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A short history of Radio's Orphan Annie and her Decoder Badges.
By John Olsen

In the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story," little Ralphie finally received his long-awaited Orphan Annie decoder pin in the mail. When he rushed into the bathroom to decode the day's secret message, he was disgusted to find out that it said, "Be Sure To Drink Your Ovaltine." It was funny, to be sure. But it wasn't accurate.

Contrary to popular myth, those secret messages at the end of the Orphan Annie radio shows never did promote Ovaltine. Oh, the rest of the show certainly did. There was an Ovaltine commercial before the start of the program, and another one at the end. The virtues of Ovaltine were extolled by announcer Pierre Andre twice in each quarter-hour episode. But Annie's secret messages, which appeared several times each week, were brief previews of what would happen in tomorrow's exciting adventure.

Want proof? Well, now you can have it! Yes, now you can decode your very own messages from the 1936 episodes of Orphan Annie recently released by Radio Archives. You can find out what they really said. And you will find out that in actuality, they contain nary a mention of the sponsor's product.

In the five-CD set of Little Orphan Annie episodes released by the First Generation Radio Archives, there are four programs that contain secret messages from Annie that can be decoded using her 1936 Secret Compartment Decoder Pin. There are three more programs from 1938 that contain encoded messages that can only be decyphered using the 1938 Telematic Decoder Pin.
Orphan Annie had other decoder pins over the years. The first decoder was released by Ovaltine in 1935. It was a small round pin with the year and "Radio Orphan Annie's SS" and two skeleton keys embossed upon it. The "SS" stood for "Secret Society."
The following year, the pin changed to a badge shape with a secret compartment on the back. The two keys remained, but the words were shortened to the initials "ROA SS."
The 1937 model decoder was probably the most attractive of the entire run. It was in a beautiful sunburst design with the now-standard year, two keys, and "ROA SS" on it.
The next year brought the 1938 model, known as the "Telematic" decoder pin. It featured a larger circular pin with a large star on it. The two keys, year and initials "ROA SS" remained.
In 1939 the Mysto-Matic decoder was given away. It was a plain circular decoder pin with a very large "ROA" in the center. The "SS" was removed, but "Secret Code" added. The two skeleton keys remained.

The 1940 model decoder was a real beauty. It had an eagle, shield and American flag on the front, with 1940, the skeleton keys and "ROA" on the back.

Each was individualized with a unique serial number stamped on the back. The numbers and letters appeared on the edge of the wheel, rather than on the front or back.
By 1941, Ovaltine was no longer sponsoring Orphan Annie, switching instead to Captain Midnight. The 1941 model Orphan Annie decoder was made from paper because of the wartime shortage of metals.
The "Slidomatic Radio Decoder" was offered by Quaker Puffed Wheat and Rice Sparkies, and was a far cry from the great old Ovaltine decoders. No more skeleton keys on the front. No "ROA" or "Secret Society."
The final Orphan Annie decoder was offered in 1942, again by Quaker. It was the "Whirlomatic Radio Decoder" and was another boring paper decoder, dictated by wartime shortages. Orphan Annie left the air in that year, and there were no more Orphan Annie secret messages or decoders.

In all of those decoders, there never was a ring. No decoder rings. The movie "A Christmas Story" got that part right, and used an actual 1940 Orphan Annie decoder badge as a prop. The decoder "ring" is just another common myth. Rings were just too small to fit all the necessary letters and numbers for a decoder. So they were usually larger pins and badges. The movie may have intentionally mislead the viewer regarding the actual decoded message just to get a laugh, but thankfully they did get the pin right.
It should be noted that in the year 2000, Ovaltine did finally offer a decoder ring as a premium. Yes, an actual "ring" was used for the decoder. It was rather large and cumbersome, but it did fit on a ring. It was a mail-in promotion that lasted for about a year and required two proofs-of-purchase and $2.50. A far cry from "the thin round metal seal underneath the lid, and one thin dime."

It should also be noted that the radio show always referred to "Orphan Annie" not "Little Orphan Annie." Only the comic strip used the word "Little." The decoder pins were always careful to specify "Radio Orphan Annie" or the initials "ROA."

And exactly what messages did those decoders reveal? What secrets of Annie and her friends were transmitted over the air only for the ears of Secret Society members? You can find out. But only if you download your 1936 Orphan Annie decoder badge and use it to decode the messages on your five-CD set of radio episodes.

Have fun!
Graphics by Joe Koomen

 

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