The story of brownie wise, the ingenious marketer behind. Earl tupper biography 2017 facts, childhood, wiki, family. A new book has revealed the rise and fall of an american pioneer for women, brownie wise, who was considered the queen of tupperware as she spurred the. Raised in central massachusetts, birthplace of the plastics industry, he was a compulsive tinkerer, inventing, among hundreds of other things, a fishpowered boat. A trailblazing businesswoman decades ahead of her time, wise created the tupperware home party phenomenon in the 1950s. When none of his ventures succeeded, he took a job in a leominster plastics factory and. Delving into the historical aspect of a true american icon, this book traces the triumphs and mishaps of eccentric inventor earl tupper. Search 819 then share your genealogy and compare dna to grow an accurate global family tree thats free forever. Tupper company soon changed the bulk of its business from subcontracting for dupont to equipping american troops with gas masks and other items for world war ii. Earl tupper, a pioneer in the polyethylene industry, began making plastic housewares in 1938. October 3, 1983 costa rica founder, tupperware, inc by making plastic attractive for home use and inventing a lid that kept food fresh, earl tupper revolutionized the storage industry and influenced the design of all sorts of household products. Wonderlier bowls by earl tupper was the first product inspired by the paint can seal machine. Jul 28, 1996 the plastic stuff with the legendary seal, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, has chronicled american lifestyles better than many history books or consumer polls. Vintage tupperware is making a comeback with collectors.
Her drive and creativity fueled sales and profits for the once sleepy plastic containers company. Earl tupper, the inventorowner, who would just assume keep a low profile and make his money, and brownie wise, who brought tuppers wares to market, building the highlysuccessful directsales operation, the home party division. Although tupperware was invented by a man named earl tupper. History of kissimmee through its residents both past and present has 835 members. Pdf tupperware unsealed brownie wise earl tupper and the. Tracing the fortunes of earl tupper s polyethylene containers from early design to global. Brownie wise, earl tupper, and the home party pioneers kealing, bob on. Earl tupper family, childhood, life achievements, facts, wiki and bio of 2017. Life of the party book columbus metropolitan library. Brownie wise, earl tupper, and the home party pioneers kealing, bob. Alison clarke tells tupperwares story with wit and erudition.
By 1951, the concept was so successful that tupper decided to pull the product from stores and sell exclusively through parties. In 1956 new yorks museum of modern art featured tupperware products in an exhibition of modern design. Fired under mysterious circumstances, she was written out of tupperware history and died in obscurity. How the queen of tupperware brownie wise was brought down. Earl ordered brownie to bring the books, immediately, to new england. This summer, an expanded and updated version of the book is being published with the title life of the party. The drama that ensued is must read business history. His pr people emphasized that she was a great storythe single mom, a sunshine cinderella down in florida, running this company. Brownie wise, earl tupper, and the home party pioneers book online at best prices in india on. Always devising better gadgets and gizmos, tupper held equally. Earl tupper invented the containers seal, but it was a savvy, conventiondefying entrepreneur who got the product line into the homes of housewives. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers.
Brownie wise, earl tupper, and the home party pioneers. Earl silas tupper july 28, 1907 october 5, 1983 was an american businessman and inventor, best known as the inventor of tupperware, an airtight plastic container for storing food, and for founding the related home products company that bears his name, tupperware plastics company. Life of the party the remarkable story of how brownie wise built, and lost, a tupperware party empire book. The story of tupperware is the story of two characters. It was only after the war that tupper decided to focus on producing plastic consumer goods. Tupperware was conceived in 1946 by the companys founder earl tupper.
