Bongo (The Cannibal King) - Wheaties Cereal mask (1940s-50s) - backside

The “Bongo the Cannibal King” mask is one of the most controversial and scarce of all the Wheaties cereal premiums from the 1940s–50s. Printed on the backside of Wheaties boxes, these masks were meant as simple cut-out playthings for children—but today they provide a striking window into the cultural attitudes and advertising tropes of mid-20th-century America.

The exaggerated caricature design reflects a time when cereal promotions drew on pulp-style adventure and “jungle” themes popularized in comic strips, radio plays, and films. While problematic by modern standards, masks like Bongo are now studied as examples of racialized advertising imagery and its place in American pop culture history.

Rarity: Super rare. Very few intact examples survive today, as most were cut, worn, and discarded. Among Wheaties’ mask premiums, Bongo is considered one of the hardest to find—especially complete on the cereal panel with instructions.

Measures: 11 x 11.5 inches
Date: 1940s–1950s
Origin: Wheaties cereal backside premium