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Collecting Crisp Packets, Bottle Tops, Etc., For Charity

My sons have just told me to collect Walker's crisp packets for some seriously ill baby - if crisp packets equalling the weight of the baby are collected, said baby can receive treatment! This is the tale currently circulating their school and they semed seriously disappointed when I told them it was all rubbish.

Carole
 
For many, many years my mother and grandmother collected silver foil, silver milk bottle tops and ring-pulls for some charity whose name I can't remember.
I believe the idea was to recycle the aluminium, and for the recycling company to contribute to the charity. I believe the recycling company did this because it was the only incentive they could think of that would get people to save these bits of aluminium, rather than throwing them away.
 
I can remember Blue Peter collecting milk bottle tops & chocolate wrapers & showing them being melted down for some charity or other during the 1960,s. Maybe guide dogs for the blind.

At about the same time, I can remember the local parish church being "landed" with sacks of milk bottle tops that no one wanted let alone wanted to pay good money for. They stunk out the church yard for years!!!

Later, during the 1980's there was a drive for news print, i.e. bring in your old news papers.

My impression is that each time, good intentions lead to a reduction in the market price of the commodity. Which means that as the price drops, they are no longer worth collecting!!!!
 
David said:
I can remember Blue Peter collecting milk bottle tops & chocolate wrapers & showing them being melted down for some charity or other during the 1960,s. Maybe guide dogs for the blind.

At about the same time, I can remember the local parish church being "landed" with sacks of milk bottle tops that no one wanted let alone wanted to pay good money for. They stunk out the church yard for years!!!

.....

My impression is that each time, good intentions lead to a reduction in the market price of the commodity. Which means that the price drops & they are no longer worth collecting!!!!
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Yes, 50s, 60s, collecting milk bottle tops was a big thing.

But I like the last paragraph - it's a new subject, Fortean Economics!!

No, on second thoughts, economics always was pretty weird. I subscribe to the bean bag theory of economics - push it in in one place, and it bulges out somewhere else.
 
We used to collect rose hips for rosehip syrup (so we were told), we used to take them to school and the one who collected the most got a prize. Of course it was the smarmy, do-gooder, teacher's pet who won it (and she cheated by pressganging her little brother into picking hips for her).:mad:

Carole
 
carole said:
We used to collect rose hips for rosehip syrup (so we were told), we used to take them to school and the one who collected the most got a prize. Of course it was the smarmy, do-gooder, teacher's pet who won it (and she cheated by pressganging her little brother into picking hips for her).:mad:

Carole
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It's amazing the way we collect these grievances and keep hold of them for years. Do you think they serve to teach us valuable lessons about life when we are still young. Is that why they still smart years later - becuse one by one they robbed us of our innocence.

Cujo
(don't mind me, I think I've caught a dose of philosopy)
 
Ah, Philosophy! The art of asking questions that have no answers.
(Because if they do find answers, it becomes Science instead.)

I don't think Forteans can be philosophers because, although they like answers where possible, they don't worry too much about not having answers.

Philosophers worry about ways of finding answers.

Skeptics insist on having answers for everything.

Discuss!
 
Philosophy was one of the first casualties of Thatcherism in
the early 80s. I don't think many Philosophy Departments
survive in UK Universities. The only professional philosopher
I know has lived in Germany for over twenty years.

On a more Fortean note, I was delighted to discover that my
old Philosophy Professor attended the second International
Conference on the Paranormal in 1951?? Along with Aldous
Huxley. Nestling among his publications was a volume on
trout fishing. Ah, those were the days!

I was somewhat amazed to read that graduates of the seventies
are now thought to have real O levels, A levels and real degrees.
If they go on appreciating at this level, I hope to cash all mine in
for a second-hand Bentley by about 2010. :rolleyes:
 
Cujo said:
It's amazing the way we collect these grievances and keep hold of them for years. Do you think they serve to teach us valuable lessons about life when we are still young. Is that why they still smart years later - becuse one by one they robbed us of our innocence.
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No, she really was a smarmy teacher's pet!;)

Carole
 
I am wondering if this collecting thing could be turned into
something socially useful, like dog-turd collecting.

