Tupperware was created in Leominster in the 1940s by local chemist Earl S. Tupper. At that time, Leominster was home to a booming plastics industry, including the Viscoloid Company, founded in 1901, which made toys out of pyroxylin plastic.

The brand, once so popular it became the name of an entire product category, has seen sales fall as consumer behaviors change and competition increases.

Tupperware, known the world over for its plastic food storage containers, has filed for bankruptcy after years of falling popularity and financial troubles.

Fans are mourning the failure of the famous brand, a longtime kitchen staple hailed around the world for its durability.

Tupperware is best known for its once-iconic, colorful food storage containers. Here's what we know so far after the company filed for bankruptcy.

Tupperware containers were invented by Earl Tupper in 1946 © SSPL/ A combination of factors dragged the company down: a backlash against plastic, a patchy global distribution network and the increasing anachronism of house party sales in the age of online shopping.

Tupperware's lenders opposed the food storage and kitchen products company's proposed bankruptcy auction during the company's first court appearance, cutting off its access to cash and threatening to derail the company's bankruptcy plans.

Tupperware Brands, the company that revolutionized food storage decades ago, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.