A group of women in colorful party outfits gather in the living room of a farmhouse. Laughter reaches a crescendo when canisters of water are thrown across the room to demonstrate the “leak-proof seal.”
Another partygoer climbs on top of the bowl and shows off his strength.
Beyond the party guests, panoramic jugs, containers and bowls in harvest gold, avocado green and pastel colors stand like soldiers on the table.
By the time the party is over, they move into a new cupboard, a Tupperware cupboard.
Mt Gambier’s Margaret Pink smiles as she recalls thousands of parties thrown in South Australia’s south-east during her 57 years as Australia’s second-longest ‘Tupperware Lady’.
Margaret Pink has been selling Tupperware for 57 years. (ABC Southeast SA: Liz Rymill)
“I went from being a shy, quiet mother of three living in a rural town to being a manager who throws six to 10 parties a week.”
she said.
Pink said the extra income helped the family when her husband was unable to work for an extended period of time.
“He really supported me, and Tupperware took us all over the world,” she said.
Iconic plastic product opens its doors
Mrs Pink ended her time at Tupperware for good in December last year, coinciding with the company’s exit from the Australian market due to financial pressures.
For the better part of 60 years, she traveled the region, introducing the wonders of plastic food storage into thousands of homes.
(photography basics )
Only one other woman is from Queensland, where the brand’s Australian arm was founded in 1961.
“Tupperware came out at a time when rural women needed a social outlet. The late 1960s and ’70s were a lot of tough times, especially for women on the track, but Tupperware parties at the farmhouse allowed women to get together for a little fun,” Pink explained.
”It provided social connections and bridged the isolation of rural areas.”
Pink said she “can’t give numbers” on the number of parties she’s held or the distance she’s traveled.
“There were too many to count. It was often a single day, traveling a few hours to host a party in Kingston, packing up and heading to Keith, and finally crossing the border to Casterton,” she recalls.
“Didn’t you always want a career for yourself?” reads a Tupperware ad targeted at women. (Supplied)
A great revolution in plastics
Mrs. Pink was born just three years before the global giant Tupperware was invented in 1947 by American Earl Cyrus Tupper, who developed a new form of polyethylene plastic that was easier to mold and mass produce.
His first product was the “Wonder Bowl,” which was praised for its sleek, modern design and leak-proof lid modeled after a painted tin top.
“Many products, like Tupperware, had real novelty; they were unlike anything seen before,” writes American cultural historian Jeffrey Meikle.
Mrs. Pink agrees with this analysis.
“We taught people how to handle food. Before Tupperware, many people put their food in plastic bags and washed and reused it,” she said.
1958 Tupperware Party, Sarasota, Florida. (Florida State Library: Joseph Janney)
Beyond its early plain white designs, Tupperware soon experimented with color. First it was pastels, then the bright colors of the era. From harvest gold to sunny yellow, 70’s taupe to tanned orange.
Introducing the new color into the kitchen required a little convincing on the part of the company’s sales representative (the Tupperware woman).
“In the early days, we had to sell the product, but eventually it just took care of itself.”
Mrs. Pink said.
“When the first Lettuce Crisper arrived, it was green. I’ll never forget one dear old lady who came to a party, took one look at it and said, ‘Oh, what a lovely color!’
The storage container company, once renowned for its indestructibility and lifetime warranty, will exit the Australian market in 2025, ending more than 60 years of local presence.
Despite Australia becoming its strongest market during the coronavirus pandemic, Tupperware filed for bankruptcy in September 2024, citing significantly increased competition, resulting reduced demand and rising input costs.
“Over the past several years, the company’s financial condition has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” Chief Executive Officer Laurie Goldman said in a press release.
Vintage and used Tupperware is being sold to raise money for home hospice care. (ABC Southeast SA: Liz Rymill)
Raise money with Tupper frugality
Mrs. Pink and her Pink Panther sales team met the end of an era with quiet determination.
Something new was just around the corner.
“I had worked at Tupperware since 1967, and I just didn’t want to quit,” she explained.
“So I decided to appeal for donations so I could sell Tupperware and raise money for the local Mt Gambier Home Hospice Support Group, which helped my husband before he passed away.
Margaret Pink organizes vintage Tupperware. (ABC Southeast SA: Liz Rymill)
“We’ve found that ‘Tupperware Savings’ is quite popular. People are looking for original items and some of the vintage colors are really in demand.
“In no time at all, we had 50 or 60 items in the corner of our room, and now they fill an entire wall, and we’ve donated over $3,000 in the last 18 months.
“I still ask for donations from people. I have a cleaning process, but I’ve never cleaned more Tupperware in my life. I try to keep the prices down.
”I’m located in a storefront on the main street of the city, so you can leave your bags at any time.”
Inside the Great Wall of Tupperware, Mrs. Pink demonstrates the juicer to a customer while another customer leaves with a bag full of containers.
“Tupperware came into my life and changed me. Tupperware took me out into the world and helped me make a lot of friends… it made me,” she said.