Millions of students used a Trapper Keeper not just to be organized and keep their work together, but also to show off their unique personalities.

Trapper Keeper was a must-have school supply in the 1980s for millions of kids as they navigated their way through middle and high school, whether they were toting a cute Trapper Keeper with puppies and kittens, a super sweet style with bright geometric patterns and laser beams, or the completely iconic rainbows and unicorns’ options.

The Origins Of The Trapper Keeper

Trapper keepers, like scrunchies and crushed velvet, are no longer super popular as they once were in the 1980s. However Trapper keepers are making a return, and for good reason: they’re one of the most well studied and helpful school supplies ever.

The functional structure and brilliantly colored patterns drew pupils from all across the country when it was first established in the late 1970s. And the reasons they appealed back then are the same reasons they still do now: They were fashionable and useful.

The trapper keeper was created to be the ideal product for children of all ages. They were the first school supplies that allowed kids to express themselves, not only because they saved room in small lockers, but also because of the distinctive drawings on the cover. Trapper keepers also relieved students of the burden of attempting to find the proper notebooks in between lectures, as everything was there all in one convenient place.

What Is A Trapper Keeper Exactly?

The trapper keeper was just as useful as it was fashionable. Multiple folders with vertical pockets (or trappers) were grouped in one big notebook that was simple to carry around.

E. Bryant Crutchfield, the trapper keeper’s inventor, picked vertical pockets over horizontal ones since papers were likely to slip out of horizontal ones. No matter what life threw at you as a student, the trapper keeper’s design allowed the trapper keeper to properly hold all of your notes in place.

Another feature of the trapper keeper was it allowed you to swap out sections for each course, so you didn’t have to carry around numerous spiral notebooks all day.

Trapper keepers were able to save you time, worry, and storage space. Also a pad of paper and a pencil clip were included with most Trapper Keepers, and they came in a variety of styles and colors during their heyday to suit just about any taste.

How Did The Trapper Keeper Come To Be?

The trapper keeper took a long time to create and went through numerous versions before it was completed. The input Crutchfield got from students was one of the most noteworthy aspects of its construction.

Focus groups were an important element of the famous tool’s finer features. The snap clasp and room for paper and pencils were added to the final design with the aid of the public.

What Happened To Trapper Keeper?

The trapper keeper went out of style in the late 1990s after more than a decade of ruling supreme in school supplies. It’s unclear if this was due to teacher concerns or new trends. Nevertheless, they became a forgotten footnote in the history of public education. Until lately, that is.

Trapper keepers, like many other 1980s and 1990s fads, are making a comeback. Trapper Keepers are now available in three distinct designs from Mead, the business that continues to makes them to this day. They’re designed for the current day challenges of academia, with enough space to hold a normal tablet, and still comes in a wide range of designs and colors.