The rumour ought to involve guide-dogs, except the weight
thing would be too quickly achieved.

I don't know what dog poo fetches these days as a commodity but
the Victorians did pay people to collect it. The "pure-collectors"
were among the poorest of the poor and the buyers were
the tanneries. Not sure what they use instead today to treat
leather.

I know a few parents might baulk at the spare room being
given to their sprogs' new fad but the streets would be a
safer place. :cool:
 
Glos. "can cap" collection update.

Somebody has taken the photocopy!

-J
 
Crisp packets

This is not totally of the point:

Why did Walkers changed the colour of the Salt & Vinegar and the Cheese & Onion?

I know this is an old, old question but I still have packets of Cheese & Onion crisps that my mum bought by mistake a long long time ago. (I won't eat them then and I certainly won't eat them now.)
 
I remember from the late 70s or early 80s TV adverts for mint flavoured crisps. I never tried them - they sounded horrible, but nobody else remembers them, it's like a UL but I know it isn't.

I'm sure they came from Walkers.

Does anyone else remember, or has even tried them?
 
A bit off thread, but I remember reading about Guiness flavoured ice cream but no one but me has heard of that one either.:madeyes:
 
Are you sure it's not just wishful thinking, Pete?
:p

Carole
 
Mint I don't recall - does sound horrid though. I do have a vague
memory that one company marketed Hedgehog-Flavoured crisps
as a novelty. Presumably for those who hankered after
alleged Romany treats? Always think clay-baked hedgehog was
invented by a journo on a slack day. :rolleyes:
 
I remember Hedgehog flavoured crisps. I can't tell you if they tasted of hedgehog, though.
Ironically, if you cut out the tokens on the packets, you sent them to raise money for the Save the Hedgehog society.
:confused:
 
Hedgehog flavour crisps are easily available around these parts. Indeed I bought some a year or so back and I still have the packet in a kitchen drawer to prove it.

The full story (or at any rate one variant thereof can be found here):

http://www.khyri.com/hedgehog/chips.txt

A lot of people seem to be convinced that they were taken off the market One explanation might be that people from Hertfordshire used to be known as 'Hedgehogs', so maybe this area is one of the few where they're still sold.


:confused:
 
...While we're on the subject - what happened to 'Scampi & Lemon' Flavour Nik Naks ??

Can the rumour that they were removed from circulation due to thier 'unsociable odour' be substaciated ??

Haarp
:eek!!!!:
 
I don't know about the Nik-Naks, but Scampi Fries are still in circulation despite the fact that they make a room smell like a fishing village at low tide for about an hour after you've opened them.
 
Offers

I know two similar occurences to the walkers offer:

1) In the US in the early 70's, one car salesmen advertised his cars in sale in bananas. This was due to it was local saying for dollars (Don't ask I read it in a book). He asked for 80,000 "bananas" for a sports car. A man saw this and realised that the cost of bananas was less than $80,000. So the next day he turned up in a truck with 80,000 bananas, the salesman refused. So the man with bananas took him to court and won.

2) Tango had an offer for collecting ringpulls, the offer ranged from a tango toy to a playstation (I think) but also if you collected 80,000 ringpulls you could win a flight on a Harrier Jumpjet. An airplane enthuist started collecting the ringpulls - he got his friends, all his relations and their friends and put advert in the local newspaper, eventually before the offer closed he collected over 80,000 ringpulls. He sent of evidence for the ringpulls but he got a letter back saying that the offer for the Harrier Jumpjet was a joke! The man didn't find it funny, as you could probably guess so he sued Tango, for the cost of all the cans plus emotional and cost of trial. Tango offered an out of court settlement, he accepted the out of court settlement for a flight in a Harrier Jumpjet - I read that in a newspaper last century:eek: :D
 
Red Dalek said:
I remember from the late 70s or early 80s TV adverts for mint flavoured crisps. I never tried them - they sounded horrible, but nobody else remembers them, it's like a UL but I know it isn't.
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I recall 'Lamb and Mint' flavoured crisps around that time.

