Back in the 1960s lunch boxes were a status symbol for most school children. It wasn't about designer clothes or what stuff you had but how you carried your lunch.
Lunch box design was simple and usually had a matching thermos. They had designs of the popular cartoons or TV shows like Rocky+ Bulwinkle, Yogi Bear and Gunsmoke.
I was usually in trouble most of my school life. My motto was "what would happen if..." and that was the springboard for some wonderful idea I had. Most of the time my teachers would just sigh and make me go into the closet for punishment ( or maybe give them a break). The closets back then were more storage room / coat closets and to be sent there was the highlight of my day! I had coat pockets to dig through,cupboards filled with art supplies,fresh paper, unsharpened pencils by the case and the ultimate pleasure- Checking out my classmates school lunches.
This was like a day at the art museum and on top of that I got to see which kids got the good stuff for lunch like chips or cookies.
For most of my school years I was relegated to second class lunch box carrier because my Depression era Grandparents couldn't imagine why a brown paper sack, a sandwich wrapped in wax paper and a handful of carrots weren't sufficient. Forget the breakable thermos because there was a perfectly good water fountain in the hall.
So Christmas of 1965 was a real celebration when I finally got the longed for BARBIE+MIDGE vinyl lunch box ( no thermos). I could strut my baloney sandwich and carrots in style.
I love this, Ellen. I do remember my lunch boxes and I loved getting a new one each year. Yours was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'll miss you tomorrow. I'll be sleeping.
love ya,
b
p.s I can just see you rummaging through all the kids' stuff! lol
I don't think I ever got to bring lunch to school. I hated lunch time, I hated the food and usually tried to throw it away. That is until my teachers caught on and made me sit by them and forced me to eat. Too bad I don't have to be forced anymore.
ReplyDeleteLoved this post. Loved the last line of Roz's comment too.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I didn't WANT to bring my lunch - I wanted to BUY my lunch. I think we had boxes early on but we were brown baggers later.
I was a brown bagger...and I thought the kids who had baloney were rich. I usually had homemade bread with peanut butter and honey; good days meant I had the nickel to buy milk. And, do you know, we saved our brown bags to reuse? Funny thing, growing up near Los Angeles, I somehow got the idea that kids who had baloney sandwiches, Hostess cupcakes, and individual size bags of chips, had Dad's who worked in the TALL buildings in downtown LA. My dad worked in a short building. Goodness! The equations we make as kids! Enjoyed this post!!
ReplyDeleteMine was a cheesey princess one, but it was BEFORE Barbie in 1958. (Older than Barbie, eeeek). I still have it. But now I have 5-6 Barbie lunch boxes, too, including a very rare one that is oval shaped on the bottom and top, like a cylinder, only oval instead of round. I'll show them to you sometime, with glee!
ReplyDelete