The first written documentation of toilet paper dates back to 6th century China, but Joseph Gayetty is widely credited as having invented modern toilet paper in the United States. Introduced in 1857, Gayetty’s Medicated Paper was the first commercially available paper and was sold in flat sheets. Toilet paper has evolved a lot over the past 150+ years, appearing in various plies, colors, textures, scents, and patterns. But one thing hasn’t changed: we all consider toilet paper a necessity. According to the Toilet Paper Encyclopedia, 49% of people choose toilet paper as their number one necessity if stranded on a deserted island (ahead of food!), and 69% agree that that toilet paper is the 20th Century “convenience” most taken for granted. Perhaps this is why toilet paper deserves it’s own holiday, observed every August 26th. This year’s National Toilet Paper Day celebration marked a new world record for the largest toilet roll. Manufactured by Charmin, the roll contains over 1,000,000 square feet of paper, and measures more than nine feet in diameter!

Although I’ve done some “lite” camping, I refuse to pitch my tent anywhere not within walking distance of a toilet. Call me prissy, but I enjoy luxuriating in today’s modern conveniences, including toilet paper. I can’t imagine having to use pebbles, furs, leaves, or shards of broken pottery for personal hygiene, but according to Wikipedia that’s exactly what people used to do! Luckily, we live in a place and time where toilet paper is readily available. And with my recently acquired couponing skills, we always have a hefty supply on-hand; last time I checked I believe we had over 100 rolls! It might sound excessive but when it comes to toilet paper, I’d rather have too much than too little — there’s nothing worse than a late-night dash to the store because you’re running low on TP.

To celebrate National Toilet Paper Day (other than the obvious way), Chris and I decided to explore the world of toilegami. Toilegami is the art of folding toilet paper, and examples can often be found in hotel guest rooms. Folding toilet paper into pretty shapes isn’t just a way to impress guests, but also confirms that a bathroom has been cleaned. I’ve seen a few samples of toilegami when staying in some of the trendier hotel chains, but it’s usually only been a simple ‘V’ fold that causes the remaining toilet paper on the roll to come to a sharp point.