Thursday, February 5, 2015

Hefty Baggues


In the year 1982, a man named Hefty Baggues left his small apartment in rural Kansas in search of some inspiration. His life had become dull and predictable. Every day he woke up, made a ham and cheese sandwich, brushed his teeth, put on some slacks, and walked the .7 miles to work. Work was more of the same - shifting metal doodads from one conveyor belt to another, over and over until clocking out at 5:00 pm. After 14 years of this dreary existence it was time for a change. So he got up and performed his morning routine, but instead of stopping after the .7 miles, he continued walking. He walked and walked until his feet couldn't go any farther and took a nap on the side of the road. 

Hefty continued to walk south for a full two and a half years. Before long, he reached the Andes Mountains and pursued his journey along the heightening peaks. Climbing mountains had not even been a hobby on Hefty's radar but no peak was too great for him to conquer! Then, as exhaustion finally began to creep in, the highest peak rose before him. Mt. Aconcagua, the prize of the Andes, would be his ultimate challenge. If he could reach the top, he would turn back and head home with a renewed energy. Day after day, he climbed until finally he could see the finish line. As he rose to the top, the inspiration he had been looking for found him blowing in the wind. There, just within sight, was a garbage bag - his favorite thing in the world - stuck on a rock and snow formation. In that moment, he knew what he needed to do with the rest of his life. He would invent a garbage bag that would change the course of history and provide billions of people with a better place to put their trash. His garbage bags would have draw strings so people could tie their bags closed, much as he had tied his shoes 10,000 times along his travels. With this revelation, he tied them tightly once again and began to run home. 

Hefty ran the whole way, up and down the mountainous path, arriving home within a year! Immediately, he set to work and created the famous garbage bag he would name "Hefty Bag". Manufacturing followed soon after and as the first shipment arrived at the first chain of stores, Mr. Baggues's heart gave way. He died before he had a chance to see his garbage bag revolution. But years later, his garbage bags would be in use around the world and the name "Hefty Bag" would be known by children everywhere.