# why are pin cushions shaped like tomatoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2008, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pin-cushions-shaped-like-tomatoes/435434 "2008-01-29T06:19:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pin-cushions-shaped-like-tomatoes/435434/21 "2008-01-29T23:52:30Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] If you google _Chinese Pincushion_, you’ll find pictures of them that are similar to the tomato shape, but not actually made to resemble a tomato - they’re just roundish and have a radial pattern of threads strung across them - like a sort of abstract pumpkin shape. Is it possible that these predate the tomato design - and that the tomato design is based on them? [/QUOTE] Chinese Pincushions have the same basic design but they’re always surrounded by [little Chinese babies](http://www.flickr.com/photos/12575303@N02/1307912410/). Are they really Chinese? I always figured they were somethingcreated to sellt o tourists. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pin-cushions-shaped-like-tomatoes/435434/22 "2008-01-30T00:20:22Z")
They’re mostly shaped like tomatoes for the same reason all the kitchens had Country Goose motifs in the 80’s. Tomato pin cushions were what was available, so that’s what they bought. I’ve seen one strawberry shaped one, all the rest were tomatoes. This does not account for the wrist ones. because who’s going to attach a big honken tomato to their wrist? The tomato pincushions were filled with a course sawdust. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pin-cushions-shaped-like-tomatoes/435434/23 "2008-01-30T04:41:01Z")
I just e-mailed my mom and discovered she still has her tomato pincushion: [http://www.phase42.net/hosted/pincushion1.jpg](http://www.phase42.net/hosted/pincushion1.jpg) [http://www.phase42.net/hosted/pincushion2.jpg](http://www.phase42.net/hosted/pincushion2.jpg) She’s had it for as long as I can remember (I’m almost 42). She also says she’s never owned a Singer sewing machine, so she didn’t get it that way. She doesn’t remember where she got it. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pin-cushions-shaped-like-tomatoes/435434/24 "2008-01-30T08:03:31Z")
My mom had some old pincushions that were shaped like hats. But she eventually started using the tomato. Those wrist things that came out in the 70’s were crap. Just a plastic cuff with a bit of sponge glued to the top. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pin-cushions-shaped-like-tomatoes/435434/25 "2008-01-30T08:28:06Z")
My mother had the tomato pincushion and a Singer sewing machine. I, on the other hand, keep my pins in a glass BBL Blank Paper Discs vial. I doubt that this is the wave of the future though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pin-cushions-shaped-like-tomatoes/435434.md?page=1)