Tupperware, the iconic US company that has been conquering the world’s kitchens with its colourful plastic containers for decades, is now facing insolvency. Despite its financial difficulties, Tupperware's legacy in the world of design remains undeniable. Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award, summarises why the simple, functional aesthetics of the brand have had a lasting influence on everyday culture and industrial design.
Earl Tupper, who founded Tupperware in 1938, was looking for a solution to keep food fresh for longer and developed an innovative plastic container with an airtight lid. This simple yet efficient design was revolutionary, especially at a time when refrigerators were not yet widespread. Tupperware established itself as a design phenomenon that follows the famous design formula “form follows function”. “There is hardly a product that better embodies this formula than Tupperware,” emphasises Zec. The simple and practical shape of the containers reflects pure functionality: keeping food fresh, storing it and stacking it.
Peter Zec, who has curated two exhibitions on Tupperware, including “Fresh in Form. Tupperware – Aesthetics of an Everyday Culture” from the “Myths of Everyday Life” series, shows that Tupperware is not only functional but also worthy of exhibition as a design icon.
Despite its fundamental focus on functionality, Tupperware has responded to changing times by adapting the colour spectrum and shapes of its products to current fashion trends without losing its own identity. “The Tupperware containers never looked dusty,” says Zec. The ability to adapt while remaining true to its own design ethos has kept Tupperware relevant for generations and contributed significantly to its success.
A major factor in Tupperware's success was the innovative marketing strategy of Tupperware parties. These sales events, at which women presented the products in their own living rooms, offered a unique opportunity to demonstrate the special functions – such as the “Tupperware sigh”, the hissing sound when the containers are opened. “As a user, you had to master the Tupperware sigh,” explains Zec. The Tupperware parties not only introduced the product to customers, but also created an emotional connection to the brand. This concept gave the containers a certain exclusivity, which was even reflected in popular culture, for example in the TV series The Simpsons. “An original Tupperware container was something special,” emphasises Zec.
Although Tupperware faces an uncertain future today, the product itself remains current. Peter Zec points out that the containers themselves continue to offer excellent design in terms of both functionality and sustainability. “Tupperware is anything but a disposable product,” he says. With a 30-year guarantee and a consistent focus on durability, Tupperware ensures that its products are not simply disposed of but used for decades.
The challenge for the company, then, lies not in the product, but in its outdated business concept: “They have not understood the need to move with the times. The company was late to the party when it came to digitalisation and the online market, especially in the US,” says Zec. Tupperware remains a pioneer in the design world, but without a new marketing and sales concept, it will find it difficult to adapt to modern market requirements.
Zec concludes optimistically, but also with a certain wistfulness: “Maybe this really was it for Tupperware containers.” However, one thing is certain: whether as an everyday product or a museum piece, Tupperware's significance in design history remains – a legacy that lives on in every kitchen.
