The History of Duck Tape

Perhaps the most famous duct tape brand, Duck Tape is a branded version of duct tape. But how did it come to be? Duct tape was invented during World War II after a munitions factory worker named Vesta Stoudt wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to tell him about her idea. After the war, the new tape was used to hold ventilation ducts together, which is where it got the name “duct tape.” But branded Duck Tape wasn’t created until later. In the 1950s, the Melvin A. Anderson Company, an industrial tape distributor, began supplying duct tape and electrical tape to factories; the company was bought out by Jack Kahl in 1971 and he changed the company name to Manco, Inc. In 1980, Kahl created a branded duct tape product called “Duck” or “Duck Tape” — his company became the first to offer duct tape in different colors (previously, the tape had been silver to match the color of ducts and before that, the military had it manufactured in green). The famous duck logo was added to Duck Tape packaging in 1984 and the company’s mascot, Manco T. Duck, was created for use in advertisements that same year. The logo was then updated again in 1985. In 1997, Manco, Inc. debuted the first printed Duck Tape — camouflage. In 2002, the Duck Tape mascot was renamed from Manco T. Duck to Trust E. Duck and the company’s famous duck logo was once again updated. The first Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival was held in 2004 in Avon, Ohio, where the headquarters of the company are still located today. In 2009, Shurtape Technologies, LLC, a long-time supplier to Melvin A. Anderson/Manco, Inc., purchased the Duck Tape brand and continued to expand the product line. Between 2009 and 2011, several new Duck Tape products debuted, including the first Duck Tape printed with a character — it was Hello Kitty. College-themed tapes also debuted around the same time. In 2012, NFL Licensed Duck Tape and Glow-in-the-Dark options were released. Scented Duck Tape came out in 2014 and a line of transparent, lightly colored Duck Tape was released in 2016. Today, Duck Tape remains a staple item. In fact, it is one of the most well-known brands — so much so that people often use the branded Duck Tape name interchangeably with the generic product name ("duct tape")!