Shutterstock / Kostikova Natalia©In a move that marks the end of an era, Tupperware has filed for bankruptcy.
The once-innovative brand, which was founded in the US in 1946 by Earl Tupper and whose name is synonymous with plastic food storage containers, has struggled in recent years due to fierce competition in the market, economic pressures and a conscious move away from plastic by consumers.
According to the BBC, the firm said it will ask for court permission to start a sale of the business and that it aimed to continue operating.
Tupperware parties: an era-defining innovation
Pic: Shutterstock / Oleksiichik
Today’s picture is in stark contrast to Tupperware’s hey-day some 60 or 70 years ago, when hosting or attending a Tupperware party might have been a highlight of a busy housewife’s calendar.
Despite its ground-breaking design, Tupperware didn’t take off immediately. Tupperware parties were a pioneering sales device devised by savvy marketer Brownie Wise, who saw the potential in having women sell the product to women. Having started up an independent Tupperware-selling business, Patio Parties, in the late 1940s, she was brought into the company as vice president of marketing – an unprecedented position for a woman at the time – in 1951.
At the time, plastic wasn’t commonly used in the home and the genius of Tupperware parties meant that women could be shown how to use the products, so they felt familiar and, indeed, essential. A famous image from the Tupperware archives shows Wise hosting such a party, throwing the brand’s signature ‘Wonder Bowl’ – filled with water and sealed – across a living room full of open-mouthed women.
The modern Tupperware era
Tupper and Wise’s business relationship ended acrimoniously and Tupper sold the company in 1958, having first ousted Wise (who did not have a formal contract).
Without them, the juggernaut continued, and Tupperware is now sold in 70 countries worldwide. But, as gender roles, eating habits and the meaning of ‘convenience’ have shifted, it has failed to keep pace.
Only time will tell whether it can find another Wonder Bowl moment and reverse its fortunes again.
Reflections: Tupperware party memories
Did you ever host or attend Tupperware parties? We’d love to hear your memories. Tell us on social media!
Leisa Millar I'm a digital editor with experience of writing and editing for some of the UK's best-known women's lifestyle titles - and I'm delighted to count "The People's Friend" and "My Weekly" among them! A busy mum of three young children, I also host a parenting podcast called The SEN Mums' Career Club.