Tupper, wisely, put wise in charge of sales and the brand successfully sky rocketed since. The tip top town now has its own entry in the images of america series, depicting the towns growth from a wilderness outpost to a bustling logging town. Tuppers plastic containers for household use were strong while being light in weight, but they didnt sell as well in stores without demonstrations to illustrate all their useful attributes to the homemaker. The paper i got today from the social security death index states earl albert tupper was born 101894 he died 821975. His single manufacturing and distributing company in massachusetts was small and modest, but tupper s ideas were large and bold. Archives center at the national museum of american history. Brownie wise, earl tupper, and the home party pioneers by bob kealing. Jul 08, 2016 brownie wise was a plumbers daughter, a divorcee, and a single mother of one, hired by tupperware inventor earl tupper to run his business from orlando in florida in 1951. How brownie wise and tupperware empowered women in the.
Earl tupper anointed wise as the company figurehead and marketing guru. Clarke, a tutor in design history and material culture at the royal college of art in london, breaks new ground in our understanding of 1950s. The book recalls the history of tupperware and its expansion from a small locally run distributorship, to a mega conglomerate with its own theme song, motivational rewards cadillacs galore and the swift replacement of brownie wise when there were clashes between herself and the man of tupperware, earl tupper. Earl tupper family group hannah green ahnentafel no. Anselm tupper 17631808, continental army officer, pioneer to the ohio country, son of benjamin tupper. In the book, clarke tells the story of earl tupper and brownie wise. Florida frontiers brownie wise and tupperware florida. Earl tupper s innovative method for molding plastic into clean, modern designs has landed vintage tupperware in museums. Tupper, who created the line of plastic food and drink containers known as tupperware, died of a heart attack monday in costa rica.
Life of the party by bob kealing the crown publishing group. Tracing the fortunes of earl tuppers polyethylene containers from early design to global distribution, alison j. Brownie wise, earl tupper, and the home party pioneers online books in format pdf. Online shopping for from a great selection of history used, new and collectible books. By 1945, he had patented and put on the market an airtight seal for plastic containers. Earl silas tupper july 28, 1907 october 5, 1983 was an american businessman and. Brownie wise was a plumbers daughter, a divorcee, and a single mother of one, hired by tupperware inventor earl tupper to run his business from orlando in florida in 1951. Clarke explains how tupperware tapped into potent commercial and social forces, becoming a prevailing symbol of late twentiethcentury consumer culture. Tracing the fortunes of earl tupper s polyethylene containers from early design to global distribution, alison j. You can also now book a breakfast party, a barbecue party, and an any timeyoufancy party. A wonderful account of 20th century social sciences sits inside most peoples kitchen cabinets.
Earl silas tupper american experience official site pbs. Source citations are included at the bottom of the page. In 1951, as earl tupper s novel wares gathered dust in american department stores, he took a cue from wise and others successfully selling tupperware at hostess parties and abandoned instore sales completely. Earl tupper put her out there as the face of tupperware. Clarke, a tutor in design history and material culture at the royal college of art in london, breaks new ground in our understanding of 1950s culture. Tupper sold his goods became a well known part of american life and made him a millionaire. Archelaus tupper died 1781, sergeant in the vermont militia, the circumstances of whose death in a skirmish with a british military unit caused a scandal when it became known that vermont was engaged in separate peace negotiations with the british. Tupper s plastic containers for household use were strong while being light in weight, but they didnt sell as well in stores without demonstrations to illustrate all their useful attributes to the homemaker. Earl tupper invented the containers seal, but it was a savvy. Brownie wise, earl tupper, and the home party pioneers and read tupperware unsealed.
You can also now book a breakfast party, a barbecue party, and an any timeyou fancy party. This is the riveting and unaccountably forgotten story of brownie wise, the single mom and 1950s tupperware saleswoman extraordinaire who captivated the heart of everyone in postwar americaeveryone, that is, except her boss, earl tupper. Earl tupper was a dreamer and a tinkerer who liked to improve the things he saw around him. Kealing offers the definitive portrait of brownie wise, a plucky businesswoman who divorced her alcoholic husband, started her own successful business, and eventually caught the eye of tupperware inventor, earl tupper, whose plastic containers were. Newsweek this detailed and entertaining book explores how the plastic storage containers. History tupperware was conceived in 1946 by the companys founder earl tupper. Under either name, its an entertaining read about the history of tupperware created by earl tupper, and the woman who became its greatest spokesperson and sales genius, brownie wise. In 1948, earl tupper introduced a new brand of airtight containers called tupperware that allowed for food to be preserved and stored. The promise of plastic in 1950s america, an entertaining study of the sociological and psychological significance of the phenomenon, alison j. Check out other translated books in french, spanish languages. She started getting presslike the cover of business week, and slowly it seemed like she got enamored with the publicity. For the first time in the magazines history, a woman on the cover.
