Family & Social Life

Bennet Family Record

Donations to the Museum have preserved irreplaceable evidence about generations of ordinary Americans. Objects from the Copp household of Stonington, Connecticut, include many items used by a single family from 1740 to 1850. Other donations have brought treasured family artifacts from jewelry to prom gowns. These gifts and many others are all part of the Museum's family and social life collections.

Children's books and Sunday school lessons, tea sets and family portraits also mark the connections between members of a family and between families and the larger society. Prints, advertisements, and artifacts offer nostalgic or idealized images of family life and society in times past. And the collections include a few modern conveniences that have had profound effects on American families and social life, such as televisions, video games, and personal computers.

Name: Aladdin

Ludwig Von Drake Thermos

This steel and glass thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1961. It has a screw-on blue plastic cup lid with handle and screw-on red plastic stopper. The bottle features cartoon images of Ludwig Von Drake in Disneyland.
Description (Brief)
This steel and glass thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1961. It has a screw-on blue plastic cup lid with handle and screw-on red plastic stopper. The bottle features cartoon images of Ludwig Von Drake in Disneyland. It is the companion bottle to lunch box number 2003.3070.10.01.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1961
referenced
Walt Disney Company
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
2003.3070.10.02
nonaccession number
2003.3070
catalog number
2003.3070.10.02

Bozo the Clown Thermos

This steel, glass and plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1983. It has a screw-on red plastic cup lid with handle and screw-on red plastic stopper. The thermos has colorful images of Bozo the Clown and other circus activities.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This steel, glass and plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1983. It has a screw-on red plastic cup lid with handle and screw-on red plastic stopper. The thermos has colorful images of Bozo the Clown and other circus activities.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1963
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
2003.3070.20.02
nonaccession number
2003.3070
catalog number
2003.3070.20.02

Robin Hood Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1956. The lunch box features imagery based on classic fairytale, Robin Hood.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1956. The lunch box features imagery based on classic fairytale, Robin Hood. The images on this lunchbox seem to be drawn from the 1938 film, The Adventures of Robin Hood that starred Errol Flynn in the titular role and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best picture.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1956
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
author
Woodall
ID Number
1988.3160.60
catalog number
1988.3160.60
nonaccession number
1988.3160

Laugh-In Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1969. The lunch boxes features imagery from the popular TV comedy show, Laugh-In. Laugh-In was a sketch comedy variety show that originally ran from 1968-1973 on NBC.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1969. The lunch boxes features imagery from the popular TV comedy show, Laugh-In. Laugh-In was a sketch comedy variety show that originally ran from 1968-1973 on NBC.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1969
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.36
nonaccession number
1988.3160
catalog number
1988.3160.36

The Waltons Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1973. The lunch box features imagery from the TV show The Waltons, which ran on CBS from 1972-1981.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1973. The lunch box features imagery from the TV show The Waltons, which ran on CBS from 1972-1981. The Waltons was a huge hit, winning five Primetime Emmy’s in 1973, including the Emmy for Outstanding Drama.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1973
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.44
catalog number
1988.3160.44
nonaccession number
1988.3160

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1956. The lunch box features imagery from the Western show The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, which aired from 1951-1958 on both television and the radio.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1956. The lunch box features imagery from the Western show The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, which aired from 1951-1958 on both television and the radio. Bill Hickok was portrayed by Guy Madison, and was accompanied by his comedic sidekick Jingles, played by Andy Devine
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1956
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.47
nonaccession number
1988.3160
catalog number
1988.3160.47

Miss America Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1972. The lunch box features imagery based on the annually televised Miss America Pageant.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1972. The lunch box features imagery based on the annually televised Miss America Pageant. Originally a beauty pageant when it began in 1921, the Miss America Pageant became a “scholarship pageant” over the years, offering its first scholastic financial aid in 1945. The Miss America Pageant is now the world’s largest provider of scholarships for young women, making $45 million dollars available in scholarships on a yearly basis.
Location
Currently on loan
Date made
1972
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.63
nonaccession number
1988.3160
catalog number
1988.3160.63

