Sunkist Fun Fruit's 1986 Contest

 

The year was 1986. I was your average kid starting middle school. One of the more common snacks around our house at the time consisted of Sunkist Fun Fruits and their Fruit Roll Ups line. They were both fruity, sugary, and the perfect treat for a kid looking for a quick bite after a day of classes.

Though I don't remember the specific day, I feel like it had to have been a weekend. The reason being, both mom and dad were home, and it was the day time. As I popped the top on a fresh box of Fun Fruits, I found inside a scratch off card talking about a contest, and the various prizes on offer.

It would be decades later before I would retrace the steps of that particular contest to this particular ad which showcased the variety of prizes available, which included, a stereo, Omnibot 2000, a television, computer, and VCR, along with 25,000 other unnamed prizes. Are you kidding me? This type of stuff was the equivalent of winning the lottery to your average kid. We didn't have our own televisions and VCR's. If we owned a stereo, it was typically a boombox or, at best, a Walkman.

Now, imagine, if you will, you're that kid in 1986 who pulls a card from the box, and finding a section to scratch and see if you won a prize. Now continue to imagine that you found a coin, and carefully etched off the grey coating, and underneath you found the word, "STEREO".

That was me.

I shouted with joy from my bedroom, "I won a stereo!" As my brother came to see what all the fuss was about, and my mom eventually following in tow, all to see the card in my excited hands. My mom took the card, looked it over, and what happened from there, I honestly don't remember. Truth be told, with so many toys, and a Nintendo, and a bike to venture the world, I didn't honestly dwell on it. My mind was quickly occupied elsewhere.

Then one day a large box showed up at the house, which my mom gave to me. Inside was a brand new Emerson M2335 dual cassette, record player, and AM / FM radio with matching speakers. As an adult, I of course can understand what happened. Mom took the card, probably sent a check for shipping and handling with the card, and ten to twelve weeks later, the box arrived.

For the longest time, this was my one and only stereo. I only parted ways with it around 1992 because that was when I finally transitioned to the world of CD's. I used that thing non-stop to listen to the Weekly Top 40, play my limited cassettes, and even fewer records. Many days it blared Prince's Batman, and Graffiti Bridge soundtracks.

As we were gearing up to move across the country in late 1989 / 1990, I remember staying up all night, spending that time to record music onto cassettes. One such record I recall vividly using for this was the soundtrack to West Side Story. I don't honestly know why. It wasn't anything all that important to me, but hey, when you're planning for weeks of travel, you have to maximize the options. Mixed with various artists from other sources, this would become my highway music for the long drive from the West to East coast.

Still, I have a fondness for this machine. For years, it was my gateway to the world of 80's music. Despite its lack of CD player, this is the stereo that I want. It has nostalgic and sentimental value to me. Unfortunately, to date, I have only been able to find ones which are being sold for "parts". I.E., non-functional. My hope is that one day I'll find a working unit to add to my collection.

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