Timeline for Vintage Metal Lunchboxes
from the 1950's through 1980's
1950-1953 – Aladdin Industries produces the first ever lunchbox kit showcasing the Hopalong Cassidy character on a cloud shaped decal in the center of the box and then the following year went with a square decal. The instant popularity of this box helped to sell enough kits to enable Alladin Industries to purchase a new factory in Nashville, Tennessee to produce their kits. This was the start of something big!
1953 – American Thermos Bottle Company (Known today as "Thermos" and still producing lunchboxes) had seen enough and decided to cash in on the monopoly Aladdin had attained. This is the year where they produced the first four-color lunchbox featuring Roy Rogers. The box was fully colored on all six sides and brought competition to Aladdin.
1954 – Was a very busy year for lunchboxes. Aladdin stayed strong by producing two full colored boxes. The first box was Tom Corbett Space Cadet and the second box was once again the ever popular Hopalong Cassidy. Hey, if it worked the first time then why not try again? This time, however, the box was much more eye appealing then its predecessor. Other companies wanted in so during this year Adco Liberty made a Lone Ranger box which was fully lithographed. Around the same time a company called Landers, Frary & Clark (Universal) manufactured what most collector’s consider to be the "Holy Grail" of all lunchboxes, the 1954 Superman box. The box never came with a thermos but that didn’t prevent one collector from paying over $10,000 for a mint one.
1956 – Aladdin started producing and designing lunchboxes for Disney. Adco Liberty calls it quits after only lasting two years in the lunchbox business due to dispute litigatios with Disney.
1957 – Domes were falling behind in popularity so Aladdin and American Thermos Bottle Company both decided to lithograph dome lunch kits. Aladdin went with Buccaneer and American Thermos Bottle Company went with Red Barn. This is about the same time that a different company, Ohio Art, started to manufacture regular lunchboxes with no bottles. Most of their graphics were generic and did not use famous licensed characters.
1960 – American Thermos Bottle Company changed their corporate identity to King Seeley Thermos Company because of a buy out.
1962 – Up until this point all lunchboxes had flat surfaces on all sides. Aladdin designed the first 3D lunchbox. The front and back images were embossed to add life to the image.
1965 – Universal closes its factory and sells their production equipment and "Universal" trademark to General Electric. Okay Industries later purchased "Universal" from GE.
1966 - 1968 – King Seeley Thermos Company added a spinner game to the back of some of their boxes. The boxes also came with game pieces to make lunchtime fun.
1968 – Aladdin Industries tried to cut costs by using less expensive plastic bottles as opposed to the traditional and more costly steel or glass ones.
1972 – King Seeley Thermos Company decided to not just use plastic bottles but to also convert the latches to plastic. Everyone I talk to even to this day still prefers the plastic bottles because they remember the glass liner breaking in school or rust going into their drink. Yuk!
1973 – Okay Industries used the lunchbox dies they purchased from GE. The boxes were the same measurements as Universal but utilized different characters.
1978 – Okay Industries stops making lunchboxes forever.
1985 – Ohio Art stops making lunchboxes.
1986 – Alladin Industries stops making lunchboxes.
1987 – King Seeley Thermos Company stops making lunchboxes. Rambo is the last steel box produced.
1998 - Current – The Thermos Company (Last of the original lunchbox manufacturers) begins making metal lunch kits once again but the line is limited to only a couple different boxes per year. They claim that there is not enough demand for metal boxes anymore and they are considering canceling the production once and for all.
