The Lunchbox

A lunchbox is a container for carrying your lunch. Kids take them to school every day filled with sandwiches, snacks, and drinks. Lunchboxes come in many fun colors, shapes, and designs.

The History of the Lunchbox

Workers and school children have carried their lunches in containers for a long time. In the 1800s, people used tin pails and baskets. The first decorated metal lunchboxes appeared in the 1930s.

In 1950, a company made a lunchbox with a picture of the cowboy Hopalong Cassidy on it. It sold millions. After that, lunchboxes with cartoon characters, movies, and TV shows became a big hit with kids.

Lunchboxes Today

Today, lunchboxes are made from plastic and soft, insulated fabric. They keep food cold with ice packs and have special compartments for different foods. Some even have built-in containers for dipping sauces.

Collecting old metal lunchboxes has become a popular hobby. A rare vintage lunchbox can be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. But for most kids, a lunchbox is simply a way to bring a tasty meal to school.

Fun Facts

• The first character lunchbox featured the cowboy Hopalong Cassidy in 1950.
• A rare 1954 Superman lunchbox sold for over $13,000.
• About 90 million lunchboxes are sold in the United States every year.

Did You Know?

In the 1970s and 1980s, metal lunchboxes were banned in some places because kids were using them to hit each other, so they switched to plastic and soft ones.