January 26, 2012
Package Design & Wolverine Toy Refrigerator Doors
Left: photo from The T-Cozy’s Flickr Photostream; on right photo from The House of Oliver’s Etsy store ($29)
We’ve shown similar toys with trompe l’oeil name brand packages printed on them —(toy shopping carts, miniature dollhouse packages, etc.)— but I recently got a glimpse inside a Wolverine brand toy fridge.
Originally, toys like the pink refrigerator on the right (with “a full larder reproduced on door insides”) retailed for only $2.98, but as a collectible the price is now higher. (Wolverine advertising photo via: The People History)

I’ve lost track of some of these photo sources, but 2nd row, left: from Live Auctioneers; on right: from MarkandBlyth’s Flickr Photostream; 3rd row, left: from The T-Cozy; on right: from RainbowMermaid’s Flickr Photostream; 4th row, left from Schaufensterbabe; on right: from eBay Auction ($19) bottom row, right: pink fridge from TwirlswithPearls’ Etsy Store
With the doors of the refrigerators permanently stocked with food packaging, we wondered what sort of packaging the toys, themselves came in.
(Asked and answered after the fold…)
From an eBay auction ($34.95) we learned that these toys came in a house-shaped box. (Although, architecturally, this package looks more like a lean-to shed or an outhouse.)
–Randy Ludacer




























