vinyl issues of all of the above but I digress …
Now I know that I may be featured on some future episode of one of those hoarders shows but I still own several of these cardboard delights that I, or my mom or brothers or sister, cut off the back of these cereal boxes and played on my portable record player (usually with a coin taped on) for fun.
I vaguely remember badgering my poor mother to buy these. Can you imagine a 3 year old obsessed with music and getting records for birthdays at that age – err, gulp sure do.
I do remember loving seeing these on the back of cereal boxes and even going to a friends house and trying to trade some of these records and play them so certainly others out there over the age of 45 remember these records and had some themselves.
There was even a regular 33 vinyl Monkees album released featuring all the songs on the cardboard records called “The Monkees Golden Hits” that could be mail ordered from the back of the cereal boxes as well. Of course I have that too and will feature it on a later post! (Sigh, really folks I have some semblance of a life, not much, but I do).
Not much to add about these but they’re a great time machine and certainly one of my favorite music memories and physical music collectibles! Try and find some of these nowadays is certainly a challenge.
Though kids, don’t try playing these at home!
Check them out (Monkees are bigger photo of course, lol. Note the groovy bedspread in the photos, Brady Bunch eat your hearts out!):
Records, CDs and Music: 