Last night I caught up on some old The Simpsons episodes recorded by our Tivo. One of them was “Rosebud” where Mr. Burns longs for his childhood teddy bear, Bobo. It made me think of something that happened during our recent move out to Phoenix, Az.

The day the movers drove our stuff from California to Arizona it poured rain — the entire day for the entire drive. Unknown to the driver, the moving truck had a leak and a lot of our boxes got wet. We keep original boxes when we can, so our electronic and kitchen appliances were saved by the foam they were packed in. However, I kept a plastic bin with all my precious items in it
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This week three new toys were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame (NTHoF). One of them was the cardboard box. This, I have to say, sent me into the dreamy land of childhood memories.

“It’s that empty box full of possibilities,” said Christopher Bensch, chief curator of the Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y., of which the NTHoF is a part, “that kids can sense and the adults don’t always see.”

I’ll always remember my cardboard box spaceship. It came complete with a monitor, through which I could gaze at other planets. I drew a square (or the close approximation of one) on the part of the box that acted as the control panel. Then I cut a bunch of pieces of paper the same size and shape as that square. On each of these I drew exotic landscapes from other planets — I spent quite a bit of time on this artwork. It was great fun.

I wonder if the inventor of the cardboard box had any idea of the creativity he would inspire? The corrugated cardboard box was invented by Robert Gair in 1890 and quickly dominated the shipping industry. But for most people, I think the extra large cardboard box will always be remembered as their personal spaceship, castle or car.