Maya Ellison
The plastic pink flamingo, designed by Don Featherstone and manufactured by Union Products, first went on sale in 1957. Since then, it has become an iconic piece of pop culture, with imitations making their way onto lawns and store shelves across the United States. The original flamingos were sold in pairs, with one standing upright and the other with its head lowered as if grazing. In this article, we will explore the history of the plastic pink flamingo and its transformation from lawn ornament to cultural icon.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year the first plastic flamingo was sold | 1957 |
| Creator | Don Featherstone |
| Company | Union Products |
| Location | Leominster, Massachusetts |
| Name of the first plastic flamingo | Diego |
| Sold as | A pair, one upright and the other with its head low to the ground, "feeding" |
| Signature | Don Featherstone's signature on the rear underside |
| Material | Plastic |
| Colour | Pink |
| Prize | Ig Nobel Prize for Art in 1996 |
| Movie | John Waters's 1972 movie "Pink Flamingos" |
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What You'll Learn
- Don Featherstone designed the first plastic flamingo, named Diego, in 1957
- Union Products mass-produced the plastic lawn ornament
- Plastic flamingos are often used as a symbol of kitsch, bad taste, and cheapness
- In 1972, John Waters' film *Pink Flamingos* was released, cementing the plastic flamingo's status as a symbol of lawn kitsch
- The plastic flamingo was adopted as the official bird of Madison, Wisconsin, in 2009
Don Featherstone designed the first plastic flamingo, named Diego, in 1957
The plastic pink lawn flamingo was designed by Don Featherstone in 1957. Featherstone was an American artist and sculptor who, after graduating from the school of the Worcester Art Museum, took a job with Union Products, a maker of plastic lawn ornaments in Leominster, Massachusetts. He was hired to sculpt three-dimensional versions of the company's most popular two-dimensional products, including a duck and a flamingo.
Featherstone's first product was "Charlie the Duck," a polyethylene sculpture that outsold his flamingo for decades. However, his pink flamingo design, named Diego, became an iconic symbol of pop culture and earned him the Ig Nobel Prize for Art in 1996. The lawn flamingo was mass-produced by Union Products and has since become a ubiquitous lawn ornament in the United States.
The plastic flamingo was born out of the post-WWII spread of suburbanization and the rise of petroleum byproducts, which made plastic a popular material for lawn ornaments. The hot pink colour, the novelty of plastic, and the exotic association with Florida all contributed to the initial appeal of Featherstone's flamingo. While it was first adopted by working-class subdivisions, the plastic flamingo eventually became embraced by the middle class as well.
Over time, the plastic flamingo underwent a transition in its cultural perception. In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a backlash against plastic lawn ornaments, with hippies and cultural critics rallying against them as unnatural and tasteless. However, by the early 1970s, the plastic flamingo had made a comeback, this time as a self-conscious symbol of rebellion, irony, and kitsch. The release of John Waters' movie "Pink Flamingos" in 1972 solidified its place as a stereotypical example of lawn kitsch.
Today, the plastic flamingo continues to be a recognisable symbol, spawning a spoof lawn greeting industry and even inspiring a city in Wisconsin to designate it as its official bird. Genuine pink flamingos made by Union Products from 1987 to 2001 bear the signature of Don Featherstone, and pairs of the original flamingos were sold with one standing upright and the other with its head low, appearing to feed. Featherstone's plastic flamingo has multiplied into the millions, outnumbering real flamingos and solidifying its place as an iconic piece of Americana.
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Union Products mass-produced the plastic lawn ornament
Union Products, a company based in Leominster, Massachusetts, mass-produced the plastic lawn ornament, the pink flamingo, in 1957. The company was a maker of plastic lawn ornaments and hired Don Featherstone, a sculptor and recent art school graduate, to sculpt three-dimensional versions of its most popular two-dimensional products: a duck and a flamingo. Featherstone's first product, "Charlie the Duck," actually outsold his flamingo for decades.
The pink flamingo was Featherstone's second assignment. He worked from photographs in National Geographic magazine to sculpt a three-foot-high creature, typically sold as a pair: one bird upright and the other with its head down, as if grazing. It took Featherstone about two weeks to model both halves of the bird, brought into the third dimension by then-revolutionary injection-mold technology. He named the first plastic flamingo "
Union Products tapped into the post-WWII spread of suburbanization and the rise of petroleum byproducts to create "plastics for the lawn." The first consumers of the pink flamingo lived in working-class subdivisions, while middle-class suburbanites avoided it. The pink flamingo's appeal lay in its bright colour, the novelty of plastic, and the exotic association with Florida. Despite initial popularity, the plastic flamingo, along with other lawn ornaments, soon came to be seen as tacky and in poor taste.
However, in the 1970s, the plastic flamingo experienced a resurgence as it became a symbol of rebellion and irony. The release of John Waters' 1972 movie "Pink Flamingos" solidified the plastic flamingo's status as a stereotypical example of lawn kitsch. In 1987, the governor of Massachusetts, Union Products' home state, declared the pink flamingo "an essential contribution to folk art." This proclamation elevated the plastic flamingo to the realm of art, with museums and art institutions embracing it as a cultural icon.
