Remember Your School Supplies From the ’50s?

By: Tasha Moore
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Remember Your School Supplies From the ’50s?
Image: RichVintage/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Take a breeze down memory lane with this vintage school supplies quiz. There are enough hints to help you score big as you reminisce how the '50s kept things all neat and tidy with the era's assorted contraptions. 

World War II greatly influenced the school supply industry of the '50s. Weapons-making factories had lots of materials to use, and U.S. state-sponsored schools were the logical buyers and benefactors. When was the last time you held a pair of scissors from the 1950s? Standard solid steel scissors from the era are heavy; the staplers are weighty. Practically all the supplies were solid and sturdy. 

Consumer and commercial products from that time were far more durable than comparable supplies of today. Pencil sharpeners from the 1950s sharpened pencils with unmatched precision. You're lucky if pencils don't break the second-rate imposter sharpeners produced in more recent times. Fifties consumer supplies were so durable, that many of them have outlasted 21st-century wares. Fifties consumers didn't need to purchase added warranties for weapons-grade school supplies. The true test of a product is the durability of its vintage stock. The fact that we've got amazing photos of identifiable '50s contraptions on this fun quiz is proof positive that these school supplies have passed the test of time.

Can you pass this test by naming the tools you see from the 1950s? Prove that you can identify them all!

Carbon paper
WikiCommons by Pavel Krok
Fifties teachers probably raised an eyebrow if they ever caught students with this official stock. Do you know its name?
Carbon paper
Paper cutter
Filing box
Easel brush
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Why would a student hoard carbon paper in their tiny desk? Duplicator carbon paper was made for the office, but some clever '50s kids re-purposed the paper to duplicate certain forbidden grade-saving materials.

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Solid steel scissors
Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net / Getty Images Plus
Do you remember this heavy school supply?
Reference stand
Solid steel scissors
Adhesive cloth
Rubber cement
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Solid steel scissors were heavy contraptions to lug around back in the '50s. Grade school students started out using "kindergarten-quality" shears with blunt tips before graduating to sharp-tipped scissors with large handles that the big kids in high school used.

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Lunch box
Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images
Midday meal times were never the same after this surfaced on the school scene. Do you remember the contraption?
Lunch box
Art gum
School ink
Sanitary moistener
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lunch box hype began in the 1950s; before then, kiddies used lunch pails, cloth sacks, brown paper pouches and baskets to transport their daily noontide grub. Plastic lunch boxes eventually replaced tin containers to better integrate the marketing materials for which today's lunch boxes are known.

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Rytoff
Priscila Zambotto/Moment/Getty Images
Only the freshest mistakes merited quick daubs of the stuff. Do you remember this school supply from the '50s?
Rytoff
Paper cutter
Fountain pen
Gelatin roll
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mature scholars who owned up to their mistakes used rytoff for inked boo-boos on paper, but only for brand new blunders. Rytoff worked fast, so you had to be sure that an hour's worth of work indeed required the permanent wipe-out, or else.

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Palmer pen
ultramarinfoto/E+/Getty Images
This supply was essential for practicing penmanship. Try to guess the correct choice.
Adhesive tape
Fasteners
Correction fluid
Palmer pen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Schools of the '50s taught students the Palmer Method of penmanship through a drill routine that utilized Palmer pens, workbooks, ruled primary pads and a set of specialized cards. There were at least nine different grades of Palmer pens.

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Ruler
Ryan Benyi Photography/Cultura/Getty Images
With what tool did '50s kiddies size up the world?
Ink eraser
Compass pencil
Ruler
Kneaded rubber
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Every '50s student had a wooden ruler they used for measuring things and drawing lines on paper that had no lines. The sharp metal edges on some rulers were good for creasing paper before dividing into shapes of equal size during art class or to pass forbidden notes to fellow students.

