In nearly every French household you’ll find these essential France items…
La Clé FACOM
1918. In a noisy workshop near the Gare de Lyon in Paris was born a small adjustable hand wrench under the code name “clé 101” or “Madame 101”. World War I changed the world and firmly established the presence of machines – which need repair. The perfect tool is the adjustable wrench by Facom which becomes indispensable for home and professional repairs and la société Franco-Américaine de Construction d’Outillage Mécanique, truncated as the French love to do, to “Facom”, becomes the leading brand of hand tools in Europe. (There is nothing American about it but the Franco-American name was a bit of marketing genius referring to the US troops during the war who were well equipped with the latest technological advancements.) Le 101 was manufactured until 1961 and is now a useful collector’s item and the brand Facom is a worldwide (except in the Americas!!) success.
BIC CRISTAL
In 1945, PPA (Porte-plume, Porte-mines et Accessoires) was set up by Marcel Bich in Clichy. Bich obtained the patent for the ball point which was invented by the Hungarian László Biró and began production. It was in 1950 that the much simpler name BIC was coined. The ballpoint BIC Cristal has since become the most sold pen in the world, topping 100 billion sold! In 2001 the pen was selected for the Department of Architecture and Design of the MoMA in New York and in 2006 the pen was added to the permanent collection of industrial design of the Pompidou Center in Paris. You didn’t know you had a work of art in your pocket!
CADUM
The perfect soap for babies was a Franco-American initiative in 1912. An American industrial suffering from eczema got a balm from a French pharmacist that healed his skin immediately. They two men joined together to commercialize the product. The important ingredients in this soap are oil of cade which is a product from the mediterranean juniper and oil from sweet almonds. The real genius and connection to the French people though comes from the Cadum babies. There was a contest for the face the most beautiful baby in France which still graces the packaging today incarnating softness and cleanliness. His chubby cheeks, his baby smile, his angel hair… Maurice Obréjan‘s face had won the first competition for the most beautiful baby in 1925. He became a heroe of the Resistance. This French Jew was stripped of his nationality and arrested in 1942. Deported to Auschwitz with all his family, he was the only survivor. The first ‘Baby Cadum’ died at age 92 in June 2017 and he never lost that wonderful smile.
COUTEAU ECONOME
The Couteau Econome or vegetable peeler was invented in 1929 by Victor Pouzet in Thiers, the knife making capital of France. It consists of a wooden handle with a single blade with two sharpened slits in the middle. It can be used by both left and right handed people. The tip of the tool is pointed to allow the user to remove blemishes or eyes. This new tool greatly facilitated the task of peeling. The design required much less dexterity to use than a paring knife, was less likely to cut the user and allowed the vegetables to be peeled finely thus reducing waste and giving it its name. The Econome is actually one of those brands has becomes the usual noun for the object. The peeler is still produced in Thiers to the tune of 2 million per year.
CULOTTE PETIT BATEAU
Of course every French household has underwear! But why do they call their favorite underwear “a little boat”? In 1918 an underwear manufacturer in Troyes was inspired listening to one of his 13 sons sing a ditty : «Maman, les petits bateaux qui vont sur l’eau ont-ils des jambes ?». He asked himself why does my underwear have legs? He decided to cut them off and also replaced the buttons using elastic at the waist and the leg openings and replaced the heavy rough wool by white unbleached washable cotton creating a comfortable, more hygienic garment called the panty. In 1937 the Petit Bateau panties received the « Grand Prix of Innovation » at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. Today 3.5 million pairs of Petit Bateau cotton panties requiring 2,520 metres of pure cotton yarn and a natural rubber elastic, are sold per year and they are worn by the average French woman as well as celebrities like Jane Birkin and Inès de La Fressange.
QUE SAIS-JE?
Pronounced “kəsɛʒ”. This collection of 1335 small -in format and limited to 128 pages- books which cover as many topics gives concise, but thorough and comprehensible-by-the-everyman explanations by experts. Created nearly 80 years ago to aid students and the general public comprehend topics from literature to economics and everything in between Que sais-je? books are part of everyone in France’s library. Written in French and translated to 45 other languages, the books are for everyone who needs to learn or wants to understand. They are now available in numeric and audio formats as well. Each year about 30 new titles are published and 100 are updated to keep up with the changing world.
There’s more Quintessential French Objects you should know about: https://fusac.fr/quintessential-french-objects/
