Tupperware: The legacy of an airtight plastic food bowl
Think ladies' kitty parties and Tupperware comes to mind. Such was the ingenuity of the two entrepreneurs of 1950s America who created one of the most practical items that defines Americana and made T
A slew of Tupperware products at a store.
It seems implausible that Florida-based Tupperware, a household brand that revolutionised food storage with its airtight containers, would file for bankruptcy protection in an age when humankind can"t seem to do without plastic. The company has reported more than $1.2 billion in total debts and is seeking court approval for a sale to protect its
Image by Shutterstock
2/10
US Army"s first radar system in New Jersey, USA, 1940.
"What a time we would have if we had plenty of money," wrote seventeen-year-old Earl Silas Tupper in a school essay in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1924. Poor and barely graduating from high school, Tupper sketched inventions in his notebook, dreaming of making millions. The World War II years (1939-1945) spurred innovation and manu
Image by 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
3/10
The classic Wonderlier bowl.
The Wonder Bowl was translucent but more durable than any container before it. Easy to mass-produce in a mould and a myriad of colours, the Wonder Bowl"s clean, modern look was widely praised by the burgeoning plastic industry and featured as an icon of modern design. It had a patented double-sealed lid that made it air&mdashand water-tight, which could be se
Image by Forbes
4/10
Earl Tupper (left) and Brownie Wise.
However, department store displays and newspaper advertisements had failed to impress American homemakers and sales. Plastic was an unfamiliar material in the home. The patented Tupper seal had to be "burped" before it would work. Tupper soon heard of his products doing particularly well in Detroit, thanks to an ambitious, ingenious marketer, Brownie
Image by Forbes
5/10
Early Tupperware advertisements.
Thousands of women, mostly married, signed on to be "Tupperware Ladies," as the sales representatives were called. The Tupperware parties offered a woman the chance to work and earn, networking her social circle without disrupting her schedule and primary role as a homemaker, contributing to women"s empowerment. Though the popular stereotype of a typical
Image by National Museum of American History
6/10
Brownie Wise tosses a bowl filled with water at a Tupperware Party in the 50s.
Brownie Wise quickly became the face of the company, with thousands of followers, and Tupperware sales reached $25 million in 1954. All the attention and credit that she was receiving would soon trigger resentment in Earl Tupper. In 1958, he fired Wise and sold Tupperware later that year for $16 million to dru
Image by Apic/Bridgeman via Getty Images
7/10
Korean women pack kimchi into Tupperware and other brand containers in a traditional communal process known as "kimjang" at their home in the eastern port city of Donghae, South Korea.
Two factors led to the brand"s proverbial fall. By the 1980s, the patents on Tupperware"s products started to expire, making it possible for other companies to produce cheaper versions. By 2000, the share
Image by Ed JONES / AFP
8/10
Daniela Sigmund demonstrates kitchen utensils for a virtual Tupperware party in a set scene using digital distribution channels to advertise her goods in North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, May 08, 2020.
While Tupperware"s sales woes increased, its 2020 earnings report registered a boost as people cooked more at home during the early months of the pandemic. However, the company ran afoul of
Image by Henning Kaiser/dpa via Getty Images
9/10
A file photo of an employee of Tupperware Brands Corporation storing moulds used to fabricate airtight containers at the group"s plant in Joue-les-Tours, France.
A brand that came to be synonymous with all things Americana marked its 75th anniversary in 2021. According to court documents, Florida-based Tupperware currently employs more than 5450 employees across 41 countries and partners
Image by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP
10/10
Tupperware Brands" corporate history and product display at the company"s headquarters in Florida.
Despite the US-based parent company"s shares falling 75 percent this year and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Tupperware"s Indian operations may not be affected by the global restructuring, according to a TOI report. This is because the company has been on an aggressive expansion spree here
