Celebrating 58 Years of Frozen Meals: Retro TV Dinner Ads

Couch potatoes and retro 50s fiends rejoice – it’s TV Dinner Day! On this day in 1953, Swanson released its frozen meal concept to the public in an aluminum tray that could be heated up quickly … perfect for the stay at home mom who needed to starch her husband’s clothes before he came home. We’ve come a long way since then in ready-to-eat meals, but lets take a look back at a time past through advertising.

The frozen dinner has long been an icon of traditional Americana. It was the thing to eat from the 50s-80s as the family gathered around to watch to the television program that was on for the evening (remember, there weren’t so many choices for what one could watch in those days – satellite and Tivo who?). Here we’re taking a quick look back and reminiscing on times gone by.

There’s also this cool little retro TV dinner inspired coin purse wallet. It’s perfect to take a bit of nostalgia with you no matter where you go. (Fancy new credit cards not included.)

For more cool retro culture, take a look at this cool retro robot recycle art and these keen social media retro ads.