1981 was a big year for food issues I guess. It predates what is considered the 'junk card era' by a few years. A bit later in the decade there were tons of boxed sets and over-produced mainstream issues.
Topps is behind both of these cards, in fact the backs are nearly identical. The Drake's Cakes card has a Drake's logo in the upper right while the Squirt card below has the Topps logo. Both are very close to being identical to the regular issue card back.
Drake's Cakes were well known in my neck of the woods when I was growing up. I had a paper route delivering the Newark Evening News and every day when I finished I'd head to Lee's, the local candy/cigarette/newspaper/soda fountain hangout. A fountain Coke or bottled RC washed down a package of Yankee Doodles. Those were the icing-less cream filled cupcakes that Drake's made. Not being a fan of icing I much prefered Yankee Doodles to Hostess cupcakes. Sadly they appear to have vanished from the Drake's line-up.
That action shot of a ready-to-explode Murray on the Drake's card is pretty nice. He looks typically bad ass.
Squirt soda had been around for decades. I remember seeing bottles as a kid and I see them today from time to time. Can't say I've ever tasted the stuff. It's a grapefruit soda and since I drink Fresca at times I might like Squirt. But back to the card.
The cards came as two player panels with a hanger tag that (I assume) hung from the neck of either a quart bottle or one bottle in a siz-pack. I don't recall seeing them in stores and I don't have any in panel form. You can see the perforated left edge of the Murray which means it was the lower of the two cards on the panel.
Here is a look at a full panel. I found the picture thru Google Images.
Here is the regular '81 Murray back. Looks to be identical to the Squirt card back other than the card number.
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