Toy prizes- where have they gone?

Remember when cereal boxes used to come with cool prizes?  Now they seem to be either watches, CDs, or some mail order merchandise.  Where have all the cool prizes gone?

I'd love to see the "toy and candy" snacks seen in Japan.  You'd get a little plastic figure on one end and a packet of gum or chocolate balls on the other.  It made the snack seem more permanent.  You could display your figure as a sort of trophy for eating that snack.  All forms of licensed kid friendly anime make their way as snacks, or at least rice toppings. 

You could display your figure as a sort of trophy for eating that snack.

Anyone who does that is a very, very sad person.