TV tray

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A TV tray or TV dinner tray is a type of collapsable furniture that functions as a small, portable table. It became popular in the 1950s as a way to hold food and beverage items while watching TV, the iconic item being a TV dinner.

The original, popular models consisted of two pieces: an aluminum tray with grips mounted on its backside, and a set of tubular aluminum legs with rubberized tips at the bottom. The tray clips on to the legs, which can be opened up to support the tray, or collapsed for stackable storage. The tray remains clipped to one leg support during storage.

A set of four TV tables could be mounted to a rack when not in use. The rack was popularly placed in a corner of the living room.

As times changed, so did construction techniques.

Today TV dinner trays are being marketed as "retro" or kitsch items.