for adults. Early metal lunch boxes had a dome shape, and very few of those are still around. The square metal lunch box came later. Some of the really old lunch boxes that you’ll see floating around are not very graphically beautiful; they’re more utilitarian. Graphical representation of pop-culture icons, TV shows, cartoons, and that sort of thing came later.

The idea of tying lunch boxes to pop culture started with a company called Aladdin. They had the market wrapped up from the late ’50s until maybe the early ’60s. Then, another company, American Thermos, which most people know as the Thermos Company, came out with some of the first boxes decorated on all sides.

In the early ’60s—from what I understand having talked to other collectors—Aladdin created 3D lunchalthough most people know them for their toys. Those would be the big three, Aladdin, Thermos, and Ohio Art.

Thermos was originally the American Thermos Bottle Company. In 1960, it was purchased along with two other companies and became the King-Seeley Thermos Company.

In 1985, they became the Thermos Company. They went through a bit of an evolution, I guess, as the market picked up and then it kind of died off again.

Except for the illustration, all the boxes were basically the same, made of the same sheet metal. The thermoses inside only had one piece of artwork, and the metal thermoses were better than the plastic thermoses because the designs on the plastic ones scratched off.

Collectors Weekly: What happened to the big companies at the end of the ’80s