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Painted from the palette of pop culture,lunch boxes invariably bring a smile to those who remember carrying one. Once assigned the simple task of carrying PB&J sandwiches and Twinkies, they now transport people back in time.

But there's more to metal lunch boxes than trivia-question nostalgia. For decades, they were a remarkably faithful reflection of pop culture. And for those of a certain age, seeing a "Lone Ranger" lunch box from 1954 or a "Bonanza" classic from 1965 isn't just a fleeting school-days flashback.

It can be a reconnection with a bygone America vivid and real as a spilled thermos of magma-hot soup.

You can see for yourself at "Lunch Box Memories," an exhibit opening today at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

The 65 lunch boxes on display in the Walther Gallery range from converted tobacco tins of the late 1800s to a 1985 "Rambo" box that was among the last of the metal versions. Plastic soon took over.

The oldest boxes trace the shift from an agrarian to an industrial society. Later editions illustrate the parade of American obsessions, from Hopalong Cassidy and Howdy Doody to space exploration and The Beatles.

"They move us beyond personal reminiscence because they are a part of our culture," said Marsha Rooney, MAC's curator of history.

The exhibit, scheduled to visit 14 cities on its sentimental journey, is the creation of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Spokane is the fourth stop.

"It's striking a chord," said David Shayt, curator in charge.

Shayt is expected to be in Spokane for the opening weekend of "Lunch Box Memories."

"There are the accusations that it's a frivolous pursuit, that it's derivative, that it's not primary, that these are just echoes or shadows of what real life is all about," he said in a phone interview.

But Shayt finds in lunch boxes a revealing window on childhood, food trends, entertainment and mass marketing. "And it's not just a regional thing. This was truly coast to coast."

Besides, who says we can't have a little fun during the summer?

Shayt's own childhood included a sandwich hauler adorned with images of submarines.

It has been estimated that 450 different lunch box designs were produced between 1950 and 1985.

MAC's Rooney said someone has already tried to buy the "Star Trek" lunch box included in the exhibit.

It's not for sale, of course.

So don't reach for your wallet when you see the "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" box or the one featuring "Tom Corbett Space Cadet."

If you ever noticed that an upright lunch box resembles a TV screen, it probably won't surprise you to learn that television themes play a starring role in the show.

"Laugh-In," "Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "Green Hornet," and "Julia," are just a few of the programs that got lunch-box treatment.

There's a lunch box designed to look like a school bus being ridden by Disney characters. About 9 million of those were sold.

And there are lots of other familiar faces and scenes. There's Dick Tracy, Superman, Popeye, "Star Wars," Peanuts, Roy Rogers, Quick Draw McGraw and Bert and Ernie.

The list goes on.

"It's very entertaining," said Rooney.

But it's not all fads and fantasy. The exhibit touches on how design reflects culture and how a child's lunch box could be tied to self-image and identity.

The Smithsonian exhibit will be on display here until early September. But its departure won't be the end of "Lunch Box Memories." A presentation of some local collectors' most primo boxes will pick up where the national collection leaves off.

Visitors who bring their own lunch boxes or show up dressed as TV characters at today's opening can be in a group photo to be taken at 1 p.m.

The exhibit's local debut will be celebrated with various family activities, music and snacks, said Rooney.

(If you don't like your snack, maybe you can find somebody who will trade with you.)

There's also talk of staging a Twinkie festival before the show closes, among other outside-the-box ideas.

Some adults checking out "Lunch Box Memories" are certain to kick themselves for letting their trusty old meal containers get away. A few of them are now pricey collectibles.

But don't despair. Even if the lunch boxes are gone, you might find the memories are right where you left them.

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