Ever have one of those crazy anxiety dreams where you’re back in Grade School, it’s the first day of classes and you can’t seem to predict what back-to-school supply will be the must-have item of the new year?
Me neither, but I was thinking the other day about kids with iPads and schools with iMacs and smart boards and it got me feeling a little sorry for “generation Z.” A whole generation of kids that may never know the joys of Basic programming on a TRS-80 or the concept of clapping erasers on the brick walled exterior of a classroom.
Statistically, today’s grade school students are more likely to covet their latest iPhone , Blackberry or Android than sport the binder to end all binders. Of course, Mead Trapper Keeper, I speak of thee.
At least in my small corner of the world, the Trapper Keeper was the essential grade-school accessory. With it’s Velcro closure (metal snap depending on your age) and its shinny happy plastic exterior, it wasn’t just a functional iPad precursor. This baby was a full-on status symbol.
Like the lunchbox/thermos combos of our post-K years, the Trapper Keeper was often branded with pop-culture themes or cute fluffy pets. Eventually the designs gave way to abstract computer-generated art, kind of like the background images of our school photos or everything from EPCOT Center circa 1983.
But the true cool kids had the basic red, green or blue exteriors. Purple if you were a girl, or you played the clarinet. This was your way of saying “hey, I don’t need no stinkin’ puppies in a basket on my school supplies.” Or “hey, get away from me with those Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, dude.” Plain single colors were the way to go.
After waning popularity, Mead stopped production of the Trapper Keeper in 2002, but in 2007 brought back a new and improved model with translucent covers for customization and a silent velcro flap. Mead also introduced speakers built into their “Five Star” notebook line.
And, honestly, if I had the chance to do it all again, I’d pick the Trapper Keeper and the TRS-80.