Land of the Giants Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1968, and includes a thermos bottle. The lunch box features imagery from Land of the Giants, a television show that ran on ABC from 1968-1970.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1968, and includes a thermos bottle. The lunch box features imagery from Land of the Giants, a television show that ran on ABC from 1968-1970. The show was produced by Irwin Allen, known for other science fiction and adventure classics like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, and The Time Tunnel. This show centered around the adventures of the crew of the spacecraft Spindrift, marooned on an alien planet whose residents, while humanoid, were 72 feet tall.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1968
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.59
catalog number
1988.3160.59
nonaccession number
1988.3160

The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams Lunch Box

This dome-shaped metal lunch box was made in 1977 by Aladdin Industries. The box features imagery based on the hit TV series, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, which ran on NBC for two years from 1977-1978.
Description (Brief)
This dome-shaped metal lunch box was made in 1977 by Aladdin Industries. The box features imagery based on the hit TV series, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, which ran on NBC for two years from 1977-1978. The television series was based off of a 1974 feature film of the same name that was a huge success. The fictional character of Grizzly Adams was based off of the real man, James Capen Adams, a man who roamed the wilderness and tamed bears and other animals, often for P.T. Barnum’s shows.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1977
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.41
catalog number
1988.3160.41
nonaccession number
1988.3160

Yogi Bear Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1974. The lunch box features images of Yogi Bear, a popular cartoon character originally from the animated TV series, The Huckleberrry Hound Show.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1974. The lunch box features images of Yogi Bear, a popular cartoon character originally from the animated TV series, The Huckleberrry Hound Show. Yogi Bear became such a popular character, that he eventually got his own series of shows, focusing on his adventures in Jellystone Park trying to outsmart Ranger Smith and get his paws on those delicious “pic-a-nic baskets.” Interestingly, the lunch box features a back with a chalkboard.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1963-1974
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.49
catalog number
1988.3160.49
nonaccession number
1988.3160

Mickey Mouse Club Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was made by Aladdin Industries in 1976. The lunch box features imagery from the popular children’s TV show, Mickey Mouse Club,. The original Mickey Mouse Club ran from 1955-1959 on ABC, but due to audience demand, the series remained popular into the 1960s.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was made by Aladdin Industries in 1976. The lunch box features imagery from the popular children’s TV show, Mickey Mouse Club,. The original Mickey Mouse Club ran from 1955-1959 on ABC, but due to audience demand, the series remained popular into the 1960s. Syndication started in 1962, with some new features edited in to the show, and syndication lasted until 1977, when Disney revived the series with The New Mickey Mouse Club.
date made
1976
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.54
catalog number
1988.3160.54
nonaccession number
1988.3160

Dick Tracy Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1967. The lunch box features images from the cartoon serial, Dick Tracy.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1967. The lunch box features images from the cartoon serial, Dick Tracy. Dick Tracy is depicted speaking into his two-way wristwatch radio, a 1946 addition to the comic strip that became the Tracy’s signature device and captured the imagination of children everywhere.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1967
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.46
nonaccession number
1988.3160
catalog number
1988.3160.46

Welcome Back, Kotter Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1976. The lunch box features imagery from the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter that aired from 1975-1979 on ABC.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1976. The lunch box features imagery from the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter that aired from 1975-1979 on ABC. Welcome Back, Kotter was a huge hit, helping propel John Travolta on to star in movies such as Grease and Saturday Night Fever.
Date made
1976
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.57
catalog number
1988.3160.57
nonaccession number
1988.3160

The Fall Guy Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1981. The lunch box features imagery based on the TV series, The Fall Guy. The Fall Guy ran on ABC from 1981-1986.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1981. The lunch box features imagery based on the TV series, The Fall Guy. The Fall Guy ran on ABC from 1981-1986. The show starred Lee Majors as Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman who uses the skills he develops as a “fall guy” to create a secondary source of income as a bounty hunter.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1981
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.38
catalog number
1988.3160.38
nonaccession number
1988.3160

Thundercats Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1985. The lunch box features imagery based on the TV show, Thundercats, that ran in syndication from 1985-1987.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1985. The lunch box features imagery based on the TV show, Thundercats, that ran in syndication from 1985-1987. The show was an exciting mix between fantasy, science-fiction, and mythology that recounted the adventures of the ThunderCats as they battled the evil Mumm-Ra on Third Earth.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1985
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.43
catalog number
1988.3160.43
nonaccession number
1988.3160

