Part
One:
OVALTINE
Ovaltine
was
one
of
the
biggest
purveyors
of
the
mail-in
premium.
At
various
times,
they
offered
badges,
pins,
decoders,
rings,
mugs,
secret
maps,
masks,
bracelets,
manuals,
comics,
memberships,
pictures
of
the
stars
of
the
shows,
sheet
music,
games,
magic
transfer
pictures,
puzzles,
and
many
more.
The
list
is
almost
endless.
 Ovaltine
used
Radio
as
it's
prime
source
to
reach
children
and
started
with
a
variety
of
mugs,
and
glasses
with
their
name
and
logo
on
them..
Then
they
discovered
that
characters
embossed
on
their
premiums
sold
even
more
of
their
product.
First
came
Uncle
Wiggily
the
Rabbit
a
famed
fictional
character
from
children’s
books..
They
struck
premium
gold
when
they
took
over
sponsorship
of
the
radio
show
LITTLE
ORPHAN
ANNIE..
Annie
came
from
a
famous
newspaper
strip
by
Harold
Gray
and
was
a
perfect
vehicle
for
them
to
bring
to
radio.
Soon
Annie
was
offering
all
sorts
of
wondrous
things,
but
the
most
popular
had
to
do
with
Annie’s
Secret
Society.
The
decoder
badge
came
into
its
own
there.
In
1934
the
first
bronze
Secret
Society
pin
was
offered.
In
1935
the
first
round
decoder
pin
and
in
1936
the
first
secret
compartment
decoder
badge.
During
her
rein
on
radio
from
1930
to
1940,
she
offered
approximately
seven
decoders
of
various
types.
As
World
War
II
loomed
before
us,
Ovaltine
abandoned
Annie
around
1941
in
favor
of
a
more
aviation
minded
action
series
revolving
around
CAPTAIN
MIDNIGHT
and
his
Secret
Squadron’s
fight
against
the
arch
villain
Ivan
Shark
and
enemies
of
America’s
freedom.
Annie
tried
to
carry
on
for
awhile
with
another
sponsor,
“Quaker
Sparkies
Puffed
Wheat
and
Rice,"
with
her
version
of
the
Squadron
called
THE
SECRET
GUARD.
In
1942
the
name
was
changed
to
the
SAFETY
GUARD.
She
gained
a
new
partner
named
Commander
Sparks
and
Annie
became
a
Lt.
Commander.
Commander
Sparks
began
to
dominate
the
show
while
her
Annie's
part
got
smaller.
Within
two
years
Annie
had
lost
her
audience
and
the
era
of
the
Orphan
Annie
Radio
Show
was
over.
Captain
Midnight;
on
the
other
hand,
took
off,
(no
pun
intended.)
He
had
started
as
a
local
show
in
Kansas
City
and
was
originally
sponsored
by
Skelley
Oil.
He
embodied
the
more
mature
pilot
as
opposed
to
the
boy
aviators
like
Jimmie
Allen.
Allen’s
writing
team
penned
the
Captain
Midnight
episodes
and
later
did
both
Hop
Harrigan
and
Sky
King.
Skelley
offered
premiums,
but
they
were
not
of
the
quality
that
was
to
follow
under
Ovaltine’s
stewardship.
Skelley
mainly
offered
paper
items
like
photos,
maps,
newspapers
and
games.
The
most
famous
of
their
premiums
was
a
spinning
bronze
medallion
that
has
been
reproduced
often
and
is
readily
available
from
places
like
EBay.
All
in
all,
Skelley
offered
23
premiums
during
their
sponsorship.
Ovaltine
knew
that
the
times
were
changing
and
they
quickly
bought
the
rights
to
Captain
Midnight
and
put
him
on
the
air
in
September
of
1940
and
moved
his
broadcast
location
to
Chicago.
The
Captain’s
origin
was
retold
and
the
show
went
through
an
evolution
to
reach
the
Captain
Midnight
that
was
to
be
the
most
famous
of
radio
aviators.
From
1940
until
1949
there
were
approximately
43
premiums
offered
to
the
radio
audience.
They
were
must-have
items
and
we
all
drank
our
Ovaltine
which
had
now
come
out
with
a
different
flavor:
sweet
chocolate
flavored.
