Remember the Pee Chee folders from junior high or high school days in the ’60s & ’70s? Those yellow & brown colored folders that everybody and their kid brother used to hold their school papers. Actually, according to wikipedia.com, the Pee Chee folder was first produced in 1943 by the Western Tablet and Stationary Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Of course that was way before my time, I was first introduced to them in the late ’60s in junior high, or I guess they call it middle school these days.
Soon after the Pee Chee folders were purchased, the students creative juices began to flow. It usually began to flow during math, history or english class…go figure. The Pee Chee folder was used as a blank canvas and it usually involved changing the hairdos, bodies or faces of the athletes that were printed on the folder or just filling the surface with a multitude of doodles.
As you can see from the picture of the folder, these folders weren’t going to break the bank at 2 for 25 cents, so you always had a clean canvas on hand, if your doodling got out of control.
I found this later incarnation of the Pee Chee folder on the web, I believe it to be from 2008.
I’m not sure how wide spread these folders were, if they were all over the United States and beyond. Leave me a comment if you remember using the Pee Chee folders and what year, city, state or country you are in. Thanks!
I wasn’t an artist, but I mostly remember learning my multiplication table from PeeChee folders.
Very cool! I wish they still made the Pee Chee folders. I still need to learn my multiplication tables!
Absolutely, born in the late 70′s, used them in the mid-eighties at school, all over the country! We were trying to figure out how PeeChees got their name…
I haven’t seen any information regarding where the Pee Chee name came from. If I spot something, I’ll definitely update this post.
I have been wondering about these lately as I realized my friends outside the west coast had never heard of a pee-chee. Every one I know from OR and WA who graduated from 10 to 40 years ago used them or know about them.
Hmm, that’s good to know, it must have been a West Coast only thing. Thanks for the comment!
I used these back in the late 60′s early 70′s
in central Illinois. We bought them at the school
store…they were 25 cents I think. As mentioned,
Great for doodling when I should have been
paying attention!
Thanks for your memories! Good to hear that they had them back where you were too.
I had them every year during mid-to late grade school, and continued to use them through high school (I graduated in 1980). I remember doodling, drawing, and coloring on them.
I live in the PNW.
Pee Chee’s came up recently during a conversation among myself and a group of web friends. They had no idea what on earth I was talking about, even after seeing a picture. They live on the east coast. I had always assumed the folders were nationwide and part of everybody’s school supplies.
Mead started making the Pee Chee folder again in 2010, and they can be found on Amazon, but as far as I can tell, the plain yellow/gold folder that most of us remember is no more. They’re now made in weird colors. Not the same. To me anyway.
I think it’s strange that there’s no info. about how the folder got its name. I’ve seen pictures of Pee Chee’s from the late 40s/early 50s, and they’re kind of cool.
Hi Carole, thanks for your detailed recollection of the Pee Chee folder, like you, I thought it was a nationwide thing too, but that may not be the case.
I’ve created a Flickr group devoted to Pee Chee Folder Art:
Pee Chee Folder Art
…devoted to the preservation of this truly lost art form. Pee Chee Folder Art has got to be one of the purest, most honest forms of artistic expression I’ve ever known; a total icon of ’70s and ’80s youth culture and rebellion. Drop on by, or better yet, dig through your closet/basement/attic/trash and contribute yours to the group! =)
I remember these well and recently read that the name was given because of the original peach color that the folders were made in.
I recently purchased some at a grocery store for 25 cents on sale. Nothing much has changed as they are still cheap. 40 cents was the original price.
Hi Mimi, thanks for your comments about the Pee Chee folders. I hadn’t heard that about how the Pee Chee folder got it’s name, that’s a great tidbit of information. Wow, what a steal at 25 cents! Thanks again for sharing.