B.
Collecting Cards
Behind the scenes
That the latest set of collectable cards in boxes of Weetbix features the All Blacks isn't really surprising, given that the Rugby World Cup is about to kick off on our shores and Weetbix are the official breakfast sponsors of the All Blacks.
The All Black and Super 14 franchises are the cards of choice for today's kids (although there aren't a lot of options on offer). With the latest cards from Weetbix boasting a high-tech heat-activated score rating for each player, they are a world away from the more traditional card collectables of my generation. Eileen Mayo's Rare and Endangered Birds of New Zealand cards, to be found in Gregg's jelly packets in 1976, were one popular set, which provided some insight into the plight of New Zealand's native birds.
Gregg's Rare and Endangered Birds of New Zealand album with collectable cards designed by Eileen Mayo 1976. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Library and Archives
Gregg's Rare and Endangered Birds of New Zealand album with collectable cards designed by Eileen Mayo 1976. Collection Christchurch Art Gallery Library and Archives
Mayo's designs for this series are exceptional and many of the original gouache paintings from which the cards were reproduced are now to be found in the collections of the Gallery and Te Papa.
Toss Woollaston and Rodney Kennedy enjoying Weetbix for breakfast at Mapua. Late 1930s. Illustrated in Gerald Barnett, Toss Woollaston: An Illustrated Biography, Wellington, 1991, p.22
