Didn't pop cans used to have tabs that completely came off?

[MosMom]

My husband and I were having a discussion about the "stepped on a pop top" line in Margaritaville. He asked what a pop top was. He doesn't remember when pop tops came completely off, I do. He thinks I am dreaming things up.

I can remember stepping on one at the pool as a kid and slicing my foot open.

Who is right?

 

[debster812]

You're right. There was a little ring, that peeled back a piece that kind of looked like a teardrop. But they were sharp as all get out.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Chris is wrong, sooooooooo......

 

[Stepharoonie!]

You are Bridget

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Of course they came off. Shoot I cut myself many times on those darn things!

 

[grinningghost]

Last summer, while walking through an area park, I found one of those old style tabs. I picked it up and said "it's an artifact". My DH hasn't stopped teasing me since.

 

[4greatboys]

I remember those, lol. Seems to me like it was not that long ago--or maybe thats just wishful thinking on my part

 

[Dan Murphy]

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Beverage can

 

[NHAnn]

You're NOT dreaming.

We didn't drink canned soda in my house....but I remember the sharp thingies on the ring from...ahem...beer cans. And the "horror stories" of people disposing of the ring by dropping it in the can itself...then swallowing it

 

[cgcw]

I remember them.

I also stepped on one in a lake. Sliced the bottom of my little toe right off. Not a fond memory.

I can remember making a chain of them. Adding sequence and having a stylish belt. LOL -- I haven't thought about that in years!

 

[Robinrs]

I remember stepping on one and soaking my foot in the top and it turned BRIGHT RED!! Scared my little 10 year old mind to death!

I also remember when they first came out and WENT STRAIGHT DOWN into the drink!!! YUCK! Everyone was so disgusted with it, seemed so unsanitary!

 

[gallaj0]

Of course, before that you had to have a churchkey, and punch your own hole in the can; that was a long time ago.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

And yes that is where the line in that song came from

We used to make chains out of them at the campground I stayed at as a kid that would streatch for a couple hundred yards by the end of the summer

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I remember a period when Coca Cola cans had red poptops on their cans. We called them 'free kiss tags' because supposedly if you gave one to a member of the opposite sex, they HAD to kiss you whether they wanted to or not. The high schoolers I knew called them something else entirely and it wasn't for something as innocent as a kiss.

TOV

 

[Jasminesmommy]

does anyone have a picture? I am 28 and don't remember.Maybe I am to young.

 

[Tiziminchac]

Originally posted by edcrbnsoul
We used to make chains out of them at the campground I stayed at as a kid that would streatch for a couple hundred yards by the end of the summer

If you were really good you could even make hats from them. Remember Billy Carter (BillyBeer)? He used to wear one.

As for the song, I always imagined that Jimmy was talking about a bottle top. I can't remember anyone calling those can tabs "tops". But I was just a kid in the seventies, I may be wrong.

 

[Amberle3]

I have (somewhere around here) instructions for making a "chain mail" vest out of those things! I believe it was in a children's craft book believe it or not.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Yup. I have the instructions for that floating around somewhere,too. I think that's what we did once for a play in elementary school.

TOV

 

[LadyBears]

My friends brother had made several curtains for his doors out of these.

Pop Top was the original name for them:

This Schlitz Pop top can came out in March of 1962. The pop-top was a revolution in the brewery industry. No longer did you have to cart around an opener or some other tool to pierce the top or bottom of the can to have a cold one. You simply had to grasp the tab and lift pulling the pop-top off of the can thereby opening the can with out an extra tool.


The pop tops later looked like:

 

[Tiziminchac]

Originally posted by LadyBears
This Schlitz Pop top can came out in March of 1962. The pop-top was a revolution in the brewery industry. No longer did you have to cart around an opener or some other tool to pierce the top or bottom of the can to have a cold one. You simply had to grasp the tab and lift pulling the pop-top off of the can thereby opening the can with out an extra tool.

Now I'll never think of that song the same way again!