Zippo

The story of Zippo begins in the early 1930s when George G. Blaisdell was at the Bradford Country Club in Pennsylvania watching his friend struggle awkwardly to use a cumbersome lighter. He was impressed how the lighter worked even in the wind due to the chimney, but the design and appearance wasn’t efficient as it required two hands to use and its metal surface was easily damaged.

In late 1932 George decided to reconstruct his friend's lighter. He created a small rectangular case and attached a lid with a hinge, whilst keeping the chimney design which protected the flame - The result was a beautiful lighter that was easily operated with one hand. The new pocket lighter sold for $1.95 each and was backed by the now famous lifetime guarantee: “It works or we fix it for free”.  The application for the original Zippo patent was then filed on the 17th of May 1934 and was granted on the 3rd of March 1936.

The name Zippo was created by George as he liked the sound of the word “zipper” so he thought of words that sounded like this until he settled on “Zippo” which he felt had a modern sound.

Upon America's entry in World War Two, Zippo stopped producing lighters for consumer markets and dedicated all production to the U.S. military, this clever idea led to the production of the steel case zippo lighter with black crackle finish. By having the U.S. military carry Zippo lighters into battle it established Zippo as an American icon throughout the world. This ingenious idea kept the Zippo plant running in full and kept them financially strong. At the end of the war, Zippo returned to producing and selling lighters for the consumer market.

On the 1st of August 1950 Zippo made minor improvements to their lighters, the design stayed relatively the same but a new patent was needed. In the Mid-50s they started to use date codes on the bottom of every Zippo, originally this was for quality control purposes however the codes have become an invaluable tool for collectors.

In 1956 Zippo launched the Slim lighter which was a big milestone. Originally designed for the female market, this slightly smaller version of a Zippo lighter has surprisingly been appealing to men.

On the 3rd of October 1978 George Blaisdell passed away, handing the Zippo empire to his daughters, Harriett B. Wick and Sarah B. Dorn. It was around this time that Zippo began expanding to overseas markets.

The Zippo/Case museum opened in July 1997. The 15,000 square foot facility includes a store as well as the museum. In this museum is the first Zippo pocket lighter ever produced in 1933. It is also home to the world famous Zippo repair clinic, where visitors can watch the repair process.

In 2010 the company created an all metal hand warmer. This uses Zippo premium lighter fluid and provides a steady source of heat longer than other hand warmers.

The expansion into overseas markets was going well, particularly in India and China which led to record sales increases in 2011 and 2012. It was in 2012 during their 80th anniversary year that Zippo production had surpassed the 500 millionth lighter.

Today George Blaisdell's grandon, George B. Duke is the sole owner and Chairman of the board with Mark Paup is the president and CEO. The products now include lighter accessories, butane lighters, lifestyle accessories and more with different lines continuing to grow, there is no end in sight.

Zippos are incredibly popular around the world and one of the reasons is the ties with culture in films and music. A Zippo lighter has appeared in over 2,000 films, stage plays and television shows over the years. Even the famous “click” has been featured on songs. 

In more than 90 years, no one has ever spent a penny on the mechanical repair of a Zippo pocket lighter regardless of the age or condition. A simple rectangle lighter is now ingrained in American culture and is a global icon of durability and reliability.

Click here to view our range of Zippo products

Written by Oliver Partington