Why no more free gifts?

I had a pile of DVDs that came free with newspapers. they were easy to pack when I went away for work and I used to watch them on my laptop's CD drive.

Babs03

Does anyone remember the free plastic records that would come through the mail, as I recall it would play if put it on top of a regular 45. Not sure why these were sent out but I loved getting them.

Yes I remember those, wondering why we got them now?

Ha theworriedwell, thought it was freebies in general (op was talking about Kelloggs- only remember getting big plastic bowls to put the cornflakes into, which mum had for years & recently thrown away)

I still have 3 of the soup mugs/bowls and a few glasses which came 'free' with Shell petrol in the 70s and 80s. The glasses came in various sizes/styles - had to buy a lot of fuel to get all the sets!

I thought it was going to be about GN no longer giving books, etc., away…
Don’t normally like unsolicited freebies, though, like the address labels/note pads sent by the Red Cross or whatever.

HPQ we still have (and use!) the glass fruit bowls and large bowl that came with petrol coupons 54 years ago! No expense spared in our house!

We are still using (for cooking only!) the free stainless steel cutlery which we collected with petrol before we got married in the early 70's.

Does anyone remember Green Shield Stamps?

Yes Indigo8 we spent hours sticking them into the books. Same with co-op stamps.
Well no internet then and daytime tv was in its infancy.💁🏼

I well remember those little gifts and loved them!

I had this little mad professor who I kept for years until he literally fell apart!

I still have glasses and mugs given away with petrol too, and CDs which came with newspapers or magazines.

Fishing around in the cereal packet for the free toy was great fun but my favourite was saving the coupons on jam jars to send away for g*lly badges and ornaments. Such excitement when the postman brought the little box!

Lilypops

Does anyone remember the little plastic submarine with a hole in the top that you filled with baking powder to make it dive when the baking powder fizzed , it was in Kellogg cereals am sure

Yes, we also had the Kellogg’s submarine that was powered by baking powder - must have been in the 50s some time. Our family didn’t eat cornflakes but my brother and I begged our mother to buy a packet for the submarine as most of the other kids at school had one. It was brilliant - I remember we had great fun with it. I can’t recall if we ate the cornflakes or not!

Free gifts were banned in Denmark in the 1970s or '80s as they were designated unfair competition.

I don't know whether this applies in the UK as well, or to a firm that is presumably still American.

Yes, I have fond memories of playing with that little submarine! Brilliant!

Lilypops

Does anyone remember the little plastic submarine with a hole in the top that you filled with baking powder to make it dive when the baking powder fizzed , it was in Kellogg cereals am sure

I was just thinking of that one, great fun.

Has anyone ever actually heard of anyone choking/dying from one of these little toys? I know I haven’t. It’s the idiotic Health and Safety gone mad! We aren’t allowed to take responsibility for ourselves qany more. How on earth did the over 65s get this far without killing themselves, I wonder? I am sick of being treated like a child!

And that’s another stupid thing, that we can’t write ‘golly’ anymore! Well, I just have, so ya boo sucks! The world has gone mental!

Why have you left the ‘o’ out of golly? Don’t stoop to the level of the people who make these idiotic objections! They need their heads testing!

Childrens comics have lots of free gifts of plastic tat. Not a health and safety issue.

I had an Uncle that work for of the big cereal factories. My brother used to love our visits to his house on a Sunday afternoon - we'd come back loaded with the freebies

Thank you for the post, bring back happy memories.

Crossstitchfan

Why have you left the ‘o’ out of golly? Don’t stoop to the level of the people who make these idiotic objections! They need their heads testing!

I thought the word was forbidden nowadays. I deliberately used the shortened version of the word too. Just trying not to cause offence.

I still use a free spatula that came free on a copy of I think Woman,s Realm . It is perfect for scraping out mixing bowls .

I remember plastic flowers being given away with Daz powder?. My mum planted them round front door, daffs and tulips I seem to recall.

Ilovecheese

Childrens comics have lots of free gifts of plastic tat. Not a health and safety issue.

Yes lots of tat comes with kids comics.

We still use wine glasses that came free with petrol. We do have some nicer ones in case GNers call in.

The cds that came with the Radio Times and the Telegraphy were quite good. Lots were audio stories for children. I remember get all the Narnia stories and many others.

Going back much further. Does anyone remember the plastic roses that came with packets of OMO washing powder.

It may have been Daz that the plastic flowers came with?