For reasons beyond reason, there is no toilet paper left on the shelves.
While the situation continues, let’s delve into the item itself.
Almost fittingly, when you roll out the history of toilet paper, you end up in China.
The first recorded use was during the 6th century AD.
While it was probably more sanitary than the alternative, not everyone was happy about
it.
Scholar Yan Zhitui wrote “Paper on which there are quotations or commentaries from
the Five Classics or the names of sages, I dare not use for toilet purposes.”
In 1393, 720,000 sheets were produced.
In that same year, for the Hongwu Emperor’s family alone, 15,000 sheets were produced,
each one of them perfumed.
Each sheet was 3ft by 2ft or 90cm by 60cm.
Elsewhere in the world, ordinary people used rags, seashells, corncobs, plants, rocks,
or even the smooth edges of broken pottery among other things.
That is, if they could find something.
It wasn’t uncommon to use nothing at all.
Meanwhile, the wealthy used wool, lace, or other fabric.
Somewhere down the line, something changed, and it wasn’t toilet paper— it was just
paper.
The rise of the publishing led to newspapers and cheap books being used to wipe.
[Paper Mister?]
In the United States, a popular choice was the Sears Roebuck catalog.
That is until Sears decided to print the catalog on glossy paper.
Several people wrote to Sears complaining.
Obviously, Sears said no.
The first modern product specifically designed for wiping was invented in 1857 by Joseph
Gayetty.
Marketed as a hemorrhoid treatment, this toilet paper was made from aloe-infused manila hemp
and packaged like a tissue box.
Gayetty’s name was printed on each and every sheet.
Unfortunately for Gayetty, he lost out to the Sears catalog.
The logic was why would anyone want to pay for some fancy product when the catalog comes
in the mail for free.
Eventually, the Sears catalog would no longer be practical for wiping with the implementation
of modern plumbing.
Try flushing a catalog down the toilet.
In 1890, the Scott brothers popularized toilet paper on a roll.
This operation was far more successful than Gayetty’s.
They still struggled to market it since going to the toilet was still a very taboo subject.
The Scotts were so embarrassed by the product that they waited until 1902 to take credit
for it.
Their company Scott Paper, was acquired by Kimberly-Clark in 1995.
The earliest patent for toilet paper was in 1891 by Seth Wheeler, where it shows the roll
is supposed to go over and not under.
I’ll let you discuss that.
But the story’s not over with the Scotts.
Until 1928, toilet paper was seen by the public as a medicinal item, but the Hoberg Paper
Company changed that.
They created a new brand of toilet paper called Charmin.
Their logo featured a woman.
This was important, because instead of advertising the theme of going to the toilet, wiping yourself,
and hemorrhoids, they avoided that altogether by playing off of the softness and femininity
that their brand supposedly represented.
Later, the women were replaced by the bears we know today as the mascots of Charmin.
The Hoberg Paper Company changed their name to The Charmin Paper Company, and then in
1957, they were acquired by Proctor & Gamble.
Now, toilet paper is something vital to North America and other parts of the world.
It is worth mentioning that in some parts of the world, washing is the preferred method,
by bidet or otherwise.
In some other parts of the world where there is no modern plumbing, newspapers, books,
and catalogs are still used.
Toilet paper in 2020.
We’ll just have to wait and see what rolls around the corner.
And until next time, thanks for watching.