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10/27/11
Fun Cardboard Box Facts

Have you ever wondered where the cardboard box came from? Contrary to popular belief, cardboard has not been around forever! While searching the web last week for something completely unrelated, I happened upon a brief history of this great invention. I thought it was pretty interesting so thought I would share some fun facts with you on this chilly fall day!

The first commercially available paperboard box was invented/produced in 1817 in England. This was not the corrugated cardboard we are used to today, but more like a shoebox.
The first commercially available corrugated box was created and produced in the USA in 1895. Until the early 1900's, nearly all shipping was done in wooden crates.
There is actually a real museum dedicated to the cardboard box! It is located in Valréas, France, and is called Musée du Cartonnage et de l'Imprimerie (Museum of the Cardboard Box).
There is a simple cardboard box in the National Toy Hall of Fame. Really! Children have been playing with boxes for as long as they have been around.

With Halloween right around the corner, we couldn't resist sharing with you some of our favorite Halloween costumes made out of this wonderful invention! Have you ever used a box for a costume?