Igloo Celebrates the Playmate Cooler's 50th Anniversary with a Design Revival and Documentary

March 01, 2021

Out Today: A Special-Edition Playmate Collection and “The Birds & The Beers”, a Short Film About the Playmate’s Trailblazing 50-Year History

(Katy, Texas) 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic Igloo Playmate cooler, and Igloo is celebrating by bringing back its popular Little Playmate design and premiering “The Birds & The Beers: A Playmate Origin Story”, a hilarious, documentary-style short film depicting the Playmate’s journey, from concept to becoming “America’s lunchbox” and the bestselling cooler design of all time. Igloo invites everyone to join the party at igloocoolers.com/playmate50th where The Little Playmate 50th Anniversary Collection is now available and “The Birds & The Beers” can be viewed.

“All of us at Igloo are in full party mode as we celebrate a huge moment in our brand’s history: The Playmate — the world’s most famous cooler — turns 50!” said Brian Garofalow, Chief Marketing Officer at Igloo. “We’re excited to share the story of the Playmate, from concept through tomorrow’s innovations, with our fans and collectors. Also, we couldn’t be happier to reintroduce the original Little Playmate with its push-button side design as a way for our consumers to join the party and own a piece of Igloo’s history. And these are just the first of several great surprises as we celebrate the Playmate throughout the year!”

In honor of the Playmate’s 50-year history, Igloo is bringing the out-of-production Little Playmate back in a big way. The Little Playmate was one of the most popular styles during the Playmate’s early years; it is a 7-quart personal cooler with the trademarked tent top, swivel lid and push-button on the side. Igloo is reviving this original design with The Little Playmate 50th Anniversary Collection. Featuring nine new, special-edition coolers with vibrant color combinations on each Little Playmate, this collection pays homage to the many colors of the Playmate that Igloo has released over 50 years.

Igloo is also sharing the Playmate’s rich history of becoming the world’s most famous cooler through a fun-filled, documentary-style short film “The Birds & The Beers: A Playmate Origin Story”.  This film chronicles what originally led Igloo to create the Playmate cooler, its rise to pop-icon status through constant appearances in film and TV, earning its place as the bestselling cooler of all time, and all the most notable, exciting moments in between. Viewers will be taken on a visual adventure of the Playmate’s 50-year trailblazing journey through comedic storytelling of the animated Playmate Chilly Alexander Frost and his Uncle Max.

Watch “The Birds & The Beers” now at igloocoolers.com/playmate50th. Additionally, The Little Playmate 50th Anniversary Collection (with 7-quart capacity fitting up to nine 12-ounce cans) is available today at igloocoolers.com/littleplaymate, while supplies last.