Ranger Smith in the Palm of Your Hand

I've been sharing several examples of Hanna-Barbera-branded candy this month, but until now, they've all originated in the U.S. Here's something a little bit different. Released in the early 1980s by the Argentine company Billiken, these are candies that were released in tins featuring a pretty impressive variety of Hanna-Barbera characters. Even better, each tin contained a small figurine of a random character. In that way, I guess you could compare them to Kinder surprise eggs. Below is a print ad for the tins, complete with a little Fred in the corner telling kids to "ask us at your kiosk" for the treats.

As you can see, they had a great selection of characters appearing on these tins, especially if you're a fan of the earlier series. Here's a better look at a few of the tins, starting with a Flintstones one. This one features Fred, Pebbles, and Bamm-Bamm. Fred is saying "If we continue eating Billiken pebbles, they are going to call us the Pebblestones." You can also get a look at one of the included toys, which is a little Ranger Smith. It's not too bad considering the toy's stature!

This second tin is based on Precious Pupp. We see Granny Sweet say "Pupp! Where did the Billiken pebbles go?" Precious simply laughs in response.

I'll share one more tin, this being of Atom Ant, who says "The secret to my powers? Billiken pebbles!" Somehow, I always knew.

Now, let's take a look at the toys that were included with these. Here are nineteen of the figures. I don't know if these were the only ones available, but it wouldn't surprise me if more were offered. These offered a rather diverse selection of characters, including some who didn't appear on the tins themselves. Their size and design seem reminiscent of Marx's Hanna-Barbera figurines from the sixties. And who wouldn't want a tiny Touche Turtle with their candy?