Monday, February 16, 2009

Not so Pee Chee

While looking for envelopes at a local department store, a familiar yellowish folder caught my eye -- a Pee Chee folder. For decades, these folders were everywhere -- with the ubiquitous athletes on the covers, usually modified with doodles created during boring lectures. The Useful Information on the inside pockets made them the place to turn when we had a question about converting time, mass or distance (this was before Google and the Internet, mind you). How did we manage to multiply 12 x 12 without our Pee Chee?
For nostalgia's sake I bought one (79 cents), figuring it might make an interesting (?) blog entry. Who knows? I might even use it someday.
Once I got home I realized that I had seen a Pee Chee folder more recently: right in my cardboard box full of papers and folders. I guess I am officially a packrat (and forgetful).
I compared the two (the older one is on the left) and noticed that, aside from changes in the drawings (and a UPC bar code on the newer version), they haven't changed much since my high school days when a Pee Chee was 2 for 25 cents. The Useful Information is identical, although it seems to be harder to read than it used to be.
Wikipedia says the Pee Chee is no longer made. Ebay shows that they haven't become collector's items -- yet.
Oh well, at least I now have another place to keep my homework. And should I ever need to know how many pints in a quart, I'll know just where to turn.

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