Laura Clough Scudder
Potato chips have become the quintessential American snack. In part, it was one woman's idea to package potato chips in portable and disposable bags that helped popularize potato chips. While she did not invent potato chips--that was the invention of one George Crum-- Laura Scudder hit upon the idea in 1926 of putting chips in small sealable bags. The first bags were made of waxed paper. Workers in the Scudder factory ironed these bags to seal them. With the invention of cellophane in the 1920s, chips and other snacks were then easily bagged and sold.Laura Scudder's idea of bagging chips not only made potato chips a convenience food, but helped them retain their crispness and freshness. Prior to this, chips were sold either in barrels or tins. Laura Scudder built and empire based on bagged potato chips in Monterey Park, California. The success of her products which also incorporated peanut butter eventually earned her the title of "The Potato Chip Queen."
Chicomecoatl Aztec Goddess of Food
References:
Patently Female by Ethlie Ann Vare and Greg Ptacek (John Wiley and Sons, 2002), pp. 44-45.Web Sites:
Laura Scudder's Potato Chip BagLaura Scudder and Monterey Park
Potato Chip History
Hisotry of Snacks
