D According to meteorologists, it was January in many places in Germany the coldest in years. As if the weather gods knew that the hot water bottle would be celebrating its 50th birthday this year! At least in the form we know it today. In 1976, the Stuttgart company Fashy, which is as synonymous with hot water bottles as the Tempo brand is with handkerchiefs, developed a new technology for producing hot water bottles made of thermoplastic. Before that, people usually warmed themselves using copper, metal or rubber vessels.
Apart from this push for innovation, the hot water bottle is one of those everyday objects that hardly changes at all. Sure, manufacturers now also offer smaller versions for on the go, with different surfaces or with printed images. On the whole, however, the hot water bottle remains a hot water bottle at a time when it feels like a new iPhone comes onto the market every week. A classic like the black blazer. You could almost call it retro that in times of AI, 3D printers and Bluetooth headphones, people still boil water and then pour it into a plastic bag.
The hot water bottle defies the changes in a world that is increasingly falling apart: Donald Trump has rulers in foreign countries kidnapped, the CDU is shaking up the statutory pension and in Ukraine the war rages in an endless loop. What to hold on to when the news puts you in the ejector seat again? At the hot water bottle! Literally: It’s not uncommon for me to fall asleep with her in my arms or hold onto her during a conference call, just because it feels comfortable.
The hot water bottle is not just a mini heater. It is a relaxation aid and a source of security, its melodious gurgling reminds me of waterbeds and wellness. I fill the first thing of the day between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. when I get cold from sitting at the computer (low blood pressure!). A second round often follows around 4 p.m. (afternoon low!). And when I’m out with friends in the evening, my thoughts sometimes wander and I end up looking forward to the hot water bottle that I’ll put under my cold feet at home (the thirties!).
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I was a late bloomer in the hot water bottle game. A friend asked me ten years ago whether I was crazy because I didn’t have a hot water bottle in the apartment. She gave me a white version for my birthday – and I began to understand what she meant. Today my hot water bottle accompanies me on vacation and when I do housework, stuck in my waistband.
But the mini heater still has an image problem. Many people think that anyone who uses them has stomach problems or period pain and is definitely considered needy. If it appears in the newspaper, it is a symbol of horrendous heating costs or a rampant flu. It is high time that we show more appreciation for the plastic bag and consider it a lifestyle product (greetings to the SME Union!) celebrate.
My cat would also sign that. A few days after I brought her in from the animal shelter, I wanted to give her some comfort during the stress of moving and put a freshly filled hot water bottle in a fleece cover in her basket. At first she eyed the thing with a skeptical look. Half an hour later she had put her paws on it.