Interesting Timeline & History about Tupperware and Direct Selling
1886
Twenty-eight-year-old door-to-door book salesman David McConnell starts the California Perfume Company when he discovers that the free perfume samples he gives out are the real reason people buy from him. In 1939 his company will be renamed Avon.
1906
Alfred C. Fuller, a 21-year-old entrepreneur, establishes the Fuller Brush Company, selling brushes and household cleaners door-to-door.
July 28, 1907
Earl Tupper is born in New Hampshire to Ernest and Lulu Tupper.
May 25, 1913
Brownie Mae Humphrey is born in Georgia. Her parents will divorce soon afterward.
1918
Brownie Humphrey's mother, a union organizer, leaves five-year-old Brownie to live with her aunt and cousins while she travels for her work.
November 1924
Teenager Earl Tupper writes an essay on becoming a millionaire: "What a time we would have if we had plenty of money... All our hopes and dreams of the future depend upon 'if I can get the price.'"
1925
Earl Tupper graduates from Fitchburg High School in central Massachusetts.
1931
Frank Stanley Beveridge, a successful Fuller Brush salesman, founds Stanley Home Products in western Massachusetts.
December 15, 1936
Brownie Humphrey marries Robert Wise, a Ford Motor Company employee. They move to Detroit.
1938
Earl Tupper founds the Tupper Plastics Company.
Salesman Norman W. Squires writes a script for a "Hostess Group Demonstration Plan" and sends it to the president of Stanley Home Products. His method of direct sales through home parties is so successful that within two years a Stanley executive will call Squires the "Father of the Hostess Plan."
May 25, 1938
Jerry Wise, Brownie Wise's only child, is born.
1939
Brownie Wise writes in to a Detroit newspaper readers' column under the pen name "Hibiscus." She will contribute to the column for several years.
February 10, 1942
Brownie and Robert Wise divorce.
1945
Earl Tupper obtains some polyethylene from DuPont and begins to develop his wonder bowl with its soon-to-be-famous "burping" seal.
1948
Tom and Anne Damigella, who had been selling Stanley Home Products, start selling Tupperware in Massachusetts.
1949
Brownie Wise, who had been selling Stanley Home Products, starts selling Tupperware in Detroit.
November 8, 1949
Earl Tupper patents the "Tupper Seal" for closing plastic containers.
1950
Brownie Wise moves to Florida with her son, Jerry.
1951
Tupperware holds its first sales conference with a handful of early Tupperware distributors in Worcester, Massachusetts.
May 1951
Brownie Wise is appointed general sales manager of a new company, Tupperware Home Parties, which will oversee all Tupperware sales operations.
1952
Jean and Jack Conlogue, who had been selling Stanley Home Products, open a Tupperware distributorship in St. Louis, Missouri.
Elsie Mortland starts selling Tupperware. Within a year, she will become the Tupperware Home Parties headquarters hostess, using new products in the company's test kitchen. She is the only woman other than Brownie Wise on staff at Tupperware.
January, 1952
Tupperware Home Parties moves to Florida, and temporarily sets up shop in an aircraft hangar.
1953
Tupperware Home Parties holds its first manager seminar in Kissimmee, Florida.
January 1953
Mary and Frank Siriani leave their jobs at a General Motors factory and a luncheonette to start selling Tupperware.
July 1953
Li Walker, a Filipino war bride who is unable to get a teaching job because of her accent, starts selling Tupperware.
1954
Tupperware Home Parties Headquarters is completed and dedicated. Big Dig Jubilee, the first of Tupperware's annual jubilees, is held there.
July 1954
Lavon Weber, who grew up during the great drought of the early 30s on an Oklahoma Dust Bowl farm, starts selling Tupperware.
1955
Anna and Howard Tate leave Stanley Home Products. Howard is appointed to the Tupperware staff.
September 1955
Lavon and Bob Weber are promoted to a distributorship in Wichita, Kansas.
1956
Sylvia Boyd starts selling Tupperware.
July 1956
Tupperware holds the Wish Fairy Jubilee.
August 22, 1956
The Tupperware Wish Fairy appears on "The Steve Allen Show."
1958
Brownie Wise is fired from Tupperware Home Parties, Inc. She launches Cinderella, a direct sales cosmetics company.
Tupperware holds its Full Sales Jubilee, with a pirate theme.
July 1958
Earl Tupper sells Tupperware to the Rexall Drug and Chemical Company for $16 million and buys himself an island in Central America.
1960
Jon and Sylvia Boyd are promoted to a distributorship in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
1963
Elsie Mortland helps bring Tupperware sales to Mexico and Guatemala.
The Mary Kay home party cosmetics company is started, modeled on the direct sales success of Tupperware.
1965
Elsie Mortland helps bring Tupperware sales to Hong Kong.
1966
Li Walker brings Tupperware to the Phillipines.
1972
Earl Tupper moves to Costa Rica.
Betty Ramsell starts selling Tupperware in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, within two years is one of the Top Managers in Nova Scotia.
1977
Betty and Brian Ramsell become Distributors in Edmonton Alberta
1983
Earl Tupper dies.
Sylvia Boyd is appointed to the Tupperware staff, becoming only the third female regional vice president in company history.
1985
Brian Ramsell becomes Regional VP of Western Canada, Betty is a engaged as a National Sales Consultant for Tupperware Canada.
1986
Brian Ramsell appointed VP of sales for Canada.
1987
Betty and Brian become Tupperware Distributors again in Hamilton Ontario
1992
Brownie Wise dies.
2003
The Direct Selling Women's Association is formed.