Metal lunchboxes pack plenty of nostalgia...
This was the title of a newspaper article today. Designed after pop-culture images like cartoon characters, TV stars, etc.---the lunchbox you carried defined you. Now valuable collectibles. Reading this swept me back to the 50's. Being a tomboy, I carried my PB&J in Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger & Roy Rogers pails. What are your luncbox memories?
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18 Comments:
I remember us hitting each other over the head with our lunchboxes until the little metal clasps that held the plastic handles on would bend and the box would eventually go flying off. So many kids had lunchboxes with the handles held on by twine wrapped through the loops.
The kids with plastic lunch boxes had less power of deterrent in the lunchbox wars. They thought they were so cool when they would come in with their swanky new lunchboxes only to find them inadequate for the demands of the schoolyard.
As for who was on my box, i cant remember exactly but it was probably Transformers, as my parents wisely restricted me from having too much GI Joe stuff, the only other option in the early 80's for a self respecting boy.
seyo at 8:01PM on 09/04/07
wow! the memories this thread brings back are incredible! I never liked any of the "popular" characters on lunch boxes back in the 70's I had a light blue metal lunch box with cream colored edging and a white rose on the front and back. I used to think it was sooooo sophisticated. but the best part was when I opened it and found one of my moms dried out old hamburgers usually with a note beside it reminding me she loved me and to have a good day. I loved those burgers and kept all those notes to this day. Now when i read those notes, I can remember those days very vividly, its like a warm hug from the past.
huney_bumper at 9:12AM on 09/05/07
And then there were the deeply dorky ones with plaid that were all that were left if yours were irretrievably smashed mid-year. The horror of it all.... I remember yearning for a Dale Evans one, but none to be found. The great lunchbox coup wasn't until the next generation, when I scored a much-yearned-for (and, naturally, hard to find) Hot Wheels box in a drugstore in Vicksburg, MS, for my 8-year-old son, who'd walked right by it, oblivious.
lemons at 10:36AM on 09/05/07
Man, those were good times. Probably couldn't get a metal lunchbox into a school these days though. I can't remember all of them I had - usually a couple a year (the bus stop was not kind to lunchboxes). I say we try to bring back the lunchbox. I'm starting by getting this one (or this one maybe).
corycm at 11:43AM on 09/05/07
I agree with you, huney_bumper---the notes from Mom or Dad were sometimes more important than the actual lunch we were packed. Does anyone send notes in lunches packed for SO's or hey, why not pack yourself a note?
JEP at 12:16PM on 09/05/07
Loved the cool picture on thermos inside, but seems like it always got broken or leaked :( It would be fun to actually see a collection of the metal lunchboxes.
JEP at 12:33PM on 09/05/07
Ah, another paean to nostalgia! Cannot for the life of me remember all the metal lunch boxes of childhood, except for a red/navy plaid number that matched my catholic school girl's uniform. Hated the smell of milk in those metal thermoses, tho. Hated the *thought* of even slightly warm milk. But what an innocent world we lived in when the worst things that could happen were a leaky thermos and soggy sandwich.
hatlady at 3:56PM on 09/05/07
i only had brown paper bags for my lunches when i went to school. years later while working 12 hours a day as a part time postal clerk i made up for lost time with a 'snoopy' lunchbox..finally. i'd pack mine with gourmet meals to enjoy on my 30 minute lunchbreak and a nice white wine in the thermos! it made the hellish job so much easier to take.
iguanablue at 4:48PM on 09/05/07
Thanks for sharing memories! One of the ladies in our office carries whatever lunchbox her daughters reject on that particular day---frequently she is seen with a Hello Kitty one!
iguanablue---you have given me the desire to seek out some of the old classic lunchbox characters---surely would perk up those days when life seems to be beating you up!
Which lunchbox classic characters do you think I could find nowdays?
JEP at 5:25PM on 09/05/07
I still have my Beatles lunchbox from when I was in elementary school in the mid-60s. It's not exactly in mint condition anymore. In addition to the normal wear and tear, it's festively decorated with some Yellow Submarine stickers that I got with some Scholastic book order when the movie came out. And of course I don't have the thermos anymore, which would make it more valuable. But it's priceless to me anyway!
meryl at 5:27PM on 09/05/07
This is so fun! I had a Strawberry Shortcake metal lunch box & ended up hating it. I was soo jealous of the kid that just moved into our neighborhood because he had a Clash of the Titans one. I had a serious crush on Harry Hamlin. I also remember seeing kids with Mork & Mindy, The A-Team, and The Fall Guy lunchboxes. Nowadays I carry a vinyl one in the shape of a Chinese take-out box. I love it!
gwenpentland at 5:36PM on 09/05/07
I found a site called lunchboxes.com with a huge selection!
JEP at 7:26PM on 09/05/07
One of my favorite restaurants, Cozy Thai (in Chicago and Evanston) has collectibles all over its walls. One of its collections is metal lunchboxes!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 7:45PM on 09/05/07
I loved my Snoopy blue plastic lunchbox with the matching thermos. It had Snoopy sitting on his roof with Woodstock under a tree. Reminds me of the bright green sparkly bike with the banana seat and basket on the front I used to ride around the neighborhood. I'd pack up a snack of orange Goldfish crackers and explore all the houses being built at the time. Ah, the early 1970s.
That lunchbox might actually still be in my mother's attic somewhere with my fencing equipment.
As far as the notes in lunches go, I sometimes send my husband off with a lovenote in his lunchbox . I know this may sound a little Holly Homemaker, but I enjoy making his lunch during the week, even if he likes the same exact thing every day (turkey and swiss on a Trader Joe's roll, carrot sticks, gala apple, pretzels).
hereandthe at 11:36AM on 09/06/07
hereandthe---I enjoyed your comments, especially, as it brought back memories of my kids during the 70s--my daughter's bike sounds alot like yours! I think the note-in-lunch-box is a wonderful treat---maybe I will write one for myself & pack in my lunch sack (no box (: right now)
JEP at 12:26PM on 09/06/07
JEP, I can definitely recommend the bland Bean boxes. They keep food cold for hours with only a small cold pack. They're no Snoopy lunchbox, though.
John and I also used to sneak post-it love notes in each other's cars before work.
hereandthe at 1:49PM on 09/06/07
My favorite lunchbox of all time was my metal Walton's one. For some reason, I loved that show. I had a new lunchbox every school year, but only remember the Waltons one.
i_like_camels at 9:15PM on 09/06/07
Slashfood did a a series on school lunch ideas including lunchboxes 9/6---check it out!
JEP at 8:57AM on 09/07/07