Pizza Hut’s Book It! program recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, with over 70 million kids participating since its founding in 1984. The program was created by Arthur Gunther, the chain’s president at the time, in response to a call from the White House for businesses to get involved in education. The concept of the program is simple – kids read books, earn a certificate from their teacher, and then exchange it for a free personal pizza at Pizza Hut.
The program, which is well-loved by Gen Xers and older Millennials, has been a staple in many childhood memories. Participants not only got to enjoy free pizza parties, but also received Book It! swag such as bookmarks and buttons with the program’s logo. These small tokens were highly prized by kids and added to the excitement of participating in the program. Over 1.5 billion free pizzas have been given out to American kids since the program’s inception, making it a significant part of many childhoods.
For many children, Book It! was more than just a reading program – it was a way to gamify reading and make it more engaging. Participants like Frank Torok remember the thrill of earning that little Book It! bookmark and exchanging it for a personal pan pizza. The program’s impact on encouraging reading cannot be understated, with many adults looking back on it as a core memory of their school experience. Even President Ronald Reagan commended the program in 1985, recognizing it as a creative initiative that sparked a love for reading in many children.
While Book It! still exists today, some of its iconic elements, such as the buttons and star stickers used to track reading progress, have been phased out in favor of a digital tracking system. However, nostalgia for these classic features remains strong among those who grew up with the program. Collectors can still find these vintage Book It! items on platforms like eBay, showcasing the enduring impact and influence of the program on popular culture.
The success and longevity of the Book It! program can be attributed to its ability to make reading fun and rewarding for children. By offering incentives like free pizza and fun swag, the program motivated kids to read more and develop a love for books. The combination of reading goals and rewards helped to instill a sense of accomplishment and pride in young readers, setting the stage for a lifelong love of reading.
Today, Book It! continues to promote literacy and encourage young readers through partnerships with schools and educators. The program’s legacy lives on in the millions of adults who look back fondly on their Book It! experiences and credit it with sparking their love of reading. As a pioneer in incentivizing reading among children, Book It! remains a beloved and cherished program that has made a lasting impact on generations of readers.
