What is the 90s tackle-box makeup case? A Caboodles
The hinged plastic case with the cantilever trays, the flip-up mirror and the single front latch is a Caboodles. It was launched in 1987 by Plano Molding, a fishing tackle-box maker in Plano, Illinois, and it is literally a tackle box redrawn for cosmetics — the trays are the same cantilever mechanism.
Original cases are marked on the underside. Look for a moulded “Caboodles” logo, a model number, and on the earliest ones “Caboodles of California” with Plano Molding Co. and Made in USA.
The tells, in the order worth checking
- Underside moulding. Genuine cases carry a moulded logo and model number, not a sticker. “Caboodles of California” dates a case to the earliest run; later cases read Plano Molding Co.
- Tray action. Cantilever trays that swing out on arms as the lid opens. Rigid lift-out trays are a different product.
- The colours. The launch palette was peach, yellow, pink and purple — the founder took the colours from hair dryers. Teal-and-purple and the translucent “jellies” are later.
- Model name on the box. On-The-Go Girl, Pretty in Petite, Take It Touch Up and Make-Up Bag are named lines, and resale sellers still use the names.
Where it came from
Company legend credits a 1986 magazine photograph of Vanna White using a Plano tackle box for her makeup. The better-sourced account credits Leonie Mateer, a New Zealander working in California, who had seen a model arrive at a shoot with a tackle box and took the idea to Plano. She found the name in a dictionary. The first cases shipped in 1987 and sold two million units in two years; by 1992 Plano was selling more makeup boxes than tackle boxes, and a New York Times report that year put teenage-girl awareness of the brand at nearly 80 percent. The range peaked around 70 items priced $5 to $40.
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Old case or new case? What each costs
| Market | Listings priced | Cheapest | Median | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New, conventional retail (Belk, Woot) | 24 | $2.99 | $7.99 | $49.19 |
| Resale, all Caboodles | 212 | $5 | $20 | $199 |
| Resale, seller-described vintage/retro | 30 | $10 | $25 | $135 |
The editorial judgment, for what it is worth: a seller-described “vintage” case at a median of $25 is not obviously better value than a new On The Go Girl at $16.79 unless you specifically want the old palette. What you are paying the premium for is colour, not construction — the mould barely changed.
Last verified 31 August 2026 against 236 Caboodles rows in the CJ product feed (US advertisers), of which 24 were conventional retail and 212 resale. Prices move; read them as the market on that date, not a promise. Peer-to-peer marketplace asks of $500 or more are excluded as seller placeholders, as are repdigit asks such as $1,234 and $9,999 wherever they appear; retailer prices are used as published.
Frequently asked
What is a Caboodles case?
A hard plastic cosmetics organiser with cantilever trays and a mirror, launched in 1987 by Plano Molding and based on the company’s fishing tackle boxes.
Are Caboodles still made?
Yes. On 31 August 2026 we found 24 new Caboodles listings at conventional US retailers, from $2.99 to $49.19.
How do I tell an original 1980s or 90s Caboodles?
Turn it over. Original cases carry a moulded logo and model number; the earliest read “Caboodles of California” with Plano Molding Co. and Made in USA.
Sources
- Mental Floss, facts about Caboodles makeup organizers — Mateer, the 1987 launch, the two-million-unit figure and the 1992 New York Times awareness number
- ABC News, on the Vintage 1987 case reissue
- CJ Affiliate product feeds, US advertisers, queried 31 August 2026
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