Rumors of only one nostalgic journey this week are greatly exaggerated. My internet connection is doing much better, thank you.
The living room of the 1960's was a warm, friendly place. True, times had changed since our parents might have first purchased our modest homes fifteen of twenty years prior. Most living rooms in the US had a new center of attention: the television set. That one-eyed monster changed the purpose of the home's central location from a place of casual conversation, or possibly listening to the radio, to the spot where our parents unwound after a long day at work, accompanied by a cocktail, Walter Cronkite, a cigarette, and a TV dinner.
That piping hot little aluminum dish required special accommodation. It was certainly too hot to sit on one's lap.
Enter the aluminum folding TV tray.
Evidence exists that the TV tray actually preceded the TV dinner by a year. I traced the much-maligned meal back to possibly 1953. But In her book As Seen on TV: The Visual Culture of Everyday Life in the 1950s, author Karal Ann Marling states that national advertising for TV tray tables first appeared in 1952.
By 1967, there was scarcely a home in the suburbs that didn't have a stash of neatly folded TV trays placed inobtrusively away in a corner somewhere, ready for instant deployment at around 5:30 in the evening.
The earliest examples of TV trays have legs that are constructed lengthwise in the shape of an X that prevented you from placing your human legs comfortably under the tiny table surface. Manufacturers soon reworked the design so that the tubular legs folded along the shorter axes, with the tray top itself dropping down to create a tiny little piece of furniture that fit perfectly out of sight into a space of just a few inches.
Sheer engineering genius!
Thus did millions of the diminutive home accessories change hands at various stores and find themselves in our childhood homes.
The flimsy trays were just sturdy enough to support a TV dinner and a drink. and possibly an ash tray. Add anything else to the load, and you did so at your own risk.
Thus did I learn a valuable life lesson at the age of thirteen: Don't attempt to assemble a model sailing ship on a TV tray that might possibly collapse, taking paint, glue, rigging string, and various plastic parts with it to the floor.
TV trays sold moderately well in the early 50's, but as TV dinners themselves began to be marketed, and more and more US homes began sporting shiny new television sets, their sales went through the roof.
And the best thing about them is their sheer indestructible nature.
Thus, fifty-year-old trays may well be in service, having been passed down from parents and grandparents, and now holding a nouveau chic status in this world gone retro-crazy.
The legs might become bent, plastic clips may break, but the metal itself is impervious to rust. Thus, even badly scratched up examples that saw action when Bonanza was on Sunday nights are likely still serving, possibly holding small pots populated by African violets on a screened-in porch somewhere.
And someday, hundreds or thousands of years hence, perfectly functional examples will likely be recovered from landfills by future archaeologists.
Overall, a pretty cool legacy for a cheap, yet brilliant invention.
Comments (7)
One of the hotels I worked for in the late 90's had a very small breakfast area, seating 30, for the 149 rooms. So we had two sets of tray tables to use in the adjacent lobby area so guests can eat while sitting on easy chairs and sofas. I never did like the idea of having maple syrup, grape jelly, and hot coffee near the nicer furniture and carpeting. At least these tray tables were made of wood, not flimsy plastic, and stored on racks similar to the middle picture in the article.
Posted by David S Paleg | November 5, 2008 12:04 PM
Posted on November 5, 2008 12:04
I love my TV trays...I still have them.
they are even good for the beach...
and you can stash them anywhere.
I have wooden ones, metal ones, plastic ones and lap ones...they are the best.
The early nuclear, space age and the confetti ones are my favorite!
Thanks for the memories,
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~
Posted by Sharon/The Baby Boomer Queen | November 5, 2008 12:13 PM
Posted on November 5, 2008 12:13
When I was 10, we got our 1st T.V., and shortly thereafter a set of 4 T.V. trays (one for each family member, stored conveniently behind the piano in the dining room.) T.V. dinners were infrequent and reserved for certain occasions (usually involving a babysitter and I never remember my parents eating them,) the trays were used for dining in front of the T.V. set at times some particular program coincided with suppertime and special dispensation was given to eat in the living room. There was an oriental carpet that was at risk for spillage and foods with stain potential were verboten so it was rare that their eponymous function was utilized.
When my parents moved from their last house into my sister’s house, their excess possessions (moving from 9 rooms to 3) were divvied up among my sister and me or sold in a yard sale. The T.V. trays still practically new after 6 house moves and who knows to what else they were subjected during their 40 years were sold at the yard sale as neither I nor my sister wanted them.
I currently have a bean bag lap tray which I sometimes use in front of the T.V. but it tends to be wobbly and my wife doesn’t like it visible when not in use, so it mostly stays in the closet. More often than not I just eat with a bowl or plate on my lap in my leather recliner.
Posted by Burt | November 5, 2008 7:17 PM
Posted on November 5, 2008 19:17
I have three of a four piece set of TV tray we bought in 1972 when I was 11. There were two in burnt orange, two in avocado green. We used them in lieu of a table and chairs for months!
I can't believe how indestructible these things are! We have moved several times and have been in MY household for almost 25 years. I suspect they will be passed down into several future generations.
Posted by Loribl | November 9, 2008 7:44 PM
Posted on November 9, 2008 19:44
Oh how I remember my first TV tray. I thought it was the neatest thing...but only the rich kids had them. We had to eat off the coffee table. When I would visit my friends and they had TV trays, I thought it was better than owning a Tammy or Barbie doll.
Posted by Boomer Chick | November 13, 2008 8:22 AM
Posted on November 13, 2008 08:22
TV trays were reseved for that special TV show mom would let you watch during dinner time. Remember doing parts of jigsaw puzzles on them and trying to transfer them to the dinning room table?
Posted by David Chapman | June 13, 2009 7:32 AM
Posted on June 13, 2009 07:32
Manufacturers soon reworked the design so that the tubular legs folded along the shorter axes
Posted by leather bean bag sofas | January 20, 2010 7:20 PM
Posted on January 20, 2010 19:20