One of the great things about the internet is how quickly information is circulated. Gone are the days
when we find out about great items months after it is too late to get them. True collectors have been watching out
for each other and quickly share information when something new appears. Another way of finding out about new items
is keeping a close eye on eBay Auctions. As soon as a cookie jar is produced, it will show up for sale.
But, the old fashioned way of finding out about jars still works too.
The IGA Circus Elephant first came to my attention a few weeks ago, but at the time I didn't have enough information to share.
Was it old, was it new, was it limited?
So, I called up the owner of the local IGA's, someone I had met
and served with on a school scholarship committee. He didn't know anything about it, but referred me to The Fleming Foods
Company, a grocery distributor for IGA stores. The next phone call was to a manager at Fleming Foods, he answered the phone
(a marvel in itself to me) and quickly said, "I can't help you, but I know someone who can". At this time I felt I was getting the
usual run around, but what else was new? The manager told me that he would have someone "work" on it and get back to me.
(Yeah, right!) This all happened on a Monday morning. On Tuesday afternoon I got a phone call from a salesman at Fleming,
"I have an elephant jar for you in my car. Where do you live, I am bringing it to you".
WOW! Yes, I was very impressed with their customer service.
Right at about this time, the jar appeared on eBay and I started getting some email questions about the jars, I still didn't
know a lot about them except what was on the box. The back of the box shows the next four jars that will be produced, but
I didn't know when, where or how many.
Now, for the rest of the story. . .
Back at the beginning of August an acquaintance from several years ago apparently started trying to find my phone number.
We knew each other through bowling leagues, had chatted a few times but that was about it.
I knew she was a Garfield collector and I helped her find a
Garfield cookie jar several years ago. She, obviously, knew I collected cookie jars and remembered that I liked advertising ones.
There was a strange email on my aol account, trying to find out who I was, and when I told them, "Yes I was Barbara Crews", a week later
I received a message --"Please call Pat about a new cookie jar!" Before I could even return the email, she called me all excited about the
new IGA jar. She had one for me.
But that is still not all of the story. . . Her husband (Jim Mills) is the one who conceived and designed the jar for the IGA stores.
He came up with the idea for a series of jars for the Circus Daze promotions. FINALLY information about the cookie jar was forthcoming.
He is in charge of the 900 IGA stores nationwide for Fleming Foods and told me
there were 5000 jars produced this year. The number produced depended on the orders they received for the jars. Many IGA stores did
not order the jars, probably because they didn't think they would be able to sell cookie jars. The next ordering date is during March, so be sure and
contact your local store managers (if they are Fleming affliated) and tell them ORDER the jars. The jars will then be sold during the annual
Circus Daze promotions, the first two weeks of August.
There are still jars available in several areas, so let your fingers do the walking
if you have any IGA stores in your town. Fleming Foods does not have any more jars available. The jars are all in the stores.
UPDATE. . . The President of the TEAM-IGA informed me that the samples
have been approved for the second jar in the series which will be offered for sale during their annual August Promotion. At that time they will also offer the elephant jar again, but the jar will have a different coloration.
The blue blanket will be for 1998, the 1999 Elephant will have a green blanket.
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