Obsessions
Mike Kaye, a Graphic designer living in Florida, is obsessed with lunchboxes.
“I’ve been a collector for most of my life,” says Mike Kaye proudly, “I’ve collected baseball cards, comics, phone cards, rabbits feet, rubber bouncing balls, Smurfs, fuzzy Martian men, original comic artwork and at one time even the coloured plastic sticks that were put on steaks to determine whether [they were] well done. Born a collector, always a collector!”
To this end, Mike has appeared in newspapers, magazines and on a VH1 show aptly entitled ‘Obsessed’, a show which was, unfortunately, cancelled. It is, however, lunch boxes that currently retain his primary interest. He even has a site – www.lunchboxcollector.com – and, naturally, proves an authority on lunch box history.
“Lunch boxes started out in the late 1800s to carry food,” he explains, “The lunch box moved into different colours in the 1900s.”
What happened next, briefly, was that some tobacco companies sold products in tins that were designed to be re-used as lunchboxes. Manufacturers, perhaps watching their own children tote R. J. Reynolds tobacco tins to school, soon realised that they could sell lunchboxes made especially for children. A glimpse into the future of lunch-box production came in 1935, when a Milwaukee based company, printed Mickey Mouse on the lid of a tin carryall – a lunch box with handles on either side that folded up over the top.
“The first motif on a metal box was in 1950,” reveals Mike, “Hopalong Cassidy was a decal placed on a plain blue and red lunchbox, created by the Aladdin Company of Nashville, that sold millions. Then the idea was sparked to place artwork on boxes. Other companies followed: KST, Universal and ADCO Liberty. They begin to print on the boxes as flat sheets of metal and then formed them into boxes afterward. In the 1960s they began embossing the boxes to ad a 3D look to the art.”
The profits from the Hopalong Cassidy lunchbox actually helped Aladdin to build a new lunchbox manufacturing plant. Their second lunchbox was the decaled Tom Corbett Space Cadet box made in 1952. The American Thermos Company introduced the first lithographed lunchbox in 1953; it had a Roy Rogers design. The Aladdin company then changed their lunchboxes to being fully lithographed instead of using decals, in 1954.
“I was contacted by an Aladdin employee who found me and wanted to talk about the old days when the factory was in full production,” says Mike, “I’ve spoken with management at Thermos who said they are discontinuing the metal box line due to lack of interest.”
While television was growing by leaps and bounds during the 1950s, lunch box manufacturers now had something to sell to kids. Other manufacturers include ADCO Liberty, American Thermos (later King Seeley Thermos, or KST), Kruger Manufacturing Company, Landers, Frary and Clark (Universal), Okay Industries, and host of other producers through the 1980s. Metal lunchboxes were actually banned in the early 1970s which is part of the reason for their decline. A campaign of ‘concerned’ Florida mothers were opposed to the steel lunchboxes, citing that children were using them as a type of weapon – cases of permanent head injuries were being reported. The state of Florida banned the sales of metal lunchboxes in 1972, and other states soon followed in the banning. Box makers switched from metal boxes to softer plastic boxes. There were also practical benefits with plastic being cheaper, rust free and much easier to squeeze into a child’s school bag.
“I have seen all the boxes there are,” Mike estimates, “perhaps not in hand but in a book or on the web. Of course, there’s always foreign boxes that appear that I have not seen, but they tend to not hold that value that the American ones have. There were only about 500 different vintage character boxes made from 1950-1987. On average you can pick up boxes from $10-30 in decent shape. Once you get into the higher grades the prices can go to the hundreds or even the thousands.”
Mike has realised, however, that quantity does not mean quality and collects accordingly.
“My collection is not large,” he reveals, “I collect only high grade lunchboxes and avoid ones with rust. My favourite box is the 1965 KST Munsters Box. The oldest one I have is the 1950 Hopalong Cassidy that started the whole lunchbox craze. An interesting box I have is the 1957 Bucaneer Dome that was the first character based dome ever made. The interesting part is that someone knew it would have some value in years to come and decided to never use it. Back then a couple of dollars was a lot to spend even if it was going to be used. Most kids could not afford lunchboxes so the dome was for the rich kids.”
In December of 2003, a mint Superman lunch box (Universal, 1954) was auctioned for $11,500.00 at MastroNet, Inc. auctions.
“It goes in trends,” says Mike, “Movies come out and everyone wants that movie box. A rare box sells for $5,000 and people start to search their attics!”
Metal lunchboxes have begun making a modest comeback. The Thermos company reissued a few old favourites, including Spiderman, and some new models debuted. At long last, children who had been denied metal lunchboxes could become proud owners. Over the years character lunchboxes have chronicled the most popular television shows, pop-culture icons, movies, musicians, comic-book superheroes, toys, sports stars, and more. There is no doubting that they have earned their place in cultural history or Mike Kaye will be on hand to document their progress.
Written by Alexis Wheeler
