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Few experiences are more nostalgic to many than a pizza night with your family or friends. On February 12, many people on Twitter celebrated the tiny invention that made so many of those pizza nights possible: the plastic table "thingy" that sits in the center of a delivered pizza.
The patent for the device was filed on February 12, 1985 by Carmen Vitale, and the world was changed forever.
Happy birthday to the pinnacle of human innovation. https://t.co/4UZIp3myEE— Daniel Benneworth-Gray (@Daniel Benneworth-Gray) 1549963994.0
While Twitter was on the subject, one user also attempted to codify a name for the item once and for all.
Okay so what do you call it? These are the options provided by wikipedia:— Daniel Benneworth-Gray (@Daniel Benneworth-Gray) 1549964530.0
Other people used the item for things other than what it was intended for...
@gray Patio table for small creatures. https://t.co/3iEfSQbxhT— Present & Correct (@Present & Correct) 1549964952.0
@gray When I was little I would clean it off and use it as a side table for my Barbies.— Christie Walker (@Christie Walker) 1550006936.0
It turns out many social media users have a frustrating history with the small plastic table.
What was the actual point of these?? My parents used to clean them after we were done with the pizza and stick them… https://t.co/W4ehdb09Zx— Mehreen (@Mehreen) 1549976396.0
@josemehrinho Stops your cheese getting mashed into the lid of the box, innit— Kris (@Kris) 1549976463.0
@gray Call me old school, but I will forever prefer the centre doughboy over this plastic drivel. https://t.co/OBf2ma1nMo— Reasonable Dad (@Reasonable Dad) 1550006490.0
@gray @elliew398 I hate these things so much. Single use plastic at its worst. I briefly thought about designing an… https://t.co/rIEC99q2ep— Danny Garside (@Danny Garside) 1549994624.0
Perhaps the patent should have gone through a few more drafts.
@da5nsy @elliew398 Doesn’t it just roll away from the centre?— Daniel Benneworth-Gray (@Daniel Benneworth-Gray) 1549995002.0
@gray @elliew398 Never had a chance to find out but I imagine it's pretty stuck once it's squished into the sauce and cheese— Danny Garside (@Danny Garside) 1549998101.0
@gray I wonder how many of these end up in the ocean....— E. (@E.) 1550009335.0
For such a small invention, the plastic device certainly has a storied history.
fun fact! this thing was invented by a woman named Carmela Vitale and I know that because of this song:… https://t.co/iTjYh6jsOj— Toasty (@Toasty) 1549984637.0
Some clever Twitter users had some new ideas to improve the plastic piece.
@gray They should shape them like electrical sockets so we can re-use them as safety devices.— Paul "The Book Guy" Alves (@Paul "The Book Guy" Alves) 1550018006.0
To invent and create is only human, after all!
Anyway, probably a good time to retweet this: https://t.co/tNtUZFXoIJ— Daniel Benneworth-Gray (@Daniel Benneworth-Gray) 1549980148.0
@gray @MrHarryCole Closely followed by... https://t.co/Hk0r0J0xWt— David ☕ Dáithí, Dewi, Dawid, Дaвид, Δαυίδ, Davidus (@David ☕ Dáithí, Dewi, Dawid, Дaвид, Δαυίδ, Davidus) 1549967063.0
If there's one thing we can say with certainty, it's that no pizza would ever be the same without the small plastic tripod!
.@SouleadoEnt's THE NATURE OF INVENTION starts with @brittwray telling us EVERYTHING had to have been invented. e.… https://t.co/8FTlsbUdHm— The Nature of Invention (@The Nature of Invention) 1549984023.0
...or not.
@gray As long as I've ordered pizza I have not once gotten a pizza with the plastic thingy in it.— Kαʅʅιʂƚα Mҽƚɾσρσυʅσʂ (@Kαʅʅιʂƚα Mҽƚɾσρσυʅσʂ) 1550005215.0