Now
we
no
longer
had
to
drink
that
nasty
malt
tasting
original
Ovaltine,
we
had
a
choice.
 What
better
to
market
your
product
but
something
to
drink
it
out
of?
A
series
of
mugs
and
shakers
began
to
be
offered.
You
spooned
in
the
Ovaltine
crystals,
added
milk
and
ice…popped
on
the
lid,
and
shook
it
until
it
emulsified
into
a
chilled
shake.
There
were
a
total
of
three
or
more
mugs
offered:
a
mug/cup
to
drink
your
hot
Ovaltine
from
and
at
least
two
or
three
different
shake-up
mugs.
One
had
Captain
Midnights
likeness
embossed
into
the
plastic
and
the
others
had
decals.
Color
schemes
were
changed,
but
the
mugs
remained
basically
the
same
design.
Of
all
the
premiums
that
were
offered,
I
liked
the
decoder
badges
most
of
all.
The
various
rings
were
my
next
favorite.
In
my
memory,
I
seemingly
recall
more
of
these
precious
items
being
offered,
but
research
proves
me
wrong.
There
were
many
offers
made,
but
lots
of
them
were
paper
items
such
as
maps
and
manuals
that
never
appealed
to
me.
Part
Two:
The
CODE-O-GRAPHS
 Decoder
badges
were
begun
in
1938
and
were
a
holdover
from
those
offered
by
Orphan
Annie
in
her
Secret
Society.
The
first
was
the
Mystery
Dial
Code-O-Graph
and
had
an
eagle
at
the
top
and
a
spinning
wheel
with
letters
and
numbers.
The
look
of
it
was
a
bit
plain,
but
it
was
a
good
start.
 1942
Brought
the
much
sought-after
Photo-matic
Code-O-Graph.
It
had
a
small
photo
of
the
Captain
on
it.
In
the
enclosed
manual,
we
were
urged
to
remove
that
photo
and
replace
it
with
one
of
our
own.
Many
did
this
and
so
today
a
badge
with
the
original
Capt.
Midnight
picture
in
it
is
rare
and
commands
a
higher
price.
1943-1944:
Due
to
the
shortage
of
metal
because
of
the
war
effort,
caused
no
decoders
to
be
issued
and
only
an
insignia
shoulder
patch,
a
service
ribbon
pin
and
an
insignia
folder
were
offered
at
various
times
during
this
two
year
period.
1945:
The
Code-O-Graph
returned
with
the
Magni-Matic
badge….the
standard
decoder
wheel
with
a
small
magnifying
glass
in
its
center.
1946:
The
Mirro-Flash
Code-O-Graph
came
out
with
a
small
mirror
inset
into
the
decoder
wheel.
Now
we
could
flash
signals
using
the
sun’s
reflection.
1947:
Plastic
came
to
the
Code-O-Graph
with
a
blue
whistle
and
a
red
decoder
dial
set
in
its
side.
I
did
not
like
this
one,
it
seemed
cheap
and
uninspired.
 1948:
Brought
us
a
hybrid
of
metal
and
plastic:
the
Mirro-Flash
Code-O-Graph.
It
had
a
red
plastic
back
that
tended
to
come
loose
from
the
metal
front.
1949:
The
final
radio
Code-O-Graph…
the
Key-O-Matic
with
its
tiny
brass
key
that
we
all
lost
in
quick
order.
|
THE
RINGS
First
of
all,
we
should
clear
up
the
myth
of
a
Captain
Midnight
decoder
ring.
Exhaustive
research
has
proved
that
such
an
item
was
never
offered
by
Ovaltine.
They
did
come
out
with
an
Ovaltine
Decoder
Ring
in
the
year
2000,
but
it
had
nothing
to
do
with
Captain
Midnight.
With
that
out
of
the
way,
I
believe
five
rings
were
offered
in
all.
 1939/1940
Skelley
Oil
may
have
brought
out
a
Captain
Midnight
ring
with
what
appears
to
be
a
red
“V”
or
check
mark
on
its
crown.
This
ring
is
very
rare
and
seldom
seen.
There
are
some
premium
photos
showing
the
Captain
brandishing
a
“secret
ring.”
Pictures
of
the
ring
are
shown
in
various
collector
bibles,
some
do
not
identify
it
as
being
from
Captain
Midnight,
others
do.