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Stapler
Lawrence Manning/Corbis/Getty Images
Students gathered papers or stabilized a wobbly desk with this contraption. Can you put a name to it?
Library dater
Drafting tape
Table cutter
Stapler
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's hard to believe that most staplers made back then were meant to be portable. The regular stapler was heavy enough to serve as a paperweight, but the all-steel heavy duty stapler probably kept a desk from moving an inch. Some staplers were equipped with metal stapler removers.

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Stapler remover
Douglas Sacha/Moment/Getty Images
Is it hard for you to name the '50s device that had metal fangs?
Microscope
Stapler remover
Crayon
Art pencil
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Students pushed a lot of paper back in the day, which required organizational tools like this beauty. Used much less frequently today, the stapler remover gave students control to separate collated paper materials while keeping paper tips smooth and paperwork presentable.

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Pencil sharpener
GeoStock/Stockbyte/Getty Images
Try to choose a tool responsible for neat and precise script.
Pencil sharpener
Turpentine
Chalkboard
Bulletin board
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Just about every classroom had a steel pencil sharpener bolted to a wall or table. Smart students carried a portable metal sharpener in their pencil cases to avoid the occasional long lines leading to the "good" classroom sharpener that always provided the sharpest pencil tips.

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Cellulose Tape
JohnGollop/E+/Getty Images
Do you know this grime-less adhesive?
Display easel
Cellulose tape
Correction fluid
Liquid glue
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cellulose tape is the see-through adhesive that didn't leave a residue like other industrial tapes did. If you administered the tape to temporary jobs, there was a good chance you could reuse it. Cellulose was strong enough to configure a neat arrangement of paperwork on a classroom wall.

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Paperclips
WikiCommons by Thomas Wydra
These were multifunctional necessities. Can you summon up the school supply?
Stenographers' pencil
Paper clips
Inkwell
Stamp pad
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The girls used these to adjust hems and waistlines in clothing, and the boys contorted them to sling as projectiles across the classroom. Metal clips kept papers organized, but they weren't ideal for the long term. Students used clips to transport pre-stapled papers to their final destinations.

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Thumbtacks
Lawrence Manning/Corbis/Getty Images
This school supply stuck around for many years. What is its name?
Thumbtack
Office outfit
Mystik tape
Call bell
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Before they were the colorful "push pins" of today, they were metal "thumbtacks" in the 1950s. Plastic tack heads are quite narrow now compared to back when you had a choice of four head sizes between three-eighths inch and nine-sixteenths inch.

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Rubber band
Perry Mastrovito/Corbis/Getty Images
Scholars from the '50s who were fanatic about keeping things tidy kept these handy. Can you call to mind this school supply?
Clip board
Meter stick
Transparent celluloid curve
Rubber bands
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These bands are made of natural rubber and were a necessary school supply. Again, in the spirit of keeping things tidy (a 1950s catchword) rubber bands separated the pencils from the pens, the ballpoints from the fountains, and messy markers from everything else in a well-organized supply case.

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Steel pins
WikiCommons by Wellcome Images
This supply served scholastic and fashion purposes. Can you call it to mind?
Steel pins
Protractor
Crayon
Kindograph
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The girls probably needed these more often than the boys. Pyramid steel pins were necessary for home economics courses, like sewing, or the pins came in handy when fashion a faux pas threatened to make you the laughing stock of the cafeteria. In the '50s, rocking an uneven skirt hem was a no-no.

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Desk calendar
Comstock Images/Stockbyte/Getty Images
An organizational tool, this school supply commanded many a day in the '50s. Try to quickly choose the correct school supply?
Charcoal pencil
Powder paint
Desk calendar
Card holder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The desk calendar was how students stayed on top of deadlines. No major science fair project could have been planned better without one. These boxy calendars propped upright, so there was no need to budge your noggin in order to peek at the day's to-dos.