They were a distinct green colour - and quite delicious! Savoury as opposed to sweet 'spearmint' style.

I think they were from Tudor or Golden Wonder. Definitely not Walkers.
 
Hedgehog Munchies

I have fond memories of Hedgehog crisps, but the only flavour i can remember is Sea Salt flavour which was yum. Does anyone know what the other flavours were?

It is indeed true that collecting these packets gave money to some kind of society, and i also sent off for a free car sticker (not that i could drive at the time) which could be claimed if you collect x amount of packets - i think it was about 100,000 or so. It had a picture of a hegdehog on it saying "Dont squash me!" or a similar lame ass phrase. Aw. squash 'em all thats what i say...... maybe...:confused:
 
I seem to remember, that the hedgehog flavour was pork based & the charity was St Tiggywinkles!!!!

Anyway, why would you want to squash hedgepigs? I can understand you feeling that way about so called "humanity", but not Spike & his mates!!!!!
 
David said:
Anyway, why would you want to squash hedgepigs? I can understand you feeling that way about so called "humanity", but not Spike & his mates!!!!!
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I suspect a link here with the "Not the Nine o'clock News" (?) sketch, with the song "I like truckin' (and I like to truck)" !!!
 
This is one of those Fortean subjects I actually have first hand experience of:- in about 1995 teachers at my school collected Walkers packets one lunchtime, with the story that Walkers would pay for a girl to have a cancer operation if they collected enough. I think there might have been a fake mailshot out to several schools because the hoax actually turned up as a news story on national radio a day later.

It is a myth. If someone can provide me with evidence of who Walker's confirmed it to, and give me a reasonable explaination why they haven't alerted the press, or mentioned it on their website, give me the name, location or any details about the benificiary (like why they deserve the reatment rather than, say, somebody I know) other than them being "a child", then I'll believe.
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I'm confused about this too. If Walkers did give 'written confirmation' then why are they doing something that will only add more credibility to a UL that they and others have presumably been trying to dispel for years?

Oh, and on the subject of ice cream, I did actually taste rice pudding flavour once or twice. Funnily enough, it was alright, until I found out that it was actually meant to be rice pudding flavour. That turned me off it a bit.
 
The used stamp collecting 'UL' is actually true. My Mother collects them from her post and sends them to a charity. (I'll find out which one if you like!)
The charity then sends them abroad in packets and sells them. A bit like the bags of foriegn stamps that I bought as a primary school child for my stamp book.
A friend of mines Mother collects the ring pulls?!?!? But someone comes to collect them off her? WTF? I'd imagine its an UL but there's definately some logistics set up for these ring pulls. Someone must have a use for them as its been going on for years, or very little room left in their house!
 
Originally posted by David
[
"Anyway, why would you want to squash hedgepigs? I can understand you feeling that way about so called "humanity", but not Spike & his mates!!!!! "

I apologise for my irrational behaviour - hedgehogs are great. Dont know what the hell hedgepigs are though, :hmph: Dont tell anyone but i think David is the ring leader of a horrific genetic mutation project :hmph: er tum te tum, yess thats right.... hedgehogs yessss.

Anyway on a different subject - if they took scampi and lemon Nik Naks out because they smelt then what about "Frazzles?" They are rankest thing ever, they make me want to heave..:cross eye
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Oh God flower!!!!!!

My secrets out...........

How did you guess?????

Today Hertfordshire, tomorrow the world!!!!!

It's too late to stop me now etc. etc. :D
 
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