Sofia Martinez
The plastic pink flamingo, a symbol of kitsch, bad taste, and rebellion, was born in 1957 in Leominster, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by Don Featherstone, the lawn ornament has become an icon of pop culture, with the artist winning the Ig Nobel Prize for Art in 1996.
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What You'll Learn
Don Featherstone, the creator
Featherstone, facing limited job prospects after graduating from Worcester Art Museum's art school, took a position with Union Products, a plastics company based in Leominster, Massachusetts. His task was to sculpt three-dimensional versions of the company's popular two-dimensional products: the duck and the flamingo. Featherstone's creativity and talent shone through, and he designed the now-famous pink lawn flamingo during his second year with the company.
The artist drew inspiration from photographs in National Geographic Magazine, as he did not have access to real flamingos for reference. It took him about two weeks to model both halves of the bird, utilising the revolutionary injection-mold technology of the time. Featherstone named the first plastic flamingo Diego, and it soon took off in popularity. The pink flamingo was sold in pairs, with one standing upright and the other feeding, adding a unique touch to people's lawns.
Over the years, the plastic pink flamingo has had a varied and sometimes controversial journey. While it gained immense popularity and became a symbol of rebellion and uniqueness, it also faced backlash and criticism. Some viewed the ornament as tacky and tasteless, and it was even banned by certain homeowner's associations. However, the plastic pink flamingo persevered and became an iconic part of American culture, with its own dedicated clubs and even appearances in museums and art galleries.
Featherstone's creation has left an indelible mark on popular culture, with the artist himself receiving recognition for his work. In 1996, Featherstone won the Ig Nobel Prize for Art, and his signature was added to the original plastic mold in 1987 to distinguish the authentic flamingos from imitations. The plastic pink flamingo continues to be manufactured and cherished, with its own dedicated following and a place in the hearts of many Americans.
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Union Products, the manufacturer
Union Products hired Don Featherstone, a 21-year-old art school graduate, in 1956. Featherstone created the first pink flamingo lawn ornament in 1957, naming it Diego. The flamingo was Featherstone's second assignment for the company, which had initially tasked him with sculpting three-dimensional versions of the company's most popular two-dimensional products: the duck and the flamingo.
The plastic pink flamingo was mass-produced and sold in pairs, with one standing upright and the other with its head low to the ground, "feeding." They went on sale in 1958 for $2.76 and were sold through the Sears catalogue, which advertised them as decorations to "beautify [a] landscape." The flamingos were an instant success, appealing particularly to those living in subdivisions with identical homes.
Featherstone continued to design products for Union Products and, by 1996, rose to become part-owner and CEO of the company. In 1987, on the 30th anniversary of the plastic flamingo, Featherstone inscribed his signature on the original plastic mold to distinguish between original and "knock-off" versions. This signature remained on the flamingos until 2001, when it was removed. However, due to a small boycott of the unsigned birds, the signature was quickly replaced.
Union Products stopped producing pink flamingos on November 1, 2006. In 2007, HMC International LLC, a subsidiary of Faster-Form Corporation, purchased the copyright and plastic molds of Featherstone's original design. In 2010, Cado Manufacturing, Inc., a Fitchburg company, purchased the copyrights and the entire Union Products product line, including the pink flamingo.
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National Geographic, the inspiration
The plastic pink flamingo is an iconic lawn ornament in the United States, with a fascinating history dating back to the 1950s. Its creation is attributed to Don Featherstone, an artist and sculptor from Massachusetts. Featherstone's inspiration for the plastic pink flamingo came from an unexpected source: National Geographic.
In the mid-1950s, Featherstone was hired by Union Products, a plastics company based in Leominster, Massachusetts. The company specialised in creating three-dimensional lawn ornaments, and they tasked Featherstone with designing a pink flamingo lawn ornament. However, he faced a challenge as he did not have access to a live flamingo to use as a model.
Featherstone's creativity came to the rescue as he turned to National Geographic Magazine for reference material. He studied photographs of flamingos featured in the magazine and used them to sculpt his now-famous flamingos. It took Featherstone about two weeks to model both halves of the bird, bringing it to life using injection-mold technology. This technology was revolutionary at the time, allowing him to create a detailed and lifelike flamingo sculpture.
The National Geographic photographs provided Featherstone with the visual inspiration and anatomical details he needed to create an accurate representation of the bird. Featherstone's artistic skills and keen eye for detail, combined with the reference images, resulted in the birth of an iconic lawn ornament that has since become a symbol of American culture.
