How a cereal changed the world.

April of 1963 saw the birth of Captain Crunch. Using a revolutionary processing method, Quaker Oats was able to produce a cereal that didn't get soggy in milk.
Horatio Magellan Crunch was born on a small island off the coast of Ohio and has a rather dubious background. There is no record of his recieving any formal training and the US Navel Academy is on record that he never attended.
The Captain was controversial from the start, as the animated commercials were produced by Jay Ward and often showed during Jay Wards cartoon shows, blurring the lines between product and commercials.
The real controversy came a few years later, when the cereal offered free character whistles in the boxes. Whistles are set at different frequencies and one of the character whistles was set at 2600. It didn't take long for early hackers to realize that the 2600 frequency was what the phone company used to reroute local calls to long distance. A few more hacks and people could make free long distance calls.
A couple of college students in California took advantage of this and started a small business charging their fellow students to make "free" long distance calls. The FBI investgated, the whistles were removed from circulation and the phone company changed it's methods so the months of free calls ended.
Two of the California students used the profits from this to launch a start-up they called Apple.

Happy 60th Birthday.

Rumor has it Captain Crunch wasn’t even a real captain.

Quote: mcallister3200

Rumor has it Captain Crunch wasn’t even a real captain.
link to original post

Is that why they put "Cap'n" on the boxes?
Like "Krab" for surimi?

We need an origin movie. Maybe a musical.

Quote: billryan

April of 1963 saw the birth of Captain Crunch. Using a revolutionary processing method, Quaker Oats was able to produce a cereal that didn't get soggy in milk.
Horatio Magellan Crunch was born on a small island off the coast of Ohio and has a rather dubious background. There is no record of his recieving any formal training and the US Navel Academy is on record that he never attended.

I grew up in Northern Ohio on the coast of Lake Erie and there is not an island of Crunch. Just more B.S. contrived by American conglomerates.

I was a little after the well known Phreakers but my college career may have included 1000's of hours of free long distance calls for my modem.

Quote: billryan

April of 1963 saw the birth of Captain Crunch. Using a revolutionary processing method, Quaker Oats was able to produce a cereal that didn't get soggy in milk.

Non-nutrative, food-grade varnish.

Cap'n Crunch is one thing, but what I want to know is how do they make Triscuit crackers so that the tiny strings of wheat remain intact?

It's almost like a woven snack.

Quote: mcallister3200

Rumor has it Captain Crunch wasn’t even a real captain.
link to original post

Real or not, his rank insignia it that of a navy commander, not a captain!

Quote: Joeman

Quote: mcallister3200

Rumor has it Captain Crunch wasn’t even a real captain.
link to original post

Real or not, his rank insignia it that of a navy commander, not a captain!
link to original post

What rank comes with the hat?
He is the Captain of the SS Guppy.

Quote: billryan

Quote: Joeman

Quote: mcallister3200

Rumor has it Captain Crunch wasn’t even a real captain.
link to original post

Real or not, his rank insignia it that of a navy commander, not a captain!
link to original post

What rank comes with the hat?
He is the Captain of the SS Guppy.
link to original post

The Guppy may be small enough that "Cap'n" is purely a courtesy title.
Shouldn't the "SS" be "SV"? I see 3 masts and no funnels.

Is he really a Captain?
As indicated here, three stripes is a Commander, not a Captain.
Then again, who knows which navy he serves in? Such a navy might have a three stripe Cap'n.

Note that the cereal was designed to look like his three stripes.

Also note that his shoulder epaulettes changed years ago to resemble Crunch Berries.

Fun Fact: Quaker Oats had the original cartoon commercials written and approved BEFORE the cereal was developed.

You don't need the rank of Captain to be referred to as captain. From the ever-reliable wikipedia:

Quote:

A commander in the Navy may command a frigate, destroyer, submarine, aviation squadron or small shore activity,[3] or may serve on a staff afloat or ashore (typically as an action officer or as an executive officer to a flag officer or general officer), or a larger vessel afloat (as either a department head or executive officer). An officer in the rank of commander who commands a vessel may also be referred to as "captain" as a courtesy title, or informally referred to as "skipper."

