Researched by Kim Rosas | May 2025
Tassaway disposable menstrual cups began development in 1963. Tassaway was the newest attempt at a marketable menstrual cup by Robert Oreck and the Tassette company. In 1958 Robert Oreck purchased the company from its founder, Leona Chalmers. After an unsuccessful attempt to re-introduce the Tassette menstrual cup to consumers in the 1960s, the company went to the drawing board. The decision to make a one-time use menstrual cup resulting in the Tassaway, allegedly pronounced “Toss-away.”
Tassaway employed a nurse, Barbara Waldron, to help them with their design. The updated cup design is patented under Waldon’s name, the brand filed for two patents, a new cup design and a menstrual cup applicator.
After an expensive and ambitious ad campaign the company was over 1 million dollars in debt to their advertising company. Tassaway dissolved in about 1973 and with it, the entire menstrual cup product category.
- Timeframe: 1960s – 1970s
- Item Location: On Display Period Nirvana Asheville
- Credit: Kim Rosas
- Category: Menstrual Cup
The fascinating full story of Tassaway was told by Dr. Kelly O’ Donnell and is found on Technology Stories.