The Six Million Dollar Man Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was made by Aladdin Industries in 1974. The lunch box features imagery based on Lee Majors hit TV show, The Six Million Dollar Man, which ran from 1974-1978 on ABC.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was made by Aladdin Industries in 1974. The lunch box features imagery based on Lee Majors hit TV show, The Six Million Dollar Man, which ran from 1974-1978 on ABC. The front of the box features Lee Major’s character Steve Austin using his bionic abilities to bend steel, leap a car, outrace a horse, and uproot a small tree. The opposite side shows Austin using his bionic strength to dispatch bad guys wielding a small tree.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1974
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.51
catalog number
1988.3160.51
nonaccession number
1988.3160

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1967. The lunch box bears imagery based on the movie and subsequent television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Description (Brief)
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1967. The lunch box bears imagery based on the movie and subsequent television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was a 1961 film created by Irwin Allen, which was followed by a TV series that ran from 1964-1968 and used the same sets, costumes, and props.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1967
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
Woodall
ID Number
1988.3160.61
catalog number
1988.3160.61
nonaccession number
1988.3160

Bonanza Lunch Box

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1965. The lunch box features imagery based on the TV western Bonanza which aired from 1959-1973 on NBC. Bonanza aired 430 episodes, and is one of the longest running shows of all time.
Description
This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1965. The lunch box features imagery based on the TV western Bonanza which aired from 1959-1973 on NBC. Bonanza aired 430 episodes, and is one of the longest running shows of all time. Bonanza held the number one spot on the Nielsen ratings chart from 1964-1966.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1965
collected for nmah
Smithsonian Institution
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
1988.3160.62
nonaccession number
1988.3160
catalog number
1988.3160.62

Pinocchio Thermos

This plastic and glass thermos bottle was made by Aladdin Industries in 1971. It has a screw-on red plastic cup lid with handle and screw-on white plastic stopper.
Description (Brief)
This plastic and glass thermos bottle was made by Aladdin Industries in 1971. It has a screw-on red plastic cup lid with handle and screw-on white plastic stopper. The bottle features a scene from Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, of Jiminy Cricket lecturing to Pinocchio as his conscience.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1971
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
2003.3070.13.02
nonaccession number
2003.3070
catalog number
2003.3070.13.02

Tarzan Thermos

This steel, glass and plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin Industries in 1967. It has a screw-on green plastic cup lid with handle and green plastic stopper.
Description (Brief)
This steel, glass and plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin Industries in 1967. It has a screw-on green plastic cup lid with handle and green plastic stopper. The bottle features colorful action images of Tarzan swinging through the jungle, watched by his ape friend Cheeta and a child.
Description
This steel, glass and plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin Industries in 1967. It has a screw-on green plastic cup lid with handle and green plastic stopper. The bottle features colorful action images of Tarzan swinging through the jungle, watched by his ape friend Cheeta and a child.
Comic book featuring the pulp action hero “Tarzan”. DC’s Tarzan of the Apes series ran from 1972-1977. It began with issue no. 207, following the sequencing of the Title’s former publisher, Gold Key Comics, whose version ran from 1948-1972.
“Tarzan” is a fictional character created by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950). Burrough’s introduced his vine-swinging jungle hero in the story Tarzan of the Apes first published in the magazine The All-Story in 1912. The story was later reprinted as a standalone novel in 1914.
An Englishman from a noble family, Tarzan’s family dies while on an African Expedition. As an infant he us taken in and raised by Apes in Africa, learning to communicate with animals and developing exceptions strength and dexterity. Although he later discovers his human origins, Tarzan decides to remain in the jungle, developing a romantic relationship with marooned Englishwoman Jane Porter.
One of the 20th centuries first action-adventure heroes, Tarzan became a global phenomenon, inspiring the prolific Burroughs, also known for works such as his John Carter of Mars series, to pen 23 sequels featuring his “ape-man.” Inspiring scores of other pulp adventure heroes, Tarzan has become of the world’s most recognized literary characters. He remains a vital part of our shared popular culture, featured in novelizations, comic books, television, and feature films.
Reflecting many outdated cultural beliefs, the story of Tarzan expressed many elitist and racist notions accepted at the time of Burrough’s writing.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1967
Associated Name
Burroughs, Edgar Rice
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
2003.3070.17.02
nonaccession number
2003.3070
catalog number
2003.3070.17.02

