Flickr Widget

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Back in the day: Tupperware

My mother was a huge Tupperware fan. She probably had every piece of Tupperware available in the 1950s, so I grew up surrounded by celery keepers, cake takers and popsicle makers. I was "burping" Tupperware like a champ before I hit puberty.

Not long ago, I watched a PBS American Experience documentary about Tupperware, which is well worth a look if you haven't seen it.

Earl Silas Tupper founded the Tupperware Plastics Company in 1938 and introduced Tupper Plastics to hardware and department stores in 1946. In 1947 he designed and patented a liquid-proof, air-tight lid by duplicating the lid of a paint can, except in reverse. Tupperware was not a success at first, because consumers didn't understand how to operate the lids.

In 1938 Brownie Wise was 24 years old, had an infant son and was trapped in a bad marriage. She took night classes and got a job as a secretary and later worked for Stanley Home Products, becoming a star giving home demonstrations. She and a co-worker left Stanley to start their own Tupperware party business. After several late shipments, she called the company headquarters to complain and demanded to speak to Tupper himself. She told him that he would improve his business if he sold his product only through home parties.

Tupper hired Brownie Wise on the spot to design the Tupperware direct selling system. The concept grew to be a household phenomenon, the Tupperware Party. Almost immediately Wise talked Tupper into buying one thousand acres in Florida that she could turn into a fantasy land and a pilgrimage site for her sales staff. She lavished gifts on her top sellers, and they idolized her for it. In 1951 there were eight distributors; by 1956 there were more than 100, some making millions.

Wise started the Tupperware Jubilee, a four-day extravaganza that brought dealers and managers to the Florida headquarters, and she spared no expense making the Jubilees as glamorous and exciting as possible. By 1957 Wise's dealer force was selling more than Tupper could produce. When Wise demanded that Tupper keep up, he was annoyed, thinking that she had forgotten who actually owned the company. Their disagreements escalated, and he raised questions about the cost of Jubilees, prizes, clothing and landscaping.

In 1958, Tupper fired Brownie Wise. Officially, Tupper used Wise's expenditures as an excuse for letting her go. However, the real reason was that Tupper had been approached by several companies interested in buying him out; he felt that he would not be able to sell with a woman in an executive position. Wise had no employment contract. She didn't even own her clothes. At first, Tupper did not want to give her any severance pay, but he eventually gave her $35,000.

In 1958, less than a year after firing Brownie, Earl Tupper sold his company to Justin Dart, of Rexall Chemicals, for $16 million. Earl also divorced his wife, gave up his U.S. citizenship, and bought himself an island in Central America.

As Tupper and Wise disappeared from the company, the Tupperware ladies took Tupperware across the globe. Tupperware became the biggest and most successful international party plan company of its time. Earl Tupper died in 1983. The patent on his burping seal expired the next year and his design idea was widely copied. Wise lived modestly and died in 1992, just a few miles from Tupperware headquarters. The marketing techniques she perfected were copied by every successful home party company.

From pbs.org


Earl Tupper
tupperwarebrands.com

Brownie Wise
wm.edu

Early Tupperware party
bangordailynews.com

Salt and pepper shakers
misfitsvintage.com

Popsicle maker
indulgy.com

Celery keeper
ebay.com - mattie-lily-rose

Cake taker
etsy.com - VintageWeddingChina

Tumblers
ebay.com - dancflyhigh

14 comments:

  1. Dana, this story made my eyes well up with tears!! My heart goes out to Brownie, who sounds like she was such a whip smart, creative and motivated woman!! I love that she out-sold production as a result of her innovation. I love learning about these behind the scenes histories, and how gender roles played a part. Even if it frustrates the hell out of me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The part of the story that's really baffling is that she tried to start her own cosmetics company afterwards and also tried a career in real estate, and she failed. I think you'd really enjoy watching the whole documentary online, since gender roles in the 1950s was a major theme.

      Delete
  2. Love this post! And how great is the name "Brownie Wise"? I saw that documentary too at one point and was so sad when it ended. Really fascinating. And wow! I had that celery keeper but couldn't figure out what it was meant to hold. Now, I know...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were all kinds of specialized containers...like one for pickles and one for cereal and one for lettuce. We had 'em all. :)

      Delete
  3. I grew up with Tupperware too! My mom still uses her containers from the 60s and 70s, they're extremely durable. Way to go Brownie, what a gal!! Too bad, though, that your gender limited your possibilities back then. Love the Tupperware- party photo, reminds me of those 50s commercials where the women are always so beautiful, clever and practical while dad just sits around smoking a pipe:-) Have we really progressed from these roles? Seems to me the women still do the laundry in today's commercials....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bought some vintage Tupperware on eBay that had been cared for so well that it was almost like brand new. The stuff is practically indestructible with normal care and use.

      The unfortunate thing about Brownie Wise was that she apparently started to think she was irreplaceable. It seems to be well documented that she became insubordinate and dismissive of Tupper, because she thought he needed her too much to fire her. For a woman with no employment contract, that proved to be a dangerous assumption. She was a genius at motivating people, but she must not have had a head for the other aspects of business, especially since the businesses she tried to run on her own failed.

      Delete
  4. Hi Dana! The tumblers!!!! I had a set once but not sure what happened to them. My mom had the Popsicle maker as well as about 200 other pieces. Interesting story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I recall, those tumblers had lids too. I ate many a homemade popsicle from those Tupperware molds!

      Delete
  5. I really LOVE Tupperware. One of my favorite items is the (Pickle Caddy)
    It is SO AWESOME I have two. *hahaha* I do eat a rather lot of pickles but that's not why I need the two of them I use the other for olives.
    When I have more space I will SURELY be adding to my collection.
    I am scared to even think of my "Future dream kitchen" It will have a Pyrex cupboard, a Melmac cupboard and a Tupperware cupboard. *LOL*

    I will have to watch the Tupperware documentary. The story sounds really interesting.
    Thanks Dana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After hearing how you use yours, I'll have to buy two pickle caddies for myself. The olive idea is brilliant.

      Delete
  6. Glad you got a chance to see the documentary I mentioned months ago. Liked the Indian parties!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I watched it right after you told me about it. I'm just now getting around to posting about it.

      Delete
  7. I've felt a Tupperware post coming on for some time and you have inspired me. Yes, that brownie wise was one tough cookie, pardon the pun.
    I also have an embarrassingly bursting plastics cupboard, and you can bet it's all Tupperware!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my blog! I'm always happy when a new reader jumps right in and starts commenting. I have kinda let my Tupperware collection dwindle over the years. I think I'm ready to start stocking up again.

      Delete