Chronicles!
The
The Birth of the Ladmo Bag!
In the beginning, winners on the show could pick a prize from toys displayed on the back wall of the set. Dubbed The Toy Cottage, kids often took a long time choosing…slowing the show’s momentum to a glacial pace. Sometime around 1968, Pat McMahon suggested a solution: put sponsors’ products and coupons in a paper sack, call it a “Ladmo Bag” and present it to the winners. For kids in Arizona, that simple idea became a coveted prize of inestimable worth.
Winning a Ladmo Bag!
There were many ways of winning a Ladmo Bag including but not limited to:
The Daily Postcard Drawing
Kids mailed postcards to the station… Each day, one was selected randomly on air and the entrant was invited to appear on the next show.
The Call-a-Kid Contest
Kids mailed postcards to the station…then waited for their phones to ring with an invitation to appear on the next show.
Joke/Funny Riddle Contest
Kids sent in their favorite bits of humor…then waited to hear them read on the show.
Example: How did Colonel Sanders die? He choked on his fingers!
Funny Pictures
Kids sent in their personal drawings of characters on the show. An overwhelming number of entries depicted some calamity befalling Gerald…seems the most popular scenario involved shark attacks.
Photo Winners
Kids sent in amusing photographs of themselves or others…then waited to see it on TV.
Notes About Hobbies
Kids could write about their personal pastimes for a chance at winning a Ladmo Bag.
Kids & Their Pets
Kids could send in photos of their pets…ranging from the usual cats & dogs to unique pets such as farm animals.
Lucky Seat Winners
Kids sitting in the right place—at the studio or a live public appearance (seat predetermined by a Lucky Seating Chart)—found themselves the envy of everyone else sitting near them.
Winners of Other Contests
Kids who won special contest promoted from time-to-time on the show with specific ‘Grand Prizes’ such as bikes, small racecars or even cash...additionally always received a Ladmo Bag.
What's in a Ladmo Bag?
The contents of Ladmo Bags varied over the years according to the active sponsors at any given time.
However, there were a few general guidelines:
Bags always were a brown supermarket paper bag, never plastic.
Much ado has been made about their size dwindling over the years from large grocery-size bags to smaller lunch-size bags. However, Wallace asserted that they always contained an average equivalent number of items throughout the years.
Bags always maintained a minimum of 10 items.
Usually, bags included more than the minimum…regardless of size. As evidenced by existing video of daily ‘What’s in a Ladmo Bag?’ segments during the show, often upwards of 2 dozen items are mentioned…and even more on occasion.
Bags always included a variety of items.
Every bag…irrespective of its size…contained small toys, edible treats, and a plethora of coupons and vouchers good for any number of sponsor’s products and services—and often included extra various short-term promotional items such as movie posters, tee-shirts and hats.
Bags always included a printed cast member photo.
Every bag contained a current picture of the cast suitable for framing.
Styles of a Ladmo Bag!
Staples of a Ladmo Bag!
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