Box tops and Submarines

We always shopped on Fridays after dad got home. We all had to go, no one could stay home alone, especially me for some reason. While we were all following mom and dad through the store I saw it for the first time. On the front of the cereal box was a picture of a submarine that could be mine for only four boxtops and twenty five cents. I convinced mom and dad that I loved that cereal. It took four weeks to gag down four box's of that cereal. Lots of sugar really helped.Linda and Dottie wouldn't touch it. Mom and I mailed off for my submarine. Only six to eight weeks for delivery.

Now when your nine or ten years old, you have no idea how long six to ten weeks is. It"s like two months. Everywhere I went I was on the lookout for the perfect little body of water. We had tons of little ponds over on the railroad yard. I checked each one several times to be sure they would be deep enough and clear enough for my submarine. I had dreams about how much fun it was going to be. I saved all the old cereal box's and hung them around my room, and read and re-read all the sales pitches about how much fun the little boy was having with his submarine. Whooo Hooo. I couldn't wait. It was killing me.

When the package finally arrived with my submarine in it I knew all my dreams were coming true. But after opening the package I was a little disappointed. How little it looks in real life. It was no more that two inches long. On the cereal box it looked to be a foot long. The picture even showed clearance lights on the front and back. In real life the lights were itsybitsey little pimples that maybe you could put a dot of paint on to make it look light running lights.

I read the instructions. I needed baking soda to put in the little compartment under the submarine. Then when it dives under the water the baking soda causes it to rise to the surface. Sounds good so far. I filled the kitchen sink, put the baking soda in the little compartment, and while the whole family watched I dropped the submarine into the sink. It layed on its side and fizzed, like it had gas. The whole family lost interest within moments. I battled the problems until I ran out of baking soda and my fingers pruned up. You couldn't make it dive without tying something to it. Then it wouldn't come back to the surface. Taking it out to the railroad ponds didn't sound like good idea any more either.

The only things I learned from this whole thing is, you can gag down lots of bad cereal with enough sugar and have great dreams about a toy that was made in Japan just to sell bad cereal to unsuspecting little boys.