Wrapping paper feels like it's been around forever, right? Colorful, festive paper covering presents is such a basic part of gift-giving that it seems timeless. Except the decorative wrapping paper industry didn't exist until 1917 – and it was created entirely by accident when a store ran out of tissue paper during the holiday rush.
Before 1917, people wrapped gifts in plain tissue paper – usually white, red, or green. It was boring, practical, and nobody thought there was anything wrong with it. That was just how you wrapped gifts. Some wealthy people used fancy fabric, but most Americans used simple tissue.
Then came December 1917 in Kansas City, Missouri. Two brothers, Joyce and Rollie Hall, were running a stationery store that sold greeting cards and tissue paper. The holiday season was busy, and suddenly they had a problem: they completely sold out of tissue paper and customers kept asking for more.
Rollie Hall went searching through their warehouse for anything they could substitute. He found a stack of fancy French paper with elaborate designs – but it wasn't meant for wrapping gifts. It was decorative envelope lining paper, the stuff you'd put inside fancy envelopes to make them look luxurious.
The brothers had no other options, so they put the envelope lining paper out for sale at 10 cents per sheet. They figured maybe a few desperate customers would buy it. It sold out immediately.
Customers loved it. The bright colors and printed patterns made wrapped gifts look special and festive in a way that plain tissue never did. People started asking when they'd get more of that beautiful paper.
The Hall brothers weren't stupid – they recognized a business opportunity when they saw one. The next year, in 1918, they ordered more of the decorative paper and offered three sheets for 25 cents. It sold out again.
By 1919, the brothers started printing their own decorative gift wrap paper. Within a few years, they were selling it all over America. The company they built around this accidental discovery? Hallmark. Yes, the greeting card giant that dominates the gift wrap industry was founded because two guys ran out of tissue paper one day.
Before this accident, nobody thought gift wrap needed to be decorative. It was purely functional – you covered the gift so it would be a surprise. The idea that the wrapping itself could be beautiful and festive and part of the gift-giving experience? That didn't exist until the Hall brothers stumbled into it.
The wrapping paper industry today is worth nearly $10 billion annually. Americans alone throw away about 4 million tons of wrapping paper every year – roughly the weight of four Empire State Buildings. All of this exists because one store ran out of tissue paper in 1917.
So next time you're wrapping presents and cursing the tape and scissors, remember: you're participating in a tradition that's only about 100 years old, and it only exists because of one stockroom mistake in Kansas City. That beautiful wrapping paper covering your gift? It's the descendant of emergency envelope linings that were never meant to wrap anything.