It was a schoolyard way of calling someone an idiot or dense. Supposedly, some time after WWII, Illinoisans started to call Wisconsinites—Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers fans in particular—’cheeseheads’, harkening back to the Dutch insult.

The racial makeup of the city was 85.86% White, 1.38% African American, 3.28% Native American, 3.76% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.72% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.13% of the population.

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As images of toilet paper shortages raced through social media in coronavirus panic buying, Wisconsin paper makers hustled to shore up the supply chain. America’s Dairyland is the nation’s No. 1 paper manufacturer, cranking out $13.8 billion in products annually and employing 30,000 people.

1928 — Charmin was first manufactured at the Hoberg Paper Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the early design reflecting feminine fashions of the day. The toilet paper was described as “charming” by an employee and from there the name “Charmin” was born.

What toilet paper the United States does import comes primarily from Canada and Mexico. Unlike with other categories of consumer goods, Americans don’t rely on foreign toilet paper because its domestic production is so strong.

The rolled toilet paper that we use today, which is perforated, was created in the 1880’s. Northern Issue, in 1935, began to advertise toilet paper that was ‘splinter free’. Up until this point, it was common to have splinters in toilet roll, due to the production techniques used.

The toilet paper we use today is usually a paper made from trees, but the paper from hemp plant is used too. When hemp plants are used, we get the paper from hemp’s fiber and pulp. However, most toilet paper today is made from a “chemical pulp”.

Before toilet paper, people mainly used whatever was free and readily available for personal hygiene. Unfortunately, many of the options were quite painful: Wood shavings, hay, rocks, corn cobs, and even frayed anchor cables. Paper has been used for bathroom duty for thousands of years since then.

The vast majority of toilet paper consumed by Americans is made in North America. But about 10 percent of the giant rolls of paper that are used to make the rolls that end up in American bathrooms come from China and India. It’s not just toilet paper that people are stockpiling, of course.

Another reason for the sudden increase in demand is that people actually do need more toilet paper during the pandemic. With people staying at home because of business closings and shelter-in-place orders, the demand for consumer toilet paper has skyrocketed while the demand for commercial toilet paper has decreased.

Toilet paper is getting more expensive due to soaring prices for its key ingredient. It’s the latest item to be squeezed by high demand and shipping delays as the economy reopens.

An average roll costs about $0.84 and contains 150 sheets, so you’re using 11 rolls per month. Add kids to the mix (and don’t think for a second that they use less toilet paper than you), and you’ve got a costly, ongoing monthly expense on your… hands. Cut your toilet paper expense by 70%.

Creating a calculator that cuts through the noise

The Best Toilet Paper

• Our pick. Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care. Best all-around toilet paper.
• Runner-up. Charmin Ultra Strong. Very absorptive, less soft.
• Budget pick. Charmin Essentials. The cheaper stock-up option.

Toilet Paper. This one might be surprising. Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper costs a whopping 74.9 cents per roll at Costco, while it only costs 15.3 cents per roll at Walmart. That’s a big difference for a recurring purchase.