September 8, 2022 – THEME WEEK DAY 3

We’re on our third day of our Back to School Theme Week! There’s one product that can be found in nearly every classroom across the country – Elmer’s Glue!
Adhesives have been in use for around 200,000 years, when the Neanderthals attached stone tools to wooden handles using tar made from birch bark. Elmer’s Glue was introduced by the Borden Dairy Company. You might be wondering what the connection is between a dairy company and adhesives, but at the time, glue was made from casein, which was a byproduct of milk! Elmer’s Glue-All was introduced in 1947. It was originally sold in glass jars as a powder that had to be mixed with water to make glue. But customers wanted something that was a bit easier to use. So the company developed their trademark squeeze bottles with orange caps, which were introduced in 1962.
Borden Dairy Company had been using a cow named Elsie as their mascot for years. The famous spokescow was even hired to star in a movie in 1940 called Little Men. However, that meant that she couldn’t appear at the World’s Fair that year, where she was extremely popular. Desperate to find a replacement, Borden found a bull they could use instead. They named him Elmer and said he was Elsie’s husband. He first appeared on bottles of glue in 1951. Elmer and Elsie also had 4 children, Beulah, Beauregard and twins Larabee and Lobelia.
In 1968, Elmer’s introduced their School Glue, which was the first white glue that could be washed out of clothing. Their line of glue sticks was first sold in 1983. And today, Elmer’s is the best selling glue in America. Learn more here.