Lunch Box Trivia at the Midwest Emporium When TV created popular heros, Mid-Century Lunch Box Kits became the equivalent of today’s latest Hot Fashion Rage! They reflected each child’s self-image, dreams, or best loved idols. They tell their
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - When TV created popular heros, Mid-Century Lunch Box Kits became the equivalent of today’s latest Hot Fashion Rage! They reflected each child’s self-image, dreams, or best loved idols. They tell their own story of our changing society, what was Important or the recognized Images of the Day. Lunchboxes make a super fun collectible, loaded with Memories! Larry Aikins Pictorial Price Guide to Lunch Boxes & Thermoses is a great source of information.
In 1950, Aladdin Industries released Robert O. Burton's original prototype lunch kit. It was a plain metal box with a decal of famous TV cowboy star Hopalong Cassidy on the front~ It was followed by the decaled Tom Corbett Space Cadet box made in 1952~
In 1953, American Thermos decided to produce a kit of their own. A fully lithographed box with a TV like picture of the Double R Bar ranch, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans became a fabulous success!
In 1954, ADCO Liberty and Universal became competitors in this new and flourishing market. ADCO featured Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Howdy Doody, and Davy Crockett~
In 1959 Warner Brothers featured a TV screen litho with well loved special Looney Tunes characters: Yosemite Sam, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales, Elmer Fudd, Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, Pepe Le Pew, Road Runner & Wile E Coyote, Foghorn Leghorn~
1960s Space TV shows inspired boxes such as the Astronaut Dome Lunch Box & Thermos mfg. By American Thermos Co~
OHIO ART released the TRAVELER Lunch Box in 1962. It featured Planes~ Trains~ Buses~ Ships~ and Ocean Liners~ The front & back are covered with Travel Banners from India - Holland - Great Britain - Germany - Egypt - Philippines - Norway - Spain - Italy - Canada - Brazil - Japan - United States - Switzerland - Mexico - Greece - Scotland - France.
Barbie was a Must Have for young ladies when Thermos made a Barbie Doll Lunch Kit for Mattel in 1962. And remember Fireball XL5 in 1964~
And the Munsters 1965 TV show characters Herman - Lily - Grandpa - Eddie - Marilyn Munster~
I don’t know anyone who didn’t love Flipper the Dolphin from the much loved 1966 TV show~
Made by Thermos, From the 1975 TV Show~ Space 1999 kept millions of kids glued to TV Screens!
Then along came HAPPY DAYS in 1976, featuring the Fonz. This lunch box has several different poses of Fonzie, Potsie, and Ritchie. I was married with children and proud of my Fonz T Shirt. I wonder how many kids carried that lunch box to school?
Due to rough play and children’s head injuries, In 1972 the state of Florida banned the sale of metal lunchboxes. Other states soon followed in the banning, thus the new soft plastic boxes we see today~
By 1984 The Real GhostBusters and GI JOE Lunch Boxes were plastic~
The last steel metal lunchbox was produced by KST in 1985. It was Sylvester Stalone's Rambo~
