I never walked into elementary school without my plastic lunch box and matching thermos. Lunch box contents? A classic PB&J sandwich, potato chips, DunkAroos for dessert and a cold thermos of Juicy Juice. Every August, I’d claim that my plastic lunch box was broken or “not cool” and beg Mom for a new one. Aladdin turned into Pocahontas, Pocahontas turned into Toy Story, and soon I was rockin’ Hello Kitty or Lisa Frank. With back-to-school madness upon us, I have to do a nostalgic post for those that carried indestructible steel lunch boxes and for those of us from the plastic age.
All photos from Etsy: 1. AstralBoutique; 2. nerdnest; 3. VermontStHoldingCo; 4. rudysroundup; 5. TheFancyLamb; 6. DroopyMcCool; 7. OldCollectables; 8. theNeedleintheHay; 9. thecherrychic; 10. AstralBoutique
Looking back at those sweet and simple school days, what was your favorite lunch box? And do you still have it?
Tell us in the comments below.
[...] via: Hip, Vintage Lunch Boxes for the Young + Young at Heart Category: Design Tags: boxes, Heart, Lunch, vintage, [...]
Aw! I still have my Raggedy Ann lunch box from elementary school displayed proudly in my kitchen.
Wouldn't exactly call it vintage, but I had a snarky Happy Bunny metal lunch box as a kid. So obnoxious.
I'm really diggin' that California Raisins one. I think I need to buy it ASAP! Did anyone else jam out to the raisins in the 90s? (Looking back, that's such a weird concept!)
One of my brothers had that plaid lunch box — don't know where it is now (he may still have it!). I had a Barbie doll lunch box, but it was one of those vinyl-and-cardboard types which disintegrated long before I finished grade school!
I had the black pastic Barbie lunch box too
I really had to talk my Mom into buying it she wanted me to get a metal one.
At the risk of dating myself, I had a metal Holly Hobby lunchbox, and it wasn't vintage at the time
I have no idea what became of it but I wish I still had it.
I drag my Charlie Brown lunchbox with the original Thermos to work every day. got it in Kindergarten 1969. I think I use it more now than I did then.
I have my metal Tarzan lunchbox displayed in my kitchen. 1972
We bought our daughter a vintage-looking metal Wizard of Oz lunch box, and I love that it is unique from all the modern day characters and high-tech thermal totes the kids bring to school. She was on a Wizard of Oz kick at the time, and still loves using it!
I have a Fred Flintstone lunchbox and thermos for my grandson. I found it in a rental house my husband and I bought three years ago. The past is not "in".
I'll go ahead and date myself : ). I had a metal Lone Ranger lunchbox and a Roy Rogers lunchbox too. Mom would put tea in thermos and I would change it to Coca Cola. At around 10 am, you would hear a boom in the hall lockers. Another thermos = toast. LOL
Alright! I still have my Roy Rogers lunchbox! Now, that was cool!
I still have my scotch plaid lunch box from the mid 60's. They found it tucked away above some old ducts when they were tearing them down to put a new furnace in the family home in which my brother still lives in.
My husband's brother had a Zorro lunch box that now decorates my home office. We love kitschy design, I also have a collection of old yard sticks and rulers. Love them!!
Some of those vintage lunch boxes are worth money……I sold one for $700
I still have my 1969 metal Jungle Book lunch box with the address label still on the inside. My friend next door, Julie, and I posed proudly with our new dresses & lunch boxes on the first day of second grade. What a treasured memory! I also remember breaking a ton of the glass thermos bottles too! My poor mom, opening my lunch box at the end of the day & finding a broken thermos with slightly soured milk still in it! I did save her the potato chips that tasted like bananas….yuck!
When my son was small, I bought him Smurfs, why because I liked them and watched the cartoons. I also bought a blue plastic smurf lunch box…not for him for me. Oh yes, I still have it.
I have an oval metal lunch box that definitely predates WW2, but I don't have a clue as to where and when it was made. I think they called them "lunch pails" back then. It holds sewing notions now.
Sweetly jealous of all y'all's lunchbox memories. Sadly, we had a cafeteria at our school growing up and no need for a lunchbox. Although I always begged my mom for one. My dog has a lunchbox for when I used to be able to take her to work with me. Perfect for carrying around treats, food and travel dog bowls. She wags her tail whenever I pick it up!
I never had one growing up…always had the brown paper bag lunch. I guess that's why I ended up wanting one so bad I started collecting them! My favorite is an original The Waltons metal lunchbox!
My dad was a construction worker and carried a black metal lunch box-the domed kind with the latch in the middle and a handle on top. I still have it, rusted some and definately in need of some TLC. This has inspired me to do something with it and display it in my home.
I used to carry a red Garfield lunch box to work with me at a law firm (when I was in my 40's). Sometimes the lawyers would look around in the refrigerator and help themselves if they thought no one would notice but no one ever bothered my lunch. I had a lot of fun with that lunch box! ^_^
We still have our kids Holly Hobby a plaid lunch box and gentle ben with thermos…Many happy memories
My original black plastic "Shari Lewis and her friends" was disposed of years ago, but I was thrilled when
my husband found an original online and gave it to me for my last birthday.
I started kindergarten in 195? with a metal Roy Rogers & Dale Evans lunchbox – it has a place of honor on the shelf in my kitchen now
Wow! I love everyone's lunch box stories/memories. Like most of you, my grade school lunch boxes are long gone. Maybe it's time for me to unleash my inner child and buy a kitschy one for work. I think everyone around here would appreciate it
I had the red plaid metal lunchbox when I was in grade school. I don't know what became of it. HOWEVER, I found one at a rummage sale for $1.00 and bought it immediately! I have it in my kitchen.
I had a baby blue Snorkles lunch box. I never knew what happened to that one or any of the others I've had. lol —-memory lane.
which reminds me… I also had a smurfs lunchbox. lol
I used to have a tin Bionic Woman lunchbox
So funny when I think about it, I even dedicated a blog post to it, http://www.cherylstyle.com/blog/2011/8/18/pick-of…