Simplicity x function = popularity
A funny thing happened while browsing though the many aisles of Hot Property, a mecca for things Modern in the city of Toronto, I spied some glass containers that were in a locked cabinet. I have been on the hunt for glass containers, with plastic getting so much bad press these days, and inquired as to their price. The shop-keep told me that while he wasn't sure of their exact price, they were in fact "thousands, and thousands of dollars". It turns out that they were original Wilhelm Wagenfeld Kubus stacking containers from ca. 1935. Wagenfeld studied at the Bauhaus school and produced these simple containers after he left. They were manufactured as sets of seven, with interchangeable lids that were meant to be used as both storing and serving pieces. In true Bauhaus style serial repetition and function led to their extreme popularity, hence the myriad of replicas available on the market today.
Link: Metropolitan Museum