Rememories: Back to School & Big Chief Tablets
Remember when school started after Labor Day and your school supplies included an 8-pack of Crayolas and a
Big Chief Writing Tablet?
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I do.
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My favorite cover
Truth is, I coveted Lucy’s 64-pack of Crayolas and that wonderful little built-in sharpener on the box, but we were all equal when it came to the Big Chief.
I loved Big Chief tablets.
Well…truth is, I loved them except when I had to make a correction and my eraser eroded the paper and it got all nappy.
I think I was learning to form my letters and must have been pressing too hard or something.
Or maybe it was just jangled nerves from that ruler-wielding nun, Sister Mary Theresa.
Or that tuna smell permeating from my Barbie lunchbox.
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Any way, forty-five years later, I am still loving Big Chief tablets, but this time for the graphics instead of the precision lined paper.
The iconic school supply has changed a lot over the years and its history is a bit vague and sketchy. Prices have ranged from 10¢ in the 1950′s to a couple of bucks in the 1970′s. Ownership and production has changed as well with early manufacturing by Western Tablet Co., then Mead Corp., and finally Springfield / Everett Pad & Paper. The graphics have ranged from very traditional illustration in the 1930′s to groovy pop art in the 1970′s. Sadly though, Big Chief Writing Tablets are no longer being produced.
Don’t know why.
I hope it didn’t come under the same scrutiny as the “Indian Red” crayon that got re-named “Chestnut” because of “cultural sensitivity”.
(fyi: I didn’t have an Indian Red crayon in my 8-pack, but Lucy did… uhmmm!)
Today, you can view Jason Liebig’s collection of vintage Big Chief tablets on Flicker. He has done a nice job and I have “borrowed” from his assemblage for my Big Chief time-line below.
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By the way, which Big Chief cover do you remember having?
I’d love to hear!
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Oh, and how about these two cute little critters? They started 2nd and 5th grade this year and sadly there is not a Big Chief Tablet in the lot!
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Harris - 1st day of 2nd Grade
Presley - 1st day of 5th Grade
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Iloved the Big chief talblets. I can complelely visual how looked, feft and smelled. Yes, the paper was not of a very high quality but I loved them.
Seeing the kids with the piles of books on their desks remind me of how things have changed. When I was growing up in Cabot, AR. population 1,147 in the 1950′s , the school was an A class school with 73 in my graduation class. Now it is the third largest school in AR and I understand that this year they have gone bookless with all the students having electronic notebooks. Now that is progress. Not having to carry 30lbs of books abound with you—we didn’t have backpacks.
You are right, there are not any Big chief tablets available. I was looking for one for Harris and had to settle for something else!
Linda – oh the smell! I remember…I wanted to write something about the smell but I thought people would think me crazy for sniffing paper! (glad I wasn’t the only one) And yes, times have changed – I haven’t heard about “bookless” but I can definitely see how “green” that would be in our politically correct world. Thanks for sharing.
just loved the Big Chief tablets…my memory would be the 1970′s and later since I started kinder in 1969 and 1st in 1970…thanks for taking me down that lane
love the school pictures of Harris and Presley….
Mine would have been in the early 60′s and the big pencils and the cigar box. Now that box was the best thing to put supplies in. The rounded sissors and the glue. OH, the crayons had to be the 64 pack. I am a teacher and it still is exciting for each new school year. Thanks for posting the pictures of the Big Chief tablets.
Leslie – I totally forgot about the cigar boxes! Now I’m remembering the smell of the cigar box mixed with
crayolas come May… nice re-memory!
I’ve been looking for one of these for years. Does anyone know where I can find a medium to high quality image of one of the sheets inside?
Jean, are you looking for just the ruled page or the actual covers? If it is ruled pages, you might check istock, shutterstock, or a similar type site.
It is funny how many people remember the Big Chief tablets. I recently started looking for one for my grandson. He is just starting school and I was excited to start looking for the “really”cool school supplies. I am so disappointed that they stopped making them. If anyone knows of where i might find one I would be forever grateful.
Gail,
I would love to get a hold of a few tablets myself. They are not being made anymore – not sure if it is not “politically correct” or what, but Mead no longer makes them. I did see someone trying to get Mead to “Bring Back the Big Chief Tablets” on Facebook.
Here is what their home page says:
“Remember Big Chief tablets? We learned to write on them? Vintage looking, wide-spaced lines, and a big red cover with an Indian chief on it? Well, they’re out of production and that’s a crime. Studies show that people who learn to write on a BCT have better handwriting, higher SAT scores, and a clean criminal record. Additionally, it has been suggested, though not proven, that their souffles do not fall. Kids today don’t know what they’re missing. Let’s start a petition to bring them back!”
I think I’m going to go become a fan.
How ’bout you?
It’s amazing that 3-4 generations were taught the necessary skills with a Big Chief tablet and a #2 pencil. But now with all of our technology and gadgets we are being told that America is falling behind third world nations in educating our children. I think it something more than the Big Chief that is missing in American education.
Sigh!! Just seeing the images brings back the memories! Sadly, the Big Chief left us in 2001 and will soon be nothing more than one of those words that dates you( “What’s a Big Chief?”). I still remember the smell of my crisp new blue jeans that made a crinkly sound when you walked in them! I most remember the smell of a freshly mimeographed test form(first thing you would do was pick it up and smell it!)
David, ah yes, the mimeographed test – slightly damp, lovely violet print, and the smell! Thanks for the memories!