School Lunch Kits
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Johnson, Victor S., Sr., 1882-1943
label: Collection Creator
content: Johnson, Victor, Jr., 1906-
label: Collection Creator
content: Aladdin Industries, Inc. (Nashville, Tenn.).
setName: label: See more items in
content: Aladdin Industries, Inc. Records
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1952-1993
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0844, Series 9
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: These materials are arranged into six subseries: historical background, product literature, consumer studies, advertisements, original artwork and body artwork. The historical materials, 1950-1986, provide background information on the names of the decorated kits and when they were introduced.  Various inventories document the type of kit (flat steel, flat plastic, dome steel, dome plastic, soft vinyl, and barrel bags) and provide the jobber price, and dealer price. The product literature, 1951-1993, consists of printed materials describing, and announcing school lunch kits.  Some price information is available.  These materials are arranged chronologically.   The consumer studies conducted between 1980 and 1989 deal with school lunch kit preferences.  The studies were conducted by National Data Network and Richard J. Wass & Associates to determine the reaction of the target audience, measure opinions of the target audience, and determine the likes of the audience regarding character decorations.  The school lunch kit advertising consists of oversize advertisements (20"x 24") placed in newspapers and magazines announcing forthcoming lunch kits.  These ads include character-decorated kits for Gunsmoke, Dura Clad, Flinstones, Huckleberry Hound, Gigi, Paladin, Disneyland, Space Cadet, Chuck Wagon, Duchess, Plaid, Zorro, and Steve Canyon.  The original artwork, 1952-1989,  consists of art for all aspects of the lunch kit. Some of the art was done by Robert O. Burton (1950-1960), Elmer Lehnhardt (1960-1985), Beverly Burge (1976-1989), and Don Hosse (1983-1990s).  The artwork is pencil, colored pencil, ink, and paint on presentation boards.  The artwork varies in size with the largest pieces being 10" x 48".   The artwork is arranged alphabetically.