The Trapper Keeper Is Back ... This Time For Your iPad

What's This?

The Trapper Keeper is making a tablet-inspired comeback.

By Christina Warren2014-06-30 19:51:06 UTC

Brace yourselves children of the 1980s, the Trapper Keeper is back — and it now works with your iPad.

The Trapper Keeper, the beloved organizational tool that was all but ubiquitous in classrooms in the 1980s and 1990s, kept two generations of school kids organized. Not only was the Trapper Keeper a great way to keep your papers from falling out of folders and classwork organized, it was the ultimate status symbol.

See also: 14 Tech Supplies That Made School Tolerable in the '90s

Times have changed, however, and kids (and adults) in 2014 don't really use loose-leaf notebook paper as much as they use laptops and tablets. Which is why Kensington has partnered with the good people at Mead (maker of the Trapper Keeper) to bring out a new Trapper Keeper aimed at 8-inch and 10-inch tablets.

The designs are remnant of the classic Trapper Keeper and Pee Chee folder designs of the early 1980s. But instead of storing papers, it's just a universal tablet case.

I'm slightly disappointed that the Kensington cases don't contain any additional folders, and although I understand the need for a universal case to work with multiple brands of tablets, a more customized design for say, an iPad Air, would be extra awesome. Still, I won't lie, the nostalgic nerd inside me wants one of these things. Badly. I imagine that it's Millenials like me that have an undying urge to re-buy everything they loved in childhood that will make Kensington's investment into this IP worthwhile.

The 8-inch cases will be available for $25 and the 10-inch cases will be available for $30. They ship this September.

If a tablet Trapper Keeper variant wasn't enough, the original Trapper Keeper for papers is making a comeback too. Mead is relaunching the brand and has made the product nearly identical to the Trapper Keeper of yesteryear. The new Trapper Keeper sets will be available in July at Target.

I'm almost more excited about this, and I haven't had the need to have actual paper in years. For those interested in the history of the Trapper Keeper, Mental Floss had profiled the history with incredible detail last year.

As I've said before, my generation loves nothing more than to reminisce about the not-so-distant past. There are already market opportunities for high school kids nostalgic about games they played five years ago. Whatever, viva la commerce.

Check out these classic Trapper commercials, compiled by Kensington.

Now, my favorite Trapper Keeper was definitely something related to Lisa Frank. What about you? Let us know your Trapper Keeper memories in the comments.

Topics: Gadgets, iPad Cases, Mobile, nostalgia, school supplies, Tech, trapper keeper