10/14/2026
Who remembers those giant, two-and-a-half-foot-tall bags? They were so massively top-heavy and structurally unstable that pouring a single bowl either required a two-person engineering team, or you just gave up entirely and scooped the cereal directly from the bag?
In 1955, the breakfast-cereal company Quaker Oats launched one of the most memorable marketing stunts in North American history: they purchased 19 acres of land near Dawson City, Yukon, and held a giveaway for customers to get their very own one square inch of the land. It was well after the gold rush peaked, but the appeal was still strong – who didn’t want to own land potentially full of gold?!
Quaker purchased the land parcel for $1000 US. The divided it up and put ownership certificates into 21 million boxes of Puffed Wheat cereal. Unfortunately for those prospectors, none of the land ownership certificates were legally binding. The government of Canada reclaimed ownership in 1965 due to $37.20 in taxes owing.
Fast forward to 2026 and the land ownership certificates are a collector’s item only, selling for about $25. The Land Office in the Yukon still receives inquiries about the ownership, and visitors can have a look at what could have been right at the city golf course.
