Cap'n Crunch Bo'sun Whistle, circa 1965
Add to SetSummary
The Bo'sun Whistle was a prize included in Cap'n Crunch cereal boxes in the late-1960s. The cereal company didn't realize the whistles emitted a 2600hz tone--a sound that could trick telephone routing equipment into giving people free long-distance telephone calls. "Phone phreakers"--a group of pranksters that repurposed technology to infiltrate and test telephone system limits--prized these whistles.
The Bo'sun Whistle was a prize included in Cap'n Crunch cereal boxes in the late-1960s. The cereal company didn't realize the whistles emitted a 2600hz tone--a sound that could trick telephone routing equipment into giving people free long-distance telephone calls. "Phone phreakers"--a group of pranksters that repurposed technology to infiltrate and test telephone system limits--prized these whistles.
Artifact
Whistle
Date Made
circa 1965
Keywords
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
2018.14.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Kristen Gallerneaux.
Material
Plastic
Color
Yellow
Blue
Dimensions
Height: 1 in
Width: 3.125 in
Length: .25 in
Inscriptions
on yellow side: CAP'N CRUNCH BO'SUN WHISTLE
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