Lunch Box, "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet"
This "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet" lunch box, manufactured by Aladdin Industries beginning in 1952, was only the second television character lunch box ever created. The plain red metal box's only illustration is a decal featuring "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet," the star of a space adverture series that played out in daily and Sunday comic strips, on the radio, and on television. Just two years after the company's success with the first ever television character lunchbox featuring cowboy Hopalong Cassidy, this lunchbox began Aladdin's long-standing strategy of marketing lunchboxes using popular characters -- and promoting mass media programming using lunchboxes.
The lunchbox and its accompanying insulated bottle were given to the Museum by Aladdin Industries in 2008.
Display Status
This object is on display in James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.
Object Details
Date
1952-1953
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture
Manufacturer
Aladdin Industries Incorporated
Artist
Robert O. Burton
Dimensions
3-D: 21.6 x 8.9 x 19.1cm (8 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.)
Materials
Metal
Inventory Number
A20070086000
Credit Line
Gift of Aladdin Industries, L.L.C.
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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