Packaging Digest

WD-40 turns back the clock with '50s-style packaging

WD-40 is issuing a special "collector's can," a fully functional reproduction of the original black and yellow spray can from the 1950s. Created (on the fortieth attempt) in 1953 by a fledgling enterprise called Rocket Chemical Company, WD-40 is a water displacer (WD) that was first used to protect the Atlas Missile from corrosion. Since then, the miraculous lubricant has soared even higher, becoming what WD-40 Company president and CEO Garry O. Ridge describes as "the number one brand of multi-purpose maintenance product in the world.”

For ease of comparison -- and so as not to confuse shoppers searching for the iconic blue and yellow container -- the new retro can is part of a limited-edition "Now & Then Twin Pack" that hit store shelves nationwide earlier this month.