Tupperware

Think back to the summers of your youth. You’re playing outside with your friends and you’ve worked up quite a thirst. Thankfully, there is a plastic pitcher in the fridge filled with Kool-Aid that you’ll pour into an indestructible plastic glass Both items were courtesy of Tupperware, a parent’s favored choice throughout the decade.

Tupperware was invented way back in 1948 by a Dupont chemist named Earl Tupper, who devised a use for what was originally a plastic waste product. He designed a series of airtight containers that could be “burped,” a patented process of reducing the amount of air in the container.

A nifty idea, to be certain, but we might not have heard of his product were it not for a woman named Brownie Wise. She was a fan of the product and approached the company about holding a series of parties in her hometown. She would invite all her friends, relatives and neighbors, and demonstrate how well Tupperware worked as a storage container. It worked.

The parties were an immense success and soon after, housewives all over the country were holding their own Tupperware parties, and earning a commission from each sale. In an era where a working woman was frowned upon, Tupperware empowered millions of homemakers to enjoy a little economic success of their own.

Into the 70s, the popularity of Tupperware began to wane, but that’s not to say that Tupperware was a rare sight by any means. Being that the stuff was almost impossible to damage, it stuck around in cupboards for decades, and was often handed down from one generation to the next.

Whatever kids thought about Tupperware, parents adored the stuff because, not only was it inexpensive and lasted forever, cleaning up a spilled beverage is much easier when there isn’t a bunch of broken glass involved.

Storage containers, glasses and pitchers were only the tip of the Tupperware iceberg in the 70s. There were salt and pepper shakers, canisters, serving dishes, egg containers, ice cube trays, measuring cups, colanders, ketchup and mustard dispensers and just about anything else imaginable that could be molded from plastic.

Tupperware is still sold today, available in 100 countries around the world, even if we don’t hear of too many Tupperware parties in the States. Here, the Tupperware era passed us by a few decades ago, but our indestructible plastic friends will not soon be forgotten.

What Tupperware items do you remember from your youth? Did you ever drink Kool-Aid out of a Tupperware glass? I’d love to hear any recollections you’d like to share of these unforgettable items from the 70s in our comments section below.