Sergeant Dan's Game for Creamoata Eaters

This game – Sergeant Dan’s Game for Creamoata Eaters - was produced for Fleming and Company Limited in the 1930s. It shows boys and young men engaged in various activities, such as scouting, playing rugby, and running errands. The game was given away for free to customers who applied to Fleming & Co. Ltd, and originally came with dice and four coloured markers (see Evening Post, 23 April 1932, page 7).

The game encourages players to eat Creamoata, suggesting that it is not only delicious but will help them in sport and at school, and keep them from getting sick. The game is significant for its association with a long-standing New Zealand company and a well-known pop-culture character. It also allows us to consider how gender and childhood were represented in advertising, as it depicts a number of activities and interests considered appropriate for boys in the ‘Creamoata Eater’s Brigade.’

Sergeant Dan first appeared in advertisements for Fleming and Company’s breakfast product, Creamoata, in the mid-1910s. By 1918 the product had become so popular that according to company advertisements, 150,000 plates of Creamoata were served in New Zealand every morning, and it was dubbed ‘The National Breakfast’ (see Evening Post, 28 May 1918, Page 3). Sergeant Dan, a boy scout in uniform with a scarf and ‘lemon squeezer’ hat, became a well-known pop-culture figure. His image still features on the side of the Creamoata Mill, a heritage-listed building in Gore, although the factory now produces stock food.

References:

• Blackman, Gary. 2001. ‘In Search of Sergeant Dan.’ Otago Settlers News 71 (August).
• Cooper, Catherine. 2011. ‘The Business of Breakfast: A History of the Flemings ‘Creamoata’ Mill, Gore, 1877-2001.’ Honours dissertation, University of Otago.