Pizza saver facts for kids
A pizza saver is a small, plastic object that looks like a tiny table. It's placed in the middle of a pizza box to stop the lid from squishing down onto your delicious pizza. This helps keep the cheese and toppings perfect, especially when the pizza is being delivered! It also stops slices from sticking together.
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The Story of the Pizza Saver
Pizza savers are usually made of plastic and have three or sometimes four legs. They are often white. Most of the time, one pizza saver is put in the center of a pizza before the box lid is closed for delivery. People usually throw them away after getting their pizza. However, some creative people find other uses for them, like holding eggs when turned upside down.
Who Invented the Pizza Saver?
In 1974, a man named Claudio Daniel Troglia from Buenos Aires, Argentina, got a patent for a plastic, three-legged stool. This stool would sit in the middle of the pizza box. It stopped the top of the box from sagging into the pizza. He called it "SEPI," which means "pizza separator" in English. People also called it "guardapizza" or "mesita." However, he did not renew his patent.
Later, in 1985, Carmela Vitale from Dix Hills, New York, got a patent for a similar device. Vitale called her invention a "package saver." This is what she named her patent. But over time, it became known as the "pizza saver" because that was its most common use. She filed her patent on February 10, 1983. It was officially given to her on February 12, 1985. Her patent was not renewed after 1993.
New Ideas for Pizza Savers
Since then, other people have come up with different versions of the pizza saver. One idea was a plastic spatula that could hold the box top up. Another was a plastic tripod, like Vitale's and Troglia's designs. But this one had a serrated (saw-like) leg. This leg could be used like a knife to cut stuck cheese or bread. Some pizza places have stopped using plastic pizza savers. Instead, they go back to an old method. They bake a small ball of bread into the center of their pizzas to hold the lid up.
Why Pizza Savers Look Like Tables
A pizza saver usually has a flat top and several legs. Because of this, it looks a lot like a small table. Children sometimes used these tiny devices as tables for their dolls or action figures. For example, they were perfect for popular G.I. Joe action figures in the 1980s.
Pizza Saver Inspired Marketing
Because pizza savers look like tables, some companies have used this idea for fun promotions. In the summer of 2018, Boston Pizza in Canada had a special campaign. They turned the pizza table into a miniature patio set. They added tiny plastic chairs next to the pizza saver.
In March 2020, Pizza Hut Hong Kong and the furniture store IKEA worked together. They created a new side table called SÄVA. This table was designed to look just like a giant pizza saver. The SÄVA table came in packaging that looked like a pizza box. The instructions for building the table even suggested ordering a Swedish meatball pizza from Pizza Hut. This pizza would have the same meatballs served in IKEA restaurants.
See also
In Spanish: Guardapizza para niños
