Toying with Tupperware

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Tupperware has many purposes: forming Jell-O rings, spin-drying salads, storing spaghetti, microwaving oatmeal.

But Tupperware as an evening bag? The lace-patterned accessory is among the winners of a contest that challenged Tupperware sellers and users to get creative with the iconic plastic containers.

The winners, announced Wednesday, include a kaleidoscope, a model race car and an intricate illuminated sculpture. Their creators range from an Indian graphic artist to a French Tupperware saleswoman.

Tupperware, which turned 60 this year, is a fixture in kitchens and American popular culture.

Now, Tupperware pieces are enshrined in several major museums. A water pitcher is on display at New York's Museum of Modern Art, said Christian Larsen, a curatorial assistant.

But Tupperware Brands Corp. doesn't want to be viewed as a clear-plastic relic of a more domestic era. The company, based in Orlando, Fla., has spent recent years updating products. The design contest is another effort to "get Tupperware seen in a very different kind of a light," said Chief Executive Officer Rick Goings.