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Loose leaf vacuum punch
WikiCommons by Mauro Cateb
In the '50s, you could give a good thwack with this gadget and not get suspended. Are you sure you know the name?
Loose leaf vacuum punch
Finger paint
Drawing board
T-square
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The nickle-plated loose leaf vacuum punch converted standard sheets of paper into manageable stacks of organized papers ready for storage in the loose leaf binder of choice. And there was a choice of hole sizes: one-eighth inch, three-sixteenth inch and one-fourth inch.

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Eraser
WikiCommons by Stefan-Xp
Fifties folks deleted things with this removal device. How easy is it for you to recall its name?
Scissors
Staples
Eraser
Thumbtacks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pencil eraser was the 1950s' version of today's digital delete-key function. There were chisel or double bevel eraser shapes, erasers for both ink and pencil, and anti-crumble erasers. The higher quality erasers didn't rip or crinkle delicate paper.

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Crayon
kemie/E+/Getty Images
For this school supply, there were carton loads of colors. Do you recognize what it is?
Chalk
Pencil
Crayon
Marker
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Eight, 12, 16, 24 were the standard crayon box sizes back then; the extravagant 64-count box of crayon colors became popular after the '50s. Grade school children were happy with basic shades and over-sized crayon sticks.

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Projection machine
WikiCommons by mailer_diablo
Images went from small to big because of this 1950s resource. Which one is it?
Ideal clips
Projection machine
Pupils' blotters
Key tag
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Before television sets invaded classrooms, there were slide projection machines which were kept on push carts solely reserved for the heavy contraptions. More advanced projection machine models accommodated film strips as well as slides.

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Microscope
Photograph by Devon OpdenDries/Moment/Getty Images
It was a must-have desk-held device. What did just about every '50s kid focus in on?
Binder cloth
Library card pocket
Microscope
Dictionary
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Science and weapons innovations that emerged during World War II elevated scientists of the '50s to celebrity status. Students coveted chemistry sets and microscopes just as much as they did baby dolls and baseballs. Fifties kids could name and maneuver the parts of the microscope with ease.

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Dip pen and inkwell
Shin99½/Moment Open/Getty Images
In the wrong hands, this school supply soiled hands, desks, clothes ... Do you recall what this is?
Spirit process fluid
Electric duplicator
Dip pen and inkwell
Film file box
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Back in the day, good penmanship was a sign of good character, so schools stressed the art of handwriting. Students practiced with dip pens and inkwells. The ultimate goals of this endeavor were to keep letters legible and workspaces as spotless as possible.

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Globe
graphixel/E+/Getty Images
Having one of these meant you were going places. Try to choose the correct school supply among these options.
Chalkboard compass
Wrapping tape
Pointer
Globe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the '50s, impressionable minds were curious after a major world war. The world globe was as essential as a No. 2 pencil, especially with all the outer space lingo surfacing. Folks wanted to understand their place in the world with respect to other peoples, places and exotic things.

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Vocabulary cards
BananaStock/BananaStock / Getty Images Plus
Do you remember which school supply this is?
Meter stick
Penetrating seal
Vocabulary cards
Stencil
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vocabulary cards were an ideal grammar resource. Peering over words permanently printed on convenient portable cards signified that you were a serious student poised to learn with just a flick of the wrist.

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Grease pencil
ianmcdonnell/E+/Getty Images
They simply peeled away at these to refine their points. Can you name this convenient school supply?
Grease pencil
Rubber band
Stapler
Tape
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The grease pencil, or China marker, was a hot commodity back when convenience won you cool points. With the grease pencil, there was no need for a pencil sharpener; students peeled off the paper with a string around the pencil to achieve a sharper tip.

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Trimming board
Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net / Getty Images Plus
Big kids handled these gadgets with caution. How well do you remember the name of this school supply?
Security box
Trimming board
Staff liner
Recess bumper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No classroom was complete without a cutting station where the trimming board lived. These devices were sharp enough to cut through tissue paper and sturdy enough to sever cardboard. Older students were tasked with handling these devices.

