Lunch box memories

By Helene

There's an interesting exhibit at our library right now on the history of lunch boxes, and with Kathryn's entry into kindergarten this year, it brings back a lot of memories.

Do you remember your very first lunchbox? I do. Mine was a metal H.R. Pufnstuf one with Jimmy, Puff and Freddy the Flute on one side and Witchiepoo on the other.

As a kid just entering first grade, I loved this show, and, like most of my young peers, I was totally oblivious to the show's '70s psychedelic references. As fondly as I wish that I still had this lunch box today, I'm reminded that in just a few short weeks, my soon-to-be 5-year-old Kathryn will be getting her first exposure to toting a lunch to school each day.

Lunch boxes, sadly, are no longer metal these days, and in most cases they aren't even boxes anymore, they're more like bags. But does it really matter? No, not really ... for I bet that in the next few years, Kathryn (even though she won't be carrying H.R. Pufnstuf to school every day) will still somehow have many of the same lunch box bag experiences I had growing up -- such as swapping my PB & J with Mary Newman for her mint jelly sandwich or making googly eyes across the table at Paul Chicrus. (BTW: he had a Peanuts lunchbox :) )

As I think about it in the greater scheme things, perhaps the decline of metal lunch boxes for soft padded vinyl is a good thing after all -- for it eliminates the need as a parent to have to worry about Katie coming home with the class bully's Johnny Lightning lunchbox impression on her head.

Do you remember your first lunch box?

Comments

[Annie]

My first lunchbox had Rageddy Ann and Andy on it. My older sister had the bionic woman and always tried to steal mine lol

[Jo]

No, I don't! I do remember, though, that my dad made awesome lunches with notes on napkins. I will never forget those, and I hope to do them for my own kids one day. (Honestly, I was so surprised while teaching to find that so few kids bring lunch from home anymore! It made me kind of sad, really)!

[kb]

I was doomed to be a dork. My first lunchbox was a metal one with The Waltons on it.

[Ann]

Definitely -- mine was a Snoopy lunchbox! I got it in Grade One. I'm sure my three younger sisters used it after me and it eventually wore out. That's generally what happened to things at our house. It's hard for any manufactured item to make it through four kids. :-)

[Ann]

Definitely -- mine was a Snoopy lunchbox! I got it in Grade One. I'm sure my three younger sisters used it after me and it eventually wore out. That's generally what happened to things at our house. It's hard for any manufactured item to make it through four kids. :-)

[rbearclaw]

I had a strawberry shortcake lunchbox....and it was even metal! Had we known they would eventually be collectibles, I for sure would have saved it!

[Genuine]

Mine was the Monkees! I guess that dates me a little.

[Susan]

I don't remember which was my first but I remember having Barbie, Strawberry Shortcake, and The Muppets. By the time I was in middle school I bought lunch but I'm pretty sure I would have ditched the character lunchboxes then in favor of the more cool brown paper bag, anyway. :)

[Liz]

Hi Helene - I loved my Partridge Family lunch box! Then, there was my Donny and Marie Osmond lunch box. But nothing beat my Wonder Woman lunch box (I think mine had her little sister on at as well - played by Debra Winger!)

[Sally]

My first one was the Secret of NIMH! My mom often put little notes in it. I can't wait to do the same for my little boy. He's only 6 months old though, so I'll have to wait a few years.

[Anne-Marie]

H.R. Pufnstuf was great! I had a huge crush on Jimmy.

I had a plain medium blue plastic lunchbox. For some reason I couldn't stand the ones with the TV shows on them. But then again, it was "the thing" at my elementary school to buy your lunch. Bringing your lunch wasn't very cool.

[Ro]

For the life of me I cannot remember what character was on my first lunchbox but I remember it was a tin lunchbox like you described. My daughters lunchboxes this past year were made of a soft material. So not the lunchboxes I remember - lol. Oh and just for the record H.R> Pufnstuf is on the tvland channel every once in a while late on friday nights! :)

[VJ]

I think my first one was a red Tupperware lunch box that had all the little containers inside. That didn't last very long, as it wasn't "cool." The next one I remember was a blue metal Holly Hobby. I couldn't tell you how long I had it, but by the time I got into fourth or fifth grade it was time for the paper bags.

The other thing I remember from the metal lunch box was the smell of a hundred lunches in there. It was carefully cleaned out with soap and water each day after school, but after a while the smells just stayed. It wasn't a bad smell, just a unique one.

[Jules]

Sadly I just don't remember what was on my metal lunch boxes. But I do remember that when I was older and "too old" for those little kid lunch boxes I used to bring my lunch in a brown paper bag. The best part - my Dad used to draw something on it every day. Maybe a smily face with a note or a bright sunshine. My friends and I always looked foward to see what my Dad had done that day.

[Lunasea]

I got the lunchbox my junior-high-school-aged sister rejected - it was red vinyl and had go-go girls on it (this was the 70's). Very cool.

[sprout]

I remember having a Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox and also a Smurf lunchbox - both plastic though, not metal. Then I opted for a tupperware lunchbox with all the little containers in it and somebody stole it at my girl scout meeting. After that I carried a blue insulated lunchbag (long, long before that was cool to do). My husband currently takes his lunches in an A-Team lunchbox(metal of course) that we found at a flea market about a year ago. He's the coolest guy at work - he has to hid it so it doesn't disappear. My girls are still too young for lunchboxes/bags but I wonder what they'll like when it does come time to buy them one. Ahhhh, memories.

[cat]

I don't know if it was my first lunchbox, but somewhere along the line I had the Bionic Woman. When my parents moved last year, we found the thermos in the basement. It wasn't in any condition to save, but fun to find.

What I do remember is the ritual of going shopping with my mom to buy my new lunchbox - was it every year? We would go to the same family-owned local department store (House and Garden) and look at the same display. My mom showed super-human patience while I examined every one and debated my purchase!

[Melissa S]

I had a Holly Hobby one also! (I also had a Holly Hobby easy bake oven, I was a huge fan)

And Sarah...I don't believe this..my second grade lunch box was a MUPPET SHOW one!!

I just found a metal lunchbox for my daughter this weekend. I'm sure once she gets to school she'll want one more like the other kid's, but the nostalgia got the best of me.

[emily]

I had a Holly Hobby one.It was done in browns,oranges and yellows.I loved it.The at some point I had Strawberry Shortcake.

[sarah]

My very first lunch box was blue, and had Holly Hobby on it. It became my fishing tackle box, and was replaced by an orange Muppet Show lunch box with flip 'n' sip thermos. Tres cool. In junior high, it was much more acceptable to have a brown paper bag, but we still swapped snacks.