Happy Easter from MMWV

The Easter holiday is upon us. Families and children have numerous ways of observing this holiday worldwide. Whether it is in religious observance or a reason to get the family together, we have incorporated numerous items that aid us in celebrating this Spring holiday. From dye kits to marshmallow chicks, many individuals have contributed to the technology underlying Easter-related patents that are used every Easter.

Patented in 1992, this Easter Egg decorating and coloring kit was designed by Verlene Law to assist in the dye-ing and painting of hard-boiled eggs. Parents and children have gotten increasingly creative with their egg-dyeing, however it is tools like this kit that help to make the process easier.

If one did not feel the need to dye their Easter eggs, a solution has been created for that as well. In 1976, Erwin H. and Donald E. Weder of Highland Manufacturing and Sales Co., Inc. patented a hollow, plastic, egg-shaped, hinged container, a great vessel into which coins or small candies can be placed.

Collectors of Easter eggs require a place to hold the eggs and goodies they find during their hunts. Pictured to the right is an iteration of an Easter Egg basket that is manufactured today, however this is not how they looked when originally proposed in 1953. Garfield R. Brown designed the first Easter basket to look more like a box with an inverted, triangular holder. While clever, this may not be ideal for portability, whereas baskets that are commonly used to collect produce seem a more appropriate receptacle for eggs.

Not only do we decorate eggs, but we also decorate our heads to emulate the mythical Easter Bunny. Children and adult enthusiasts have come wear “bunny ears” upon their heads using a headband apparatus.  A commonly used version is this headband that was patented in South Korea in 2003, but is available worldwide and in a variety of fashions for all to enjoy.

And of course, the marshmallow peeps. They are not for everyone, but they seem to invade store shelves every year at the same time. Peeps were created 65 years ago by Sam Born of “Just Born, Inc.” Originally, it took Sam 27 hours to create one peep.  Now, thanks to a machine created by his son, Bob Born, a peep can be made in just six minutes, paving the way for 5.5 million peeps each day in a variety of shapes and flavors.