The American Mint Corporation Cardboard Soldiers

The American Mint Corporation was a short lived candy company in New York City that produced a series of candy containers depicting soldiers from around the world. There were four series of soldiers produced from around 1938 until about 1945: DOUGHBOY, MINUTE MAN, TROOPER, YANKS. The original set consisted of twenty different designs (nations) and were labeled the Doughboys: Afghanistan, Arabia, Austria, French Foreign Legion, Greece, England, Russia, Italy, France, United States, India, Poland, Turkey, Scotland, Ethiopia, Zulu Warrior, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan. Twenty countries were chosen with the obvious exception of Germany. Japan was included with the first series of 20 Doughboys until the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The American Mint Company elected to keep the graphics the same in the following year, but merely changed the country's name to China. Therefore, a total of twenty-one countries were actually represented with the release of the first three series. The second series manufactured in 1942 were titled Minute Man. The number of countries represented was cut to only ten: England, United States, Sweden, Ethiopia, Scotland, Russia, China, Italy, Turkey and France. This series, like the Doughboys, included a coupon inside each container redeemable for a toy prize. Sometime in 1943 the Troopers were released. The redeemable coupon was now printed on the label (probably to save the cost of materials and labor). That meant that in order to redeem your coupon for a toy prize, you had to destroy the soldier. As a result, very few Troopers survived. And, finally, the most scarce series of soldiers was released at or near the end of WWII consisting of all Americans (patriotism was running high following the war). The soldier's pictures became more life-like with smaller heads and less cartoon-ish in appearance. A total of ten designs labeled Yanks, in an American Eagle cartouche, again with a redeemable coupon printed on the label, were released. And, once again, that design led to most of the soldiers being destroyed in order to remove the coupon. The American soldiers, Yanks, were as follows: Nurse (the only female in any series), Marine, Military Police, Parachutist, Infantry Man, Pursuit Pilot, Ski Trooper, Army Officer, Admiral and GOB (slang term for new recruit). 

To complete a set of the American Mint soldiers you would need 20 Doughboys, 10 Minute Men, 10 Troopers and 10 Yanks (50 soldiers, 31 different designs).