Doctor Who promotional activity in the early 1970s featured notable cereal box giveaways, offering collectible items that were included at no extra cost with the purchase of participating products. These promotions were primarily conducted by major food brands in the UK, leveraging the show's popularity among children and collectors. The campaigns involved in-pack premiums and were supported by national advertising.
Kellogg’s Sugar Smacks Promotion
In 1971, Kellogg’s launched a Doctor Who promotion on their Sugar Smacks cereal brand. The initial promotion featured an illustration of Jon Pertwee, the Third Doctor, on the front of the box and included one of six collectible badges inside the pack. This promotion was part of a common industry practice of cereal box prizes at the time.
Subsequent phases of the promotion replaced the badges with other in-pack premiums. These included 3-D animal picture cards and plastic historic car models. A fourth iteration of the Doctor Who promotion on Sugar Smacks comprised a cut-out model of Bessie, the Doctor's vintage car, on the back of the box, though this particular version did not include an in-pack premium.
The promotion was supported by national advertising, particularly in children's comics, and extended into 1972. By June 1972, the Doctor Who promotion had been replaced by a Star Trek theme on Sugar Smacks boxes. Collectors can find the promotion on various box sizes, including variety packs, 7 oz., and 10 ½ oz. sizes.
Nestlé Milk Chocolate Bar Promotion
The Nestlé Company also ran a Doctor Who promotion starting in 1971, featuring a Cartoon Collection on milk chocolate bars. Each bar was wrapped with an illustration of Jon Pertwee on the front and a 15-part story titled “Doctor Who Fights Masterplan Q” on the back of the wrapper. This promotion continued into 1972.
At some point during the promotion, the wrappers were reprinted without a price, replacing the earlier wrappers that were marked at 3p. The campaign was supported with in-store advertising, including a poster, a shop window sticker, and a shop counter standee. A second counter standee reportedly featured full-height images of the Doctor and the Master, though a copy is not held in the referenced museum collection.
The chocolate bars were sold from an illustrated display box. An early version of the point-of-sale box was withdrawn after complaints regarding the likeness of Jon Pertwee and was replaced by a different version. An image of the extremely rare original version is available in a gallery courtesy of a collector.
Other 1971 Doctor Who Merchandise
Beyond cereal and chocolate, other small-scale merchandise was produced specifically for Doctor Who in 1971. Michael Stanfield Holdings Ltd. produced two Doctor Who jigsaws, one featuring the Doctor in Bessie and the other showing the Doctor in his lab. Additionally, Dodo Iron-Ons produced a yellow Dalek t-shirt transfer.
Doctor Who-related content also appeared in other books, magazines, and newspapers during 1971, as noted in the gallery of a dedicated museum resource.
Modern Doctor Who Promotional Offers
For contemporary Doctor Who Day celebrations, special deals and free offerings are available. To mark the 61st anniversary, a free audio drama, "The Five Companions," is offered by Big Finish. This full-cast audio drama, starring Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor, can be downloaded for free after setting up an account at the Big Finish website.
Additionally, Doctor Who escape room games from Escape Hunt have been updated with an exclusive voiceover from Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. A promotional code, DWFIU, allows one player to go free when booking for five or more people for specific escape rooms before 15th December 2024.
Other limited-time offers include the return of the crossover event "Trek to Skaro" in the game "Doctor Who: Lost in Time," running from 21st to 25th November, and the return of "Doom in AI am the Doctor" from 28th November to 2nd December. An audio book titled "The Creation of Doctor Who," read by Christopher Naylor, is also available.