On our way to visit friends, we took a slight detour to Three Sisters Antique Mall in Blue Island, Illinois. From the historic building to the cool items inside, it was a nostalgic trip, including a bit of a trivia lesson.

Formerly F.W. Woolworth’s, the building dates back to 1915. Featuring two floors of merchandise from more than 60 dealers, it is recognized as one of the best places to buy antiques.

A display of Sports Illustrated magazines immediately caught my eye. Three of the covers featured the Chicago Bears during their 1985 Super Bowl season, the greatest sports season of my life.

There was an old bowling arcade game that needed a bit of repair but still looked awesome. There was also a television console from the 1950s. Classic model cars filled a few cabinets.

Then we saw something that confused and intrigued us. There was a box with the four mascots of Rice Krispies. Four? We knew about Snap, Crackle and Pop, the famous elves, but who is this Pow character?

The first elf, Snap, appeared on a box of Rice Krispies in 1933. Several years later, in 1941, Snap’s brothers, Crackle and Pop, were added. In the 1950s, a fourth character, Pow, suddenly appeared in two commercials. A spokesperson for Kellogg’s stated the spaceman Pow represented the power of whole grain rice. Not related to the brother elves, Pow never spoke. Figuring a trio of elves worked better, Pow disappeared rather quickly. Pow was around long enough to be included in this hand puppet set, though.

We picked up a few other things, including a vintage Coca-Cola sign. The four puppets and the history lesson were the prize of the day, though.

— John Wroblewski, online writer