Page 161 - Demo

159In the prosperous days of 1980s Australia, when%u00a0 we weren%u2019t at the movies%u00a0 watching%u00a0Crocodile Dundee, we had nothing to do but drink a fizzy, wine-based alcoholic drink called a West Coast%u00a0Cooler.These dubious-tasting beverages needed to%u00a0be kept cold, and this is where The Frij came into our lives. Manufactured by Brava Industries in the Sydney suburb of St Peters, The Frij was dubbed a %u2018personal cooler%u2019. It was a silvercoloured drawstring bag with what were presumably bean-bag beads for insulation. Its compact size and ability to expand when filled with drinks gave it an advantage over other products on the market, particularly the D%u00e9cor Wine Cooler (see page 132).%u2018The drawstring is strong enough to be used as a handle and ensures that The Frij moulds itself around contents for maximum effect.%u2019%u0009%u0017ff%u0011ffi%u000efi%u0015ffi%u0009%u0017%u001a%u0090ffi%u0013%u0016%u000f%u0006%u0016%u001a%u0014ffi%u0010%u0018%u0017%u0010YEAR 1989MANUFACTURER Brava IndustriesWhether it was the nifty name, the savvy marketing or just because Aussie mums were%u00a0partial to a chardonnay or two, these things flew o%u00a0 the shelves. Suddenly, they were at every%u00a0 BBQ or dinner party, and if they weren%u2019t properly labelled, they ended up going home %u00a0with somebody else, like a booze cooler swingers party.According to folks on my Instagram, they are still in use by the odd mum around the place. It%u2019s sort of a shame that they never gathered a nickname like %u2018The Cronulla Handbag%u2019.In an interesting side note, Brava used similar packaging and marketing for the equally popular Stable Table, a cushion with a solid top, and the reasonably popular Feet Seat, which was basically a pouf in a box!