Back in the Day… Our Moms had Tupperware Parties

Did you know that every three seconds a Tupperware party starts somewhere on the planet? That’s a lot of partying. As you read this post, people everywhere are setting out nesting bowls, super stackers, and Dutch ovens while indulging in finger foods and frothy drinks.

When I was growing up many of our mothers had home parties. There was Avon, Mary Kay, and PartyLite. When I got older there was Pampered Chef and Stampin’ Up. But the granddaddy of all was Tupperware.

After World War II, millions of people moved to the burbs, had families, and started making those huge home-cooked meals in the golden age of plenty. Those post-war baby boomers needed something easy and efficient to store all that leftover mac and cheese. Earl Tupper came on the scene in 1946 and the rest was history.

Some of those Tupperware parties were pretty swanky. In the 60s and early 70s women dressed up for these affairs. They wore skirts and high heels while passing around gelatin rings and burping bowls. Things got a little more casual in the 80s. You could show up in a nice pair of jeans and a sweater without socially humiliating yourself.

Those magical tubs could hold just about anything. Usually they held jello and leftover mashed potatoes. But when your mom got a new set or they were distorted after too many cycles in the dishwasher, she’d hand them over to the kids. That’s when we got our chance to fill up Earl’s Tupperware.

We’d fill those funky plastic tubs with cookies, Kool-Aid, and our favorite rocks from the driveway. Sometimes we siphoned a little hooch from Dad’s liquor cabinet to save for Friday night. That way you could hide it in plain sight in your bedroom. Tupperware was so deeply associated with wholesome family values that most moms would never think anything sinister could be lurking beneath those tightly fitted lids.

Chocolate pudding, Grandma’s green jello, and leftover mac and cheese. Cheap vodka, sticks, stones, and words that broke your bones, it all nicely fit into Tupperware… back in the day.