|
Pink Plastic Lawn Flamingos
By Marilyn Parrish
Side by side since 1947, a famous pair celebrates their Golden Anniversary this
year (2007).
The once ubiquitous Pink Flamingos lawn ornaments have stood faithfully side by side for half a century.
In their heyday, the tropical birds, their spindly wire legs firmly rooted in the soil, graced city and suburban lawns in droves. Or—is it flocks?
The birds were designed by Don Featherstone, now 71, a resident of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. In 1957, Featherstone, who had nine years of fine arts training, was hired by Union Products in Leominster, Mass.
After he designed a duck, Union Products wanted a pair of three-dimensional flamingos. Unable to come up with live feathered models, Featherstone spotted an article about flamingos in National Geographic titled “Ballerinas in Pink.”
He chose two images from the magazine, one flamingo with its head up and the other with its head facing down. It took two to three weeks for Featherstone to sculpt the bodies in clay.
The first models, their eyes drawn in indelible ink, sold for less than $10 a pair. They were hugely popular. A year later, they grew even more realistic when engraved feather markings were added. It wasn’t until 1985 that Featherstone added his signature under the tail feathers. In 1997, the inseparable couple came with a pair of snap-in plastic eyes, similar to glass eyes in dolls.
The Pink Plastic Flamingos made Don Featherstone famous. In 1996, in honor of his pop-art creation, Featherstone became the recipient of the Ig Noble Award, a spoof of the Nobel Prize.
As in all long-term relationships, the pair endured ups and down over the years. Insulted and maligned, they were labeled cheap and tacky. Some communities banned them. Still, the colorful twosome has endured.
During this year of the Pink Plastic Flamingos’ golden anniversary, the flashy duo has racked up sales of more than 20 million. Prices soared for a while when Union Products, beset with financial problems, folded last November. Flamingo owners, thinking the plastic lawn ornaments would become collectors’ items, sold original pairs for as much as $129 on EBay.
Happily, the faithful pair of tropical birds will not become extinct after all. The famous twosome will continue standing side by side, decorating lawns throughout the country. A company in the state of New York, HMC International LLC, purchased Union Products’ molds and equipment. They plan to be producing the Pink Plastic Flamingos again by Labor Day.
Go
to Rewind the Fifties Home
|
|
