Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

Dubbed “Specartoons,” the cartoons contained pictures of bears, giraffes, monkeys, hippopotami, etc., which required coloring by crayon. For the best coloring jobs, prizes such as dolls, model planes, cars, boats, flashlights with batteries, wallets and jacknives, were offered. All prizes were promoted at no cash outlay. Another prize classification was theatre passes, to encourage theatre attendance and repeat popcorn sales. Naturally, no limit was placed on the number of entries a participant could submit — each entry required purchase of a box of popcorn! A neat tie-in was made with a local newspaper, the Hamilton Spectator. The Spectator, anxious to increase its Junior A cartoon coloring contest was used by the Century theatre, Hamilton, Ont. (stand shown above), while the Capitol in London, Ont., used the UN flag collection, with all the prizes promoted for a merchant's display in the lobby (right). Press Club membership, gave ample free notice to the Century’s coloring contest and urged the boys and girls of Hamilton to attend the theatre. The notice also explained that if the top winners, a boy and a girl, were members of the Junior Press Club, each would receive a wrist watch in addition to the announced prizes offered by the Century. Thus, not only was there an increase in popcorn sales at the Century theatre in Hamilton, but also the Hamilton Spectator benefited through increase of its Junior Press Club enrollment. Excerpts of the notice in the Spectator read as follows: “At Century — colouring Contest has begun . . . Calling all boys and girls! . . . the Century theatre is sponsoring a giant colouring contest. With each box of popcorn you buy at the candy bar of the theatre, you will receive a ‘Specartoon’ which has to be coloured . . . When you have received the cartoons with each box of popcorn from the Century’s candy bar, send as many entries as you wish to the Colouring Contest, c/o the Century Theatre. . .” Two other theatres in the Theatre Confections group also used the coloring cartoons with success; the Park theatre in London, where Ralph Tiede is manager; and the Paramount in Brantford, with Mrs. Elsie Bradshaw as assistant manager. At the Park, the promotion was tied in ( Continued on page 42) Eye-Popping Popcorn Promotion Popcorn promotion on an adult level. When a new Manley Serv-ORamic concession stand unit was installed in the Family drive-in at Johnson City, Tenn., Manager H. M. Abbott conducted a contest to find a girl for the title "Miss Serv-O-Ramic of East Tennessee." Miss Jo Ann Henson, the winner — shown above with Mr. Abbott — gave out free boxes of popcorn the night the unit was placed in operation. Giant Box for Lobby Display During a recent popcorn drive at the Town theatre in Alexandria, Ind., an operation of Alliance Theatres, this facsimile of a large sized buttered popcorn box was displayed in the lobby. Constructed at a cost of $7.10, by the manager, Frank Lambertson, Jr., the unit consists of a wooden frame with heavy cardboard glued to all four sides. Blue and yellow colors were used to simulate actual popcorn boxes. Dimensions are 18 inches at the top, tapering down to 14 inches at the bottom, and 40 inches high. Sales of buttered popcorn, sold at 5c less during the drive, increased 69% the first week the unit was on display. Occasionally it was employed as a ticket box.