Tarzan Lunch Box

This steel lunch box was made by Aladdin in 1967. It has a metal snap for its hinged lid and a collapsible green plastic handle.
Description (Brief)
This steel lunch box was made by Aladdin in 1967. It has a metal snap for its hinged lid and a collapsible green plastic handle. The box is green and features colorful action images of Tarzan in jungle settings on all external surfaces, watched by his ape friend Cheeta and the orphan boy Jai. This box had art that was based on the Tarzan television series that ran from 1966-1968 on NBC.
Description
This steel lunch box was made by Aladdin in 1967. It has a metal snap for its hinged lid and a collapsible green plastic handle. The box is green and features colorful action images of Tarzan in jungle settings on all external surfaces, watched by his ape friend Cheeta and the orphan boy Jai. This box had art that was based on the Tarzan television series that ran from 1966-1968 on NBC.
“Tarzan” is a fictional character created by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950). Burrough’s introduced his vine-swinging jungle hero in the story Tarzan of the Apes first published in the magazine The All-Story in 1912. The story was later reprinted as a standalone novel in 1914.
An Englishman from a noble family, Tarzan’s family dies while on an African Expedition. As an infant he us taken in and raised by Apes in Africa, learning to communicate with animals and developing exceptions strength and dexterity. Although he later discovers his human origins, Tarzan decides to remain in the jungle, developing a romantic relationship with marooned Englishwoman Jane Porter.
One of the 20th centuries first action-adventure heroes, Tarzan became a global phenomenon, inspiring the prolific Burroughs, also known for works such as his John Carter of Mars series, to pen 23 sequels featuring his “ape-man.” Inspiring scores of other pulp adventure heroes, Tarzan has become of the world’s most recognized literary characters. He remains a vital part of our shared popular culture, featured in novelizations, comic books, television, and feature films.
Reflecting many outdated cultural beliefs, the story of Tarzan has expressed many elitist and racist notions accepted at the time of Burrough’s writing.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1967
Associated Name
Burroughs, Edgar Rice
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
2003.3070.17.01
nonaccession number
2003.3070
catalog number
2003.3070.17.01

Batman and Robin Lunch Box

This steel lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1966. The lunch box features images of the comic strip version of Batman and Robin that ran from 1966-1974.
Description (Brief)
This steel lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1966. The lunch box features images of the comic strip version of Batman and Robin that ran from 1966-1974. These Batman and Robin strips took on the some of the campy nature of television’s Batman, but also introduced some of the series most interesting storylines.
Date made
1966
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
2003.3070.01
nonaccession number
2003.3070
catalog number
2003.3070.01

Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Lunch Box

This steel lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1954. As one of the earliest metal lunch boxes, it served as a template for future designs with large colorful images of licensed fictional characters.
Description (Brief)
This steel lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1954. As one of the earliest metal lunch boxes, it served as a template for future designs with large colorful images of licensed fictional characters. This box features images from Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, a television show that aired on all four major networks from 1950-1955. Tom Corbett, Space Cadet also appeared as a book series, comic strip, and radio program. The back of the box features a diagram on the solar system, complete with distances from earth.
Date made
1954
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
2003.3070.18.01
catalog number
2003.3070.18.01
nonaccession number
2003.3070

Emergency! Thermos

This plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1973. It has a screw-on red cup lid with handle, but the stopper is missing. The thermos features images from the television series, Emergency!. Emergency!
Description (Brief)
This plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1973. It has a screw-on red cup lid with handle, but the stopper is missing. The thermos features images from the television series, Emergency!. Emergency! ran from 1972-1978 on NBC, and chronicled the adventures of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1973
maker
Aladdin
ID Number
2003.3070.21.02
nonaccession number
2003.3070
catalog number
2003.3070.21.02

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