The plastic pink flamingo made its debut in 1957, and its impact was immediate. It captured the imagination of Americans, especially those living in subdivisions with identical homes. Featherstone himself remarked that the flamingo offered a touch of ""tropical elegance" to otherwise mundane surroundings. The popularity of the plastic pink flamingo grew, and it soon became a ubiquitous presence on lawns across the nation.
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Mass production and sales
Featherstone's flamingos were an instant success, selling in huge numbers. The artist himself attributed this to the appeal of the exotic bird to those living in "subdivisions with identical homes". He said: "A woman could pick up a flamingo at the store and come home with a piece of tropical elegance under her arm to change her humdrum house." His wife, Nancy, added that people just thought they were pretty.
The first consumers of the pink flamingo lived in working-class subdivisions, while “middle-class suburbanites gave it a wide berth”. In the 1960s, the plastic flamingo became a symbol of rebellion, especially among the children of the middle class. However, the hippy movement of the 1960s also saw a backlash against plastic lawn ornaments, with cultural critics decrying them as "un-natural". By 1970, even Sears had stopped selling the flamingos, replacing them with more natural-looking garden decorations.
But the plastic pink flamingo was far from dead. In the 1970s, it experienced a revival as a self-conscious symbol of rebellion, outrageousness, and bad taste. In 1972, John Waters's cult classic film *Pink Flamingos* cemented its status as an icon of trash and kitsch. In 1979, University of Wisconsin students planted a thousand pink flamingoes on the lawn in front of the dean’s office. In 1987, the governor of Massachusetts, Union Products’ home state, declared the pink flamingo “an essential contribution to folk art”.
In 1996, Featherstone won the Ig Nobel Art Prize for his design. By 1998, the plastic pink flamingo was being sold in the gift shop of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. In 2001, Union Products removed Featherstone's signature from the flamingo mould, prompting a boycott from fans of the original design. In 2006, Union Products ceased production of the flamingos. The moulds were purchased by a New York company, which subcontracted production to a Fitchburg company, Cado Products. In 2010, Cado Products purchased the copyrights and plastic moulds for the flamingos and continues to manufacture them.
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A symbol of kitsch
The plastic pink flamingo, born in 1957, is an icon of American landscaping and a symbol of kitsch. Designed by Don Featherstone, a 21-year-old art school graduate, the lawn ornament was manufactured by Union Products, a Leominster, Massachusetts-based plastics company. Featherstone created the flamingo in his second year on the job, using photographs from National Geographic Magazine as a reference. The now-iconic design took about two weeks to model using then-revolutionary injection-mold technology.
The plastic pink flamingo was initially marketed as a way to "beautify" one's garden or lawn, with instructions suggesting that consumers "place in the garden, lawn, to beautify landscape." The product was a hit, especially among those living in subdivisions with identical homes. Featherstone's wife, Nancy, commented that people simply thought they were pretty. The artist himself reflected that the flamingos appealed to those who wanted to add a touch of "tropical elegance" to their homes.
However, not everyone embraced the plastic pink flamingo. Some viewed it as tacky and tasteless, and it even faced bans from certain homeowners' associations due to concerns about lowering neighbourhood real estate values. Despite this, the plastic pink flamingo persevered and became a symbol of rebellion and outrageousness, particularly in the 1970s. This shift in perception was evident in John Waters's 1972 cult classic film "Pink Flamingos," where the protagonist, who lives among pink flamingos, embodies a rejection of societal norms and a celebration of the outrageous.
The plastic pink flamingo's journey from garden ornament to a symbol of kitsch and rebellion is a testament to its cultural impact. It has inspired lawn greeting services that playfully install flocks of flamingos on people's lawns and has even been elevated to art, with museums and art galleries featuring it in exhibitions and gift shops. Today, the plastic pink flamingo continues to be a beloved and controversial fixture in American culture, with various cities and sports clubs adopting it as their official symbol.
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Frequently asked questions
The plastic pink flamingo was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, USA.
The plastic pink flamingo was created by Don Featherstone, an American artist and sculptor.
The plastic pink flamingo was created in 1957, though some sources state that they did not go on sale until 1958.
Featherstone was hired by Union Products to sculpt three-dimensional versions of the company's most popular two-dimensional products: the duck and the flamingo. He designed the pink flamingo based on photographs in National Geographic Magazine.
The plastic pink flamingo has become an icon of pop culture and kitsch. It has been used to symbolise rebellion, outrageousness, and bad taste. In 1987, the governor of Massachusetts proclaimed the plastic bird "an essential contribution to American folk art".