Critics praised the household containers for their purity of design and functional form. Tupperware is identified as one of the 10 greatest inventions of the 20th century by the guinness book of world records. Biographies of tupper earl silas and more tupper earl silas biography. Earl tupper, the inventorowner, who would just assume keep a low profile and make his money, and brownie wise, who brought tupper s wares to market, building the highlysuccessful directsales operation, the home party division. Tupper took this experience and founded a plastics company of his own 1938. Apr 10, 2018 the story of brownie wise, the ingenious marketer behind the tupperware party earl tupper invented the containers seal, but it was a savvy, conventiondefying entrepreneur who got the product. Kealing did a large portion of the research for his book in smithsonian collections. Life of the party restores wises legacy as an innovative and pioneering businesswoman, and gives her the credit she so richly deserves. Tupper fired wise under mysterious circumstances, wrote her out of company history, and left her with a pittance while he walked away with a fortune. Always devising better gadgets and gizmos, tupper held equally strong opinions about how to improve the people around him. How brownie wise and tupperware empowered women in the 1950s. Tupperware was invented by earl tupper, who introduced the first sales in 1946.
Tupperware through the ages september, 2012 every 1. Earl tupper admin 2 weeks ago biography leave a comment 41 views wellknown for inventing tupperware plastic material storage containers, he set up the tupperware plastics firm and began selling his products in the past due 1930s. Alison j clarke from wonder bowls to icetup molds to party susans, tupperware has become an icon of suburban living. Now the guinness book of world records calls it one of the enduring symbols of our era. The story of brownie wise, the ingenious marketer behind the tupperware party earl tupper invented the containers seal, but it was a savvy, conventiondefying entrepreneur who got the product line. On this day in 1907, earl tupper, inventor of tupperware, was born. Tupperware fun facts things you didnt know about tupperware. Famous for inventing tupperware plastic storage containers, he established the tupperware plastics company and began selling his products in the late 1930s. Wise paved the way for other pioneering businesswomen.
The book gives a detailed business playbyplay and back and forth between brownie wise and earl tupper but the author fails to cover brownies closest. History of kissimmee through its residents both past and. From wonder bowls to icetup molds to party susans, tupperware has become an icon of suburban living. To demonstrate tupperwares patented seal, brownie wise tosses a bowl filled with water at a party. His brilliance coupled with his eventual collaboration with entrepreneurial genius brownie wise, a woman with a mind for business attributed in the 1950s almost exclusively to men, led to the development of one the most enduring direct. Born to a poor farming family, he aspired to be a millionaire and a famous inventor. The plastic stuff with the legendary seal, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, has chronicled american lifestyles better than many history books or consumer polls. The strong southern woman behind a plastics empire.
Brownie wise, the first woman to appear on the cover of business week, was the driving force behind making tupperware a household name. Long before disney, her lavish national headquarters drew tourists from near and far to the outskirts of orlando, florida, where she held court with the press, politicians, and movie stars. Clarke explains how tupperware tapped into potent commercial and social forces, becoming a prevailing symbol of late twentiethcentury. Tupper, the conservative new englander who worked for dupont, created tupperware in 1942. Tupperware unsealed was rereleased in 2016 under the title life of the party. Brownie wise, earl tupper and the home party pioneers is being made into a film starring academy award winning actress sandra bullock.
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