Vintage Wooden Teapot-Shaped Laundry Flake Soap Dispenser 1950s Kitschy C4. This is from an era gone by. When laundry machines were wheeled into the kitchen and plugged in or done by hand. Soap flakes were kept in dispensers. This dispenser would blend in with kitchen decor. I thought it was a teabag holder at first. But its not. Its actually a functioning dispenser. Im not sure if it ever has been used because it smells like wood and not soap. The varnish is starting to peel off. You can see it on the photos. Its in relatively good shape besides the discoloration from missing and or raised varnish. No chips or cracks noted.this box is just over a pound before packaging. And is about 9 inches tall but 8 inches deep and four and three-quarter inches wide. From the 1950s.