Derek Celebrates ‘National Animal Cracker’ Day

Animal crackers take me back to a simpler time when I didn't have to worry about bills, work, gas prices or anything that matters in the real world.  All that mattered to me was what toys to play with and what cartoons to watch. Those were the days. I love it when you can find something that just takes you back to those days and animal crackers are one of the many things that work as a memory time machine.I remember I used to make them fight and the loser would be sacrificed to my mouth. Or I would just act like a monster terrorizing the jungle and start eating them by the handful. I had a very vivid imagination.

I have to be honest though, animal crackers are ok but my favorite is 'Circus Animals' from Mother's Cookies. They are a weakness of mine. And I am pretty sure that if animal crackers hadn't been invented, there may have never been 'Circus Animals' cookies.

What are some foods that take you back to being a child?

Here is a little part of the history of Animal Crackers

In the late 19th century, animal-shaped cookies called "Animals" were imported from England to the United States. The demand for these crackers grew to the point that bakers began to produce them domestically. Stauffer’s Biscuit Company produced their first batch of animal crackers sometime around the start of the 20th century in York, Pennsylvania. Other domestic bakeries, including the Dozier-Weyl Cracker Company of St. Louis and the Holmes and Coutts Company of New York City, were the predecessors of the National Biscuit Company, today's "Nabisco Brands".

Animal biscuit crackers were made and distributed under the National Biscuit Company banner. In 1902, animal crackers officially became known as "Barnum's Animals" and evoked the familiar circus theme of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Later in 1902, the now-familiar box was designed for the Christmas season with the innovative idea of attaching a string to hang from the Christmas tree. Up until that time, crackers were generally only sold in bulk (the proverbial "cracker barrel") or in large tins. These small cartons, which retailed for five cents at the time of their release, were a big hit and are still sold today.

The number and variety contained in each box has varied over the years. In total, 54 different animals have been represented by animal crackers since 1902. In its current incarnation, each package contains 22 crackers consisting of a variety of animals. The most recent addition, the koala was added in September 2002 after being chosen by consumer votes, beating out the penguin, walrus and cobra.