C. Carey Cloud » Cracker Jack » Autogiro




Part part helicopter, part paper plane, the Autogiro was created by C. Carey Cloud for Cracker Jack. Produced during World War II, when helicopters were a new invention that captured everyone's imagination.

Maple seed

Carey Cloud was a keen observer of nature, and many of his toy ideas came from those observations. Perhaps seeing seeds fall from a maple tree was the inspiration for his Autogiro. From his autobiography Cloud Nine, page 58... "I don't believe there was a day in my life that I didn't learn something, simply by keeping alert and being inquisitive, and having a fertile imagination. Toys permeated my consciousness. I ate and slept toys. The movement of a leaf might suggest a toy".

Maple seed spinning to the ground

Printed on card stock, measuring 8" long, 1⅞" high, in the green and red ink which is typical for a C. Carey Cloud paper prize. The heavy paper is perforated, and folds in thirds to easily fit into a box of Cracker Jack.

Instructions printed on the card:
Autogiro
Gently press out an fold as indicated. Hold by green point... throw into the air and watch it spin to earth.
Copyright 1944 - Cloudcrest Chicago.