Quote: LoquaciousMoFW

You don't need the rank of Captain to be referred to as captain. From the ever-reliable wikipedia:

Quote:

A commander in the Navy may command a frigate, destroyer, submarine, aviation squadron or small shore activity,[3] or may serve on a staff afloat or ashore (typically as an action officer or as an executive officer to a flag officer or general officer), or a larger vessel afloat (as either a department head or executive officer). An officer in the rank of commander who commands a vessel may also be referred to as "captain" as a courtesy title, or informally referred to as "skipper."

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I'd like to meet the man with the testicular fortitude to call James Tiberius Kirk "Skipper"

Captain Jonas Grumby is one of the main characters. Usually called "Skipper" or "The Skipper," he is the captain of the S.S. Minnow, a small excursion boat that ran ashore on the deserted island. He was played by Alan Hale, Jr..

Quote: ChumpChange

Captain Jonas Grumby is one of the main characters. Usually called "Skipper" or "The Skipper," he is the captain of the S.S. Minnow, a small excursion boat that ran ashore on the deserted island. He was played by Alan Hale, Jr..

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even though he was of much higher rank - Captain - the island was named after his first mate - Gilligan

it was Gilligan's Island

I believe he is the lowest ranking seaman in history ever to have an island named after him_________________________

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Quote: lilredrooster

Quote: ChumpChange

Captain Jonas Grumby is one of the main characters. Usually called "Skipper" or "The Skipper," he is the captain of the S.S. Minnow, a small excursion boat that ran ashore on the deserted island. He was played by Alan Hale, Jr..

link to original post

even though he was of much higher rank - Captain - the island was named after his first mate - Gilligan

it was Gilligan's Island

I believe he is the lowest ranking seaman in history ever to have an island named after him_________________________

.
link to original post

Low ranking? He was second in command! ;) ...And a "mighty sailing man" to boot!

Quote: Joeman

Quote: lilredrooster

Quote: ChumpChange

Captain Jonas Grumby is one of the main characters. Usually called "Skipper" or "The Skipper," he is the captain of the S.S. Minnow, a small excursion boat that ran ashore on the deserted island. He was played by Alan Hale, Jr..

link to original post

even though he was of much higher rank - Captain - the island was named after his first mate - Gilligan

it was Gilligan's Island

I believe he is the lowest ranking seaman in history ever to have an island named after him_________________________

.
link to original post

Low ranking? He was second in command! ;) ...And a "mighty sailing man" to boot!
link to original post

Gilligan had a higher Nielsen rating than the captain!

Quote: Joeman

Quote: lilredrooster

Quote: ChumpChange

Captain Jonas Grumby is one of the main characters. Usually called "Skipper" or "The Skipper," he is the captain of the S.S. Minnow, a small excursion boat that ran ashore on the deserted island. He was played by Alan Hale, Jr..

link to original post

even though he was of much higher rank - Captain - the island was named after his first mate - Gilligan

it was Gilligan's Island

I believe he is the lowest ranking seaman in history ever to have an island named after him_________________________

.
link to original post

Low ranking? He was second in command! ;) ...And a "mighty sailing man" to boot!
link to original post

... and he was fearless! The stuff of songs!

Quote: Dieter

Quote: Joeman

Quote: lilredrooster

Quote: ChumpChange

Captain Jonas Grumby is one of the main characters. Usually called "Skipper" or "The Skipper," he is the captain of the S.S. Minnow, a small excursion boat that ran ashore on the deserted island. He was played by Alan Hale, Jr..

link to original post

even though he was of much higher rank - Captain - the island was named after his first mate - Gilligan

it was Gilligan's Island

I believe he is the lowest ranking seaman in history ever to have an island named after him_________________________

.
link to original post

Low ranking? He was second in command! ;) ...And a "mighty sailing man" to boot!
link to original post

... and he was fearless! The stuff of songs!
link to original post

what is truly amazing is how Gilligan changed his name and re-invented himself as a world famous seaman

he was once a lowly bongo player who called himself Maynard G. Krebs - with only one friend - Dobie Gillis
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