CHILDHOOD CONNECTIONS

Any former child who lounged in front of a television is familiar with the characters displayed in the lunch box collection kindly loaned by Clay Smith. From the wacky space family of The Jetsons to The Powerpu Girls who saved the world before bedtime, the iconic characters seen here all experiened on-screen success which was amplified through sales of countless consumer products.

These lunch boxes transcend a simple piece of metal, plastic, or vinyl. For many children, choosing the right lunch box during back-to-school shopping was an important form of personal expression. Decorated with popular cartoon characters, these lunch boxes are passionately pursued as collectibles rooted in nostalgia.