Swingline “Tot 50”

[Life, September 17, 1956. Click for a larger view.]

I think that some of the claims for this stapler defy plausibility. Though for all I know, reader, you too make your own sandwich bags, carry extra staples anywhere you go, and consider the “Tot 50” “the ideal gift.” You may even sport a Swingline beanie.

For me the most evocative trace of the past in this ad is neither the book cover nor the book bag but the reference to variety stores. The store I remember is Cheap Charlie’s (Thirteenth Avenue, Brooklyn). I can still see in my mind’s eye the shelf that held the Elmer’s Glue-All and LePage’s Mucilage. No staplers though.

For students: this post explains why you should staple pages (unless, that is, your professor asks for paper clips).

[The quotation marks surrounding Tot 50 appeared on the “stapler itself.” Weird.]