And if you had made the pilgrimage, plastic flamingo yard ornaments were the perfect way to cheaply relive your Florida vacation in your own backyard. If you couldn’t afford to go to Florida on your vacation, you could at least set loose a pair of pink plastic flamingos in your yard, sit in your lawn chair with a fancy drink, and pretend you were there. And there was no better symbol of this exotic, tropical wonderland than the flamingo. The Sunshine State offered middle class Americans an exotic yet affordable destination to pin their vacation dreams on. Due to it’s warm, sunny weather and tropical ambience, Florida became the prime vacation hotspot for this new class of wandering suburbanites. A Portable Tropical VacationĪmericans were starting to travel the country more in the 1950s due to the booming economy and much improved highway system. Let’s go over some some key events in American culture that helped propel this cheap plastic lawn figurine into a pop culture history. Given the scientific name phoenicopteris ruber plasticus by its creator, the pink plastic flamingo’s kitsch appeal can be traced through its storied existence. A Cultural History of the Pink Plastic Flamingo Plastic flamingos were cheap, fun, and, most importantly, funny. For a few bucks anyone with a plot of soil in front of them could erect a pair of plastic flamingos and magically transform the area into a exotic, tropical destination. Perhaps more than anything, this ridiculousness is the key to the popularity of the plastic pink flamingo yard ornament. There is a certain ridiculousness to the cheap approach to legs for the beautifully sculpted lawn ornament. Some would argue that the thin wire legs added to the humor of the figurine and, in turn, the kitschy, pop art appeal. This sold well, so next he turned his creative eye on another of the company’s popular 2-D figures, a pink flamingo.ĭon wanted the flamingo to have wooden legs, but to avoid extra production expense, the company went with the thin wire legs we now associate with the plastic flamingo. All these new homes had lawns, and those lawns needed decoration.ĭon Featherstone was first commissioned to create a three-dimensional version of the companies very popular two-dimensional duck ornament. With home ownership and the post-war economy booming due to the GI Bill and other government programs, the middle class exploded into suburban neighborhoods. Utilizing plastics technology developed during World War II, Union Products sought to make fun and affordable “Plastics for the Lawn”. The Birth of the Plastic Pink Flamingoĭesigned by American sculptor Don Featherstone in 1957, the pink plastic lawn ornament became an overnight success for Union Products, the Massachusetts-based company where Don worked. Over its sixty year history, a clear meaning has become attached to the blow-molded bird: where there is a plastic pink flamingo, there is undoubtedly someone nearby who has a sense of humor. The yard ornament has also withstood the test of time. Their metal legs have been stuck into snow and sand and everything in between. You see them in front lawn displays, backyard barbecues, pool parties, outdoor concerts, even campsites. Plastic flamingos can be found everywhere. Whether you consider it an annoying symbol of tackiness or a fun piece of yard kitsch, you have to admit that the pink plastic flamingo yard ornament is an iconic piece of American pop culture.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |