Blame it on Hoppy. When the Hopalong Cassidy tin lunchbox hit stores in 1950, bag lunches faced a formidable competitor. Now, those tasty peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches could be packed securely in a container festooned with images of your favorite performers or TV characters. Even better, the accompanying thermos bottle carried through the visual theme. In the first year of production, Aladdin Industries, Inc., the Hopalong manufacturer, sold over 600,000 Hoppy lunchboxes at $2.69 each. For the next 35-plus years (the Golden Age of Lunchboxes), metal lunchboxes provided a reliable source of bragging rights for schoolkids. Mark Kelehan of Elkhorn, Neb., brought his lunches to school in a paper bag. Nowadays though, the avid collector has over 1,200 lunchboxes in his collection, plus a massive assortment of related artifacts and reference materials. Heres how an enduring interest came to be. In 1994, I went to a flea market in Omaha and saw a 1980 Pac-Man lunchbox, and thought it was super cool, even though it was a little beat up. It reminded me of a lot of things from my childhood. After I bought that lunchbox, I was curious to know what others there were, so I found a lunchbox price guide. When I saw how many were actually made, it kick-started my interest in buying more. I started going to toy shows, meeting collectors who had other things like production art and production plates. I love hunting down this kind of stuff. It helps me better understand the companies and the history of lunchboxes. Its exciting, and I meet new people along the way. One of those new people was Robert Jones, a former illustrator for Aladdin and many of its lunchboxes. Now included in Mark Kelehans collection is Jones original concept art for that 1980 Pac-Man lunchbox. Although Hopalong Cassidy was the first metal lunchbox to take the nation by storm, it wasnt the first character box marketed. That distinction belongs to 1935s Mickey Mouse Lunch Kit, which had limited production. With the intervention of WWII, development lay dormant until Hoppy rode onto the scene in 1950. Next to saddle up: Roy Rogers. The Roy Rogers lunchbox came from Aladdins main competitor, King-Seeley Thermos (known today as Thermos L.L.C.). In 1953, King-Seeley sold 2 and a half million Roy Rogers lunchboxes. The increased popularity can be traced to the vivid, full-color lithographed images on every side of the lunchbox. (The 1950 Hopalong Cassidy lunchbox was a single color, with a Hoppy decal on one side.) By 1954, Aladdin had also switched to fully-illustrated, full-color lunchboxes, and Hoppy was upgraded. From 1950 until 1986, over 200 million lunchboxes were sold. (The most popular: the Disney School Bus from the 1960s, with nearly 10 million purchased.) The last mass-produced metal lunchboxes were 1985s Rambo from King-Seeley, and Aladdins Thundercats in 1986. Fortunately for collectors, 200 million lunchboxes means there are still plenty around to collect. A recent eBay search brought up nearly 11,000 listings. Many are in less than pristine condition, since theyve been knocking around for 60 to 70 years. The selling price for a lunchbox in average condition ranges from $50 to $70. A box with significant damage, unless historically important, will sell for much less. One with its original tags will sell for much more. For non-baby boomers, there are still opportunities to chow down on the lunchbox experience. In 2023, Mark Kelehans collection was the focus of The Lunchbox: Packed With Pop Culture, a major exhibit at The Durham Museum (a Smithsonian affiliate) in Omaha. Notes Kelehan, There has never before been an exhibit that displays all the one-of-a-kind paintings and original production artifacts. Future goals include having the exhibit travel to other venues across the nation, plus one or more books on lunchboxes. Says Mark, I think the topic and insights are timeless. Lunchboxes are a great reflection of history and popular culture in the United States. They all tell stories. All photos and reference materials courtesy of Mark Kelehan (mak.lunchbox@gmail.com). Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann. Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous books on design and collectibles, including Postwar Pop, a collection of his columns. He lived near the school, so usually went home for lunch. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com.