i don't get it.
are you supposed to eat them while watching tv?
are the dinners called tv dinners because there are so many ads for them on tv?
or are the dinners actually composed of little dust particles from shattered televisions at the junkyard?
2007-03-28 14:03:59 · 14 answers · asked by bad_ambassador 3 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
They were introduced as meals that were ready to eat in front of the television set.
2007-03-28 14:07:00 · answer #1 · answered by Knee 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First Tv Dinner
2016-11-15 00:21:16 · answer #2 · answered by mcveay 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When Were Tv Dinners Invented
2016-12-28 17:26:31 · answer #3 · answered by criddle 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some of them *do* taste like old TV antennas and ground up picture tubes, but that's not why they're called TV dinners.
Waaaay back yonder when TV was a new concept, somebody decided that we needed a quick meal to eat on trays in front of the tube so we wouldn't miss a thing. So I believe it was the good folks at Swanson who first came up with the idea of freezing something kinda like food in these convenient little aluminum pans.
And in pre-microwave days, the little gems actually took about 30 minutes to bake. The idea was that you put a TV dinner in at the start of "Zorro" or "Sky King," then run in and grab them half an hour later before the next program began.
You could have both your dinner and your TV shows without interrupting either one.
2007-03-28 14:10:28 · answer #4 · answered by Wolfeblayde 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Like many creations, the story of the development of the TV dinner is not straightforward. Many people and companies played a role in the development of the concept of a complete meal that needed only to be reheated before eating. The invention of the TV dinner has been attributed to at least three different sources, primarily Gerry Thomas, the Swanson Brothers, and Maxson Food Systems, Inc.
Maxson Food Systems, Inc. manufactured the earliest complete frozen meal in 1945. Maxson manufactured “Strato-Plates” – complete meals that were reheated on the plane for military and civilian airplane passengers. The meals consisted of a basic three-part equation of meat, vegetable and potato, each housed in its own separate compartment on a plastic plate. However, due to financial reasons and the death of their founder, Maxson frozen meals never went to the retail market. Some feel that Maxson’s product does not qualify as a true TV dinner, since it was consumed on an airplane rather than in the consumer’s home.
The concept really took hold in 1954 when Swanson’s frozen meals appeared. Swanson was a well-known brand that consumers recognized, and Swanson launched a massive advertising campaign for their product. They also coined the phrase TV Dinner, which helped to transform their frozen meals into a cultural icon
2007-03-28 14:07:24 · answer #5 · answered by fries846 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They were originally made and sold in the 60's in a container shaped like a TV with a picture of a TV.
2007-03-28 14:08:08 · answer #6 · answered by Michael G 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are called TV dinners because they are put in these little trays you can easily carry with you to the TV.
2007-03-28 14:10:53 · answer #7 · answered by Angie S 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When they were first unveiled in the 50s, television was also relatively new and trendy. Dinners that were fast and could be eaten while watching television.
2007-03-28 14:15:11 · answer #8 · answered by Cambrianna S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
thats what people did back in the 70's with tv dinners on top of their dinner trays.
2007-03-28 14:07:01 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
they are called tv dinners because you ate them while watching tv, I know you won't want to miss The Honeymooners , right?
2014-09-29 14:46:00 · answer #10 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