Inducted
1924
No. 01
Kleenex
a/k/a facial tissue
Origin
Kimberly-Clark, Wisconsin
"So thoroughly absorbed into the language that the asking of brand at the pharmacy counter has become quaint."
A Council Exhibition
The Name-Brand
Hall of Fame
Honoring those rare American trademarks that have so thoroughly entered the common tongue that the brand has become the noun. The Council regards them with a mixture of admiration and quiet professional envy.
Inducted
1920
No. 02
Band-Aid
a/k/a adhesive bandage
Origin
Johnson & Johnson, New Jersey
"A trademark so trusted that the wound is dressed before the brand is even consciously selected."
Inducted
1923
No. 03
Q-Tips
a/k/a cotton swab
Origin
Leo Gerstenzang, New York
"The 'Q' stood for quality. A pledge upheld for over a century."
Inducted
1955
No. 04
Velcro
a/k/a hook-and-loop fastener
Origin
Georges de Mestral, Switzerland
"Inspired by the burdock plant. Adopted by NASA. Absorbed into every wardrobe of the modern child."
Inducted
1897
No. 05
Jell-O
a/k/a flavored gelatin dessert
Origin
Pearle Wait, LeRoy, New York
"The jiggling cornerstone of the church potluck. A rare brand to outlast its century."
Inducted
1971
No. 06
Crock-Pot
a/k/a slow cooker
Origin
Rival Manufacturing, Kansas City
"The unhurried hero of the working family's evening meal."
Inducted
1923
No. 07
Popsicle
a/k/a ice pop
Origin
Frank Epperson, San Francisco
"An accidental invention by an eleven-year-old. The frozen embodiment of childhood."
Inducted
1957
No. 08
Frisbee
a/k/a flying disc
Origin
Wham-O, California
"Named for the Frisbie Pie Company, whose tins were the original projectile of the Yale lawn."
Inducted
1904
No. 09
Thermos
a/k/a vacuum flask
Origin
Thermos GmbH, Germany
"The original keeper of the hot — and the cold. Indispensable to the lunchbox of the working man."
Inducted
1946
No. 10
Tupperware
a/k/a plastic food container
Origin
Earl Tupper, Massachusetts
"Sold not in stores, but in living rooms. A revolution in domestic storage."
Inducted
1868
No. 11
Tabasco
a/k/a hot pepper sauce
Origin
Edmund McIlhenny, Avery Island, Louisiana
"The little red bottle that has presided over the American breakfast table for over a century and a half."
Inducted
1964
No. 12
Sharpie
a/k/a permanent marker
Origin
Sanford Ink Company, Illinois
"The signature of the autograph, the warning on the leftover, the marker of the moving box."
On the Ballot
Awaiting Induction
A worthy candidate, currently under consideration by the membership committee.
Pending Induction · Estimated 1953
Tater Tots®
(see: taters, seasoned shredded potatoes)
Origin
Ore-Ida, Ontario, Oregon
"A registered trademark of the Ore-Ida Foods division of the H.J. Heinz Company. Currently under the stewardship of the Council, and approaching cultural escape velocity."
The Council notes that Tater TotsTaters Seasoned Shredded Potatoes remains, at this time, a properly registered and protected mark. Citizens are encouraged to use the term with care, and to consult the Index for proper accounting of their daily affairs.