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Plastic flamingo1/13/2023 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. Years later they paid homage to that where the town council named the pink flamingo the official bird of Madison.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. In 1979 in Madison, Wisconsin over 1,000 pink flamingos were laced on the lawn in front of the Dean’s office. Get flockedĮventually pink flamingos became part of the larger community and became part of prank culture where people would put them on others’ lawns as a joke. Pink and flamingos were big in the early 1980s and, thus, pink flamingos were once again a popular lawn ornament. Gay bars and drag shows embraced the icon such that it appeared on earrings, on shoes and in fashion of all sorts as sort of a campy symbol.īy the mid 1980s the pink flamingo finally outsold the duck at Union Products, partially due to the popularity of the TV show Miami Vice. Pink Flamingos is actually about drag queens and some say it may be one of the most offensive pictures ever.īut it celebrated the drag queen and became campy and symbolic as well as becoming huge in the gay community. While the 1972 was not about the flamingos themselves, it did feature a trailer park and with two of the birds adorning a mobile home. But in the 1970s they came back because of John Waters who directed the film Pink Flamingos. In the 1960s there was a backlash against them as the hippies and counter culture rejected the pink flamingo. Other lawn icons of the era included tiki statues and lighthouses. For $2.75 you could place two of these in your yard and really stand out and a lot of people did just that. With pink being a very popular color in 1957 the flamingo took off and helped offset the blandness of the growing number of tract homes of the time. ![]() At the time the company had two-dimensional ducks and flamingos and Featherstone’s first product was a three-dimensional version of the duck followed by a three-dimensional pink flamingo. The iconic plastic pink flamingo was originally created by Don Featherstone at Union Products in Massachusetts in 1957.
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