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Plastic flamingos are often used as a symbol of kitsch, bad taste, and cheapness
In 1957, Don Featherstone, an American artist and designer, created the pink plastic lawn flamingo. He named the first one Diego. Featherstone's employer, Union Products, a plastics company based in Leominster, Massachusetts, mass-produced the ornament.
Featherstone's plastic flamingos have since become an icon of pop culture, with the artist winning the Ig Nobel Prize for Art in 1996. They are also considered an example of kitsch, bad taste, and cheapness. While some view plastic flamingos as garish and tacky, others see them as a symbol of the American dream and its ideals of the good life.
The plastic flamingo's bright colour and synthetic material were initially considered an affront to the middle-class yearning for sophistication in the 1950s. Lawn ornaments, such as the flamingo, were seen as a symbol of conformity and maintaining appearances in the suburbs. However, in the 1960s, there was a revolt against middle-class taste, often led by the children of the middle class. This shift in taste may have contributed to the popularity of plastic flamingos, which were now seen as a rebellion against the "stay normal" pressures of postwar suburbia.
The release of John Waters' 1972 film "Pink Flamingos" further solidified the plastic flamingo's association with kitsch and bad taste. The film questioned ideas of taste and celebrity, and its use of the plastic flamingo as a symbol contributed to its perception as a trashy and kitsch icon. Despite this association, plastic flamingos continue to be popular, with imitation products finding their way onto lawns and store shelves.
Today, plastic flamingos have migrated across American classes and tastes, with some viewing them as kitsch-cool rather than purely kitsch. The survival of the plastic flamingo as a cultural icon illustrates its adaptability and resonance with American optimism and consumer culture.
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In 1972, John Waters' film *Pink Flamingos* was released, cementing the plastic flamingo's status as a symbol of lawn kitsch
In the early 1970s, the plastic pink flamingo underwent a transformation from a simple lawn ornament to a symbol of countercultural kitsch. This evolution was in part due to the release of John Waters' film *Pink Flamingos* in 1972. The film, a subversive comedy, featured a character named Cracker who lived in a trailer park and displayed plastic pink flamingos on his lawn. The flamingos were meant to be a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the character's taste and sense of style, and they quickly became an iconic symbol of the film.
Pink Flamingos gained a cult following, and its impact on popular culture was significant. The film embraced and celebrated the tacky and the trashy, and this aesthetic extended to the plastic pink flamingo. The film's fans began to embrace the plastic bird as a symbol of their own countercultural identity, displaying it on their lawns and in their homes as a form of ironic kitsch.
Prior to the release of *Pink Flamingos*, the plastic pink flamingo had already begun to gain traction as a popular lawn ornament, with Don Featherstone's iconic design hitting the market in the late 1950s. However, it was Waters' film that truly cemented the plastic flamingo's association with camp and kitsch. The film brought the lawn ornament into the cultural consciousness and gave it a new layer of meaning and subversion.
As a result of its appearance in *Pink Flamingos*, the plastic pink flamingo took on a life of its own as a symbol of bad taste and a rejection of traditional notions of beauty and refinement. It became a way for people to make a statement about their own unique sense of style and their willingness to embrace the unconventional. This new interpretation of the plastic pink flamingo only added to its popularity and ensured its place as an enduring icon of lawn decor.
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The plastic flamingo was adopted as the official bird of Madison, Wisconsin, in 2009
The plastic flamingo, a product of the age of suburbs and plastic, was designed by Don Featherstone in 1957. It has since become an icon of pop culture, spawning a spoof lawn greeting industry that involves installing flocks of pink flamingos on people's lawns in the dark of night.
In 2009, the city of Madison, Wisconsin, designated the plastic flamingo as its official bird. This decision was made in honour of a historic student prank pulled in 1979. The group responsible for the prank, known as the Pail & Shovel Party, was a part of the student government at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was known for its mischievous antics. On September 4, 1979, the group orchestrated the placement of more than 1,000 plastic flamingos on the iconic Bascom Hill on campus, stunning students and staff as they made their way to class.
The prank has since become a beloved tradition, with the University of Wisconsin Foundation and Wisconsin Alumni Association recreating the scene on Bascom Hill every October as a fundraiser. The impact of the prank extended beyond the campus, leaving an indelible mark on the city of Madison itself. Local newspaper columnist Doug Moe recognised the significance of the upcoming 30th anniversary of the prank in 2009 and successfully lobbied for the plastic flamingo to be named the official bird of the city.
The proposal was met with enthusiasm, and the City Council voted 15-4 in favour of the designation. The plastic flamingo's status as Madison's official bird reflects the city's playful spirit and its ability to laugh at itself. This unique choice of official bird sets Madison apart and showcases its willingness to embrace the unexpected. The Forward Madison professional soccer club further cemented the flamingo's place in the city's culture by adopting the bird as their official logo in 2018, solidifying the enduring legacy of the original prank.
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Frequently asked questions
The first plastic flamingo was sold in 1957.
The first plastic flamingo was designed by Don Featherstone, an American artist and sculptor.
The first plastic flamingo was sold by Union Products, a maker of plastic lawn ornaments based in Leominster, Massachusetts.