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Transparent acrylic triangle
Dieter Spannknebel/Stockbyte/Getty Images
A '50s student could achieve straight lines on paper with the ________.
Rubber tip
Blotting paper
Art portfolio
Transparent acrylic triangle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When the teacher instructed the class to "pull out the straight edge to draw lines," the '50s student with a transparent acrylic triangle in their arsenal didn't need to fuss with unwieldy rulers that took up the span of a desk. These triangles were particularly essential for art class.

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Correction fluid
By David Plater UK/Moment/Getty Images
Students in the '50s didn't have the delete key. Instead they corrected their mistakes with ________.
Shank fastener
Tracing fastener
Correction fluid
Writing paper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Correction fluid was your most important 1950s school supply. Certain perfectionist types rarely needed to paint over inky mistakes with the white correction paint, while others might have submitted shoddy paperwork that was as much as 90 percent white goo and as little as 10 percent ink.

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Protractor
Aleksander Rubtsov/Cultura/Getty Images
Back in the day, you analyzed angles with this tool. Are you confident that you remember it?
Wrapping tape
Protractor
Rubber tip
School paste
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fifties geometry lessons and art classes required angle-measuring protractors. Back in the day, these tools were metal and enameled, measuring in degrees or radians. The much fancier protractors of today are see-through.

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Compass
Björn Appel via Wikimedia Commons
This crafty device made drawing circles a cinch. Can you recall the contraption?
Outline map
Number stencil
Mimeograph paper
Compass
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The compass was a classic map and geometry tool. The stiffer the accompanying protractor, the smoother the drawn angles and circles. Some compasses were sized for chalk or bulky crayons and had rubber footing instead of the sharp footing that came with standard pencil compasses.

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Dictionary
APCortizasJr/E+/Getty Images
It was full of words and heavy like a brick/ What's the name of this essential school supply from the 1950s?
Dictionary
Catalog card
Eraser tip
Card holder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The "standard" English collegiate dictionary in the '50s weighed an average of three pounds. The authoritative reference books contained more than 100,000 entries with indices printed on either thin or regular paper, all bound between two firm hardcovers.

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School paste
Jupiterimages/PHOTOS.com>> / Getty Images Plus
Grade school students bonded well with this school supply. Can you guess its name?
Globe
Eyelet
School paste
Notebook
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you ever had to smell school paste, you'd never forget the unique odor which smells like nothing and everything, at once. And the name "school paste" alluded little to its real purpose. Grade school students used the barely-adhesive non-toxic paste for bonding large-surface crafts.

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Book Repair Tape
Youtube via Demco Madison
Fifties scholars preserved paperbacks with ________.
Book repair tape
Photo mount
Tape dispenser
Stencil brush
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Back in the '50s, physical books were so cherished that there were book repair kits available to mend overused publications so that they might be reused. School libraries hoarded the kits; students toted easy-breezy book repair tape.

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Record player
Mike R Turner/Moment/Getty Images
They spun vinyl for kiddos with this bulky tool. Can you make the right choice?
Linoleum block
Record player
Krome coat paper
Project roll
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you thought the mp3 audio players of old were clunkers, feast your eyes on contraptions, like this gadget, that were no less than 13 inches wide. Transcription players were specialized record players that played records recorded at 33 and one-third revolutions per minute.

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Chalk
patrickheagney/E+/Getty Images
Residue from this tool was hard to manage. Try to guess the correct choice.
Firing clay
Chalk
Finger paint
Flash card
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The amount of chalk dust you were covered in by the time the dismissal bell rang likely gauged how hard you had worked that day. Chalk came in all colors and was a major instructional tool. Teachers smeared the calcium sulfate on chalkboards and students chalked elaborate designs on concrete.

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Paste sticks
Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images
This school supply lessened mess worries back then, just as it does now. Can you name it?
Paste sticks
Pen holder
Paste cup
Bubblers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Adhesion was a messy affair in the 1950s. Disposable paste sticks eliminated the need to store or wash grimy glue applicators. The sticks are still used today to apply hot wax to unwanted adult hairs.

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