Last Saturday I had the distinguished and royal honor of meeting the King and Queen of all Tupperware collectors, Bob and Marilyn Wilson at the Cooper Museum in Upland, California where their enormous collection is now on display. There are also many pieces for sale! That is what inspired this week’s SLIDE OF THE WEEK: TUPPERWARE FACTORY, MEXICO, 1967. (I’m still waiting to find a vintage slide of a Tupperware Party!) Anyway, I stumbled drunk with pleasure through the historic Tupperware display as the compulsive obsessive collectors gave me a gleeful piece-by-piece guided tour. I had no idea that in the 50s they made Tupperware cigarette cases and poker chips. Of course my spirit soared. There were so many pieces that I recognized from my childhood.

Is there an American life that Tupperware hasn’t touched? Is there a Tupperware-less kitchen anywhere in this country? The name alone has such a GREAT ring to it. Say it out loud – TUPPERWARE -. It just flows off the tongue. And it goes so well with the word party

Earl Tupper was born in New Hampshire in 1907. He came up with the idea for air tight plastic food storage containers while working at Dupont. In 1938 he founded the Tupperware Plastics Company in Orlando, Florida and in 1946 introduced his line of Tupper Plastics at hardware and department stores. Sales were dismal at best. He struggled along until 1951 when a take-charge woman named Brownie Wise came along, saved his plastic products from extinction and built him an empire. She came up with the brilliant idea to eliminate the retailers and sell direct to the housewives in living rooms while having a party. Yes, the Tupperware Party is an Americana cultural event of the highest order. There is no question about that!

In 1958, Mr. Tupper sold his company for sixteen million dollars and retired for life

He died in 1987 but Tupperware will live forever.

Here’s to Tupperware and You

Posted Thursday, September 1st, 2005 under Slide of the Week.
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