logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
28m 26s

How Tupperware took over our homes, with...

NPR
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Jul 31
What makes a toy go viral
Squishy, slimy, fidgety toys are having a moment. But it’s more than just an anxiety-soothing, social-media fueled trend – these toys are reshaping how toys get made.Today on the show, we have the story of the once-humble squishy dumpling and what it teaches us about how to make ... Show More
25m 35s
Jul 29
How to beat the resource curse in Norway (Summer School)
Let’s call it the luxury of restraint. This is what enabled Norway to avoid the fate of so many other countries when they discovered oil and it changed the mix of their economy overnight.Norway! It’s expensive, wealthy, and abundant in resources. We’re going to compare two of the ... Show More
38m 55s
Jul 24
Piles of cash and a town of solutions in Kenya, Nigeria (Summer School)
Let’s head to a small town in Kenya that’s become globally famous for helping economists answer some of the biggest questions facing humanity.In Kenya and Nigeria, economics isn’t just theory, it’s real life. We’ll look at some radical experiments that turned out to be enormously ... Show More
38m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2025
The Queen of Tupperware
Who ushered housewives into the workforce and plastic storage containers into America’s kitchens? Today on the show, the rise and fall of Brownie Wise, the woman behind Tupperware's plastic empire — and a revolution in women’s work.Guests:Alison Clarke, author of Tupperware, the ... Show More
49m 9s
May 2015
How Tupperware Works
<p>Tupperware won immediate design acclaim when it was released in 1947, but it took a pioneering female executive to make a line of plastic food storage into an icon of the American postwar boom. Learn about the surprisingly intriguing history of Tupperware.</p><p> </p> Learn mo ... Show More
37m 15s
Jun 2023
The Tupperware Queen
July 2, 1957. At the annual Tupperware jubilee in Florida, company VP Brownie Wise is admiring her handiwork. 1,200 people have convened on her private island for a luau—complete with live lobsters, orchid leis and prizes for Tupperware’s top sellers. Most of the people here owe ... Show More
29m 15s
Apr 2023
Tupperware’s Party is over
<p> In today’s episode for 13th April 2023, we explore the rise and fall of the plastic container giant Tupperware. </p> 
5m 53s
Jul 2018
Brownie Wise - “The Art Of Selling”
Brownie Wise didn't just sell Tupperware, she revolutionized sales strategies and created lasting opportunities for working mothers. However, her volatile relationship with Earl Tupper cost her job, her contacts, and for years, her credit for making Tupperware a household name. S ... Show More
1h 5m
Aug 2023
Brownie Wise: The creator of Tupperware parties
In the 1950s, self-made businesswoman Brownie Wise transformed the fortunes of Tupperware by inspiring thousands of housewives to sell it at parties.Her methods for motivating staff included selling the dress off her back and holding annual parties at the company's headquarters.B ... Show More
9m 12s
Nov 2022
🚫 “Should TikTok be banned?” — TikTok’s trojan horse. Tupperware’s leftover bite. The housing market’s fire.
The awkwardest question in business right now: Should TikTok be banned? Tupperware invented the leftover, but its stock just fell 40% because of philosophy. And buying a home is about to get even harder because the Fed raised interest rates again – To save the family, it’s burnin ... Show More
17m 59s
Oct 2022
Get Your Tupperware–at Target
tail spinning
4m 11s
Apr 2023
Get in loser, we're selling tupperware! (with Sophie Dickinson)
The director's cut version of Mina's "let's discuss MLMs, Pyramid Schemes, and Grindset Culture video she published onto Youtube on Monday. In this expanded edition, she shares listener stories, debunks bogus claims by MLMs like Young Living, and talks with journalist Sophie Dick ... Show More
1h 16m
Apr 2024
Why Marketing Works: Stanley Tumbler
What’s got Karen caught in a Target tizzy of absolute madness?  Stanley Cup— that’s who. How did a 110-year-old brand that was barely making a blip on the radar cause mass hysteria overnight? Aidan breaks down the tumbler’s battle-hardy past and explains how, with the help of one ... Show More
12m 23s