1940-1941
Brought
us
the
Flight
Commander
Ring,
and
the
Whirlwind
Whistling
Ring.
1942
Brought
the
Sliding
Secret
Compartment
Ring
and
the
Mystic
Eye
Detector
Ring
(the
same
ring
as
the
Lone
Ranger
Defender
and
ROA
Look-Around
Ring.)
This
ring
is
sometimes
called
the
Look-Around
Ring
as
well.
1943-1944:
No
rings
issued
due
to
war
effort.
1945:
No
rings
issued.
 1946
Was
the
year
of
the
Mystic
Sun
God
ring:
the
most
prized
of
the
Captain
Midnight
rings.
It
was
a
shiny
gold
with
a
bright
red
plastic
stone
that
held
its
secret.
The
stone
was
hollow
and
you
could
slip
it
off
a
metal
track
and
insert
your
secret
message
into
it
and
then
replace
the
stone.
Whatever
you
had
to
hide
had
to
be
extremely
small
as
that
stone
would
not
hold
very
much,
but
it
was
the
idea
that
fascinated
me.
This
ring
is
a
sad
memory
for
me.
After
waiting
weeks
for
its
arrival,
it
came
and
I
immediately
put
it
on.
My
mother
took
me
shopping
with
her
and
I
happened
to
glance
at
my
new
treasure
and
the
bright
red
stone
that
was
the
secret
compartment
had
slid
off
its
track
and
disappeared.
Back-tracking
my
steps
brought
no
sign
of
that
little
piece
of
red
plastic.
I
was
heartbroken.
Talking
to
quite
a
few
collectors
revealed
that
they
had
similar
experiences
with
the
ring.
Today,
that
ring,
complete
with
its
stone,
is
one
of
the
higher
prized
pieces
of
Captain
Midnight
memorabilia.
1947:
No
rings
issued.
1948
Gave
us
the
final
ring:
the
Initial
Printing
Ring
w/top.
Here
was
another
ring
with
parts
to
lose.
You
removed
the
top
to
reveal
an
inked
stamp
pad
with
your
initial
on
it.
Besides
the
rings
and
decoders,
a
variety
of
items
were
offered
over
the
years:
manuals,
medals,
pins,
autographed
photos,
books,
plane
detectors,
games,
patches,
insignias,
and
transfers.
Any
of
these
along
with
their
original
shipping
boxes
command
high
prices
today
on
the
collector’s
market.
When
Captain
Midnight
moved
to
Television
in
the
fifties,
15
additional
premiums
were
offered
by
Ovaltine.
The
Captain
had
moved
into
the
world
of
jet
planes
and
rockets
and
was
brought
up
to
date
with
a
new
virile
actor
(Richard
Webb)
and
a
secret
mountain-top
laboratory
to
operate
from.
It
was
not
the
same.
In
the
late
sixties
or
early
seventies
the
Longines
Symphonette
Society
issued
a
set
of
thin
vinyl
sound
sheet
records.
These
used
the
image
of
Captain
Midnight
that
Fawcett
Comics
had
featured
in
their
comic
book
series
and
had
nothing
to
do
with
the
radio
image
of
Captain
Midnight.
In
the
late
70’s,
Ovaltine
offered
a
LP
record
of
old
Captain
Midnight
Radio
Broadcasts.
It
was
also
released
in
stores.
In
1987
Ovaltine
attempted
to
revive
interest
in
Captain
Midnight
through
a
series
of
new
premiums
offered
directly
from
the
Ovaltine
jar
and
newspaper
ads.
A
special
watch
and
t-shirt
were
issued
with
promises
of
more
to
come,
but
it
never
happened.
Finally
the
company
that
owned
Ovaltine
voluntarily
allowed
the
copyright
and
trademark
on
the
old
Captain
to
expire.
In
the
year
2000,
Ovaltine
offered
the
FIRST
EVER
decoder
ring
through
their
product.
There
was
no
reference
to
Captain
Midnight.
It
was
to
be
a
limited
offer,
but
its
success
has
caused
Ovaltine
to
indefinitely
extend
the
time
limit.
Let
us
hope
that
this
may
open
the
way
for
the
Captain
to
return
to
us
in
some
form
in
the
future,
but
I
fear
he
is
just
a
memory...
Tom
Mason
The
Crimson
Collector
|
