Popcorn Box ~ BUTTER-KIST

Holcomb & Hoke 1910's

Here's a piece of Popcorn History. H & H Butter-Kist Popcorn was made completely by a large, mechanized machine. The machine was an ingenious apparatus that popped the corn, carried it out on a little chain conveyor, separating the un-popped kernels on the way, and put it through a buttering chamber where it was lightly sprayed with butter! It is 100% mechanized, from the measuring and dropping of the raw kernels of popcorn, to a large glass display case full of the finished product ready to be bagged or boxed.

Their distinguished box says it all. Every panel has printing, even the side flaps! The front is adorned with the Butter-Kist Kiddies, an exceptional graphic of a boy and girl sitting by the river fishing with a box of Butter-Kist in hand. It boasts, The Finest Popcorn in the World, Made Only by the Automatic Butter-Kist Machine Untouched by Hands.

See Photo At Bottom Of Page

Standard "tuck flap" design. Deep blue printing on off white thick card stock. The back features a picture of their first Butter-Kist Automatic Popcorn Machine. The top flap has a recipe for Butter-Kist Candy. The bottom flap has a paragraph about using Butter-Kist as Breakfast Food, citing a government statement about popcorn. The side fold in flaps have more recipes for Popcorn Balls and Butter-Kist Dainties. It is 6 ½ inches high, 4 ½ inches across and 2 ½ inches thick. This box was such a classic hit that the front graphics were kept almost unchanged for decades. The "H & H" went away, and was replaced by the word "Genuine" in the 1920's.

The popcorn machine on the back of the box changed when their machines changed through the years. There were at least 3 styles, this being their earliest just after the turn of the century. The Holcomb & Hoke Popcorn Machine is one of the most sought after by collectors of such things. The machine would put on a show as it went automatically through it's gyrations. People would gather around to watch it work. It was a mechanical marvel. They were operated just after the turn of the century at confectionaries, theaters and sidewalk concessionaires. The box is in Perfect Unused Condition. This is the finest Popcorn box I have ever offered for sale. We pack it securely and mail it to you First Class U.S. Postal.