Football Snack Bowl

This plastic, football-shaped snack bowl features a brown football design with the words “Touch Down!” shown in red type. The white rim inside the bowl is similarly decorated with “Touch Down!” appearing in four places. Maryland residents Flo and Skip Ford, who donated the bowl to the museum, began hosting Super Bowl parties for their friends and neighbors in 1997, and this snack bowl was part of the festivities. Like many fans, their game day spread included chips, chili, taco dip, and crab dip.

The first Super Bowl, in 1967, took place as a part of a merger agreement between the National Football League and the then competitor league, the American Football League. With the majority of fans watching the game on television, the Super Bowl has become a popular occasion for gatherings and parties. The centerpiece of most Super Bowl parties is the food, and themed dishes, bowls, tableware, and decorations have become increasingly popular. Many viewers serve regional specialties of the competing teams as their party fare, but others stick to classic finger foods like chicken wings, pizza, and chips. The Super Bowl has become one of the top three food consumption days for Americans (behind Thanksgiving and Christmas), with the average viewer consuming roughly 1,200 calories worth of snack food during the game.