Chloe Zhang
The pink plastic flamingo, a common lawn ornament in the United States, was designed by the American artist Don Featherstone in 1957. Featherstone, a trained sculptor, based his creation on photographs of flamingos from National Geographic. The pink flamingo has since become an icon of pop culture, inspiring a spoof lawn greeting industry and even lending its name to John Waters's 1972 movie Pink Flamingos. In 1996, Featherstone was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for Art for his creation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the Inventor | Don Featherstone |
| Year of Invention | 1957 |
| Employer | Union Products |
| Inventor's Occupation | Artist, Sculptor |
| Place of Manufacture | Leominster, Massachusetts |
| Inspiration for the Design | Photographs of flamingos from National Geographic |
| Names of the Flamingos | Diego and Phoenicopterus ruber plasticus |
| Flamingo's Pose | One standing upright and the other with its head low to the ground, "feeding" |
| Flamingo as a Symbol | Kitsch, bad taste, cheapness, rebellion, outrageousness, and oxymoronic |
| Flamingo as Art | Recognized as "an essential contribution to American folk art" in 1987 |
| Flamingo as a Political Statement | In 2024, some homeowners painted their pink flamingos blue to indicate support for Harris-Walz in the Presidential election |
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What You'll Learn
Don Featherstone, the artist and inventor
Featherstone's first assignment was to sculpt a three-dimensional duck, for which he bought a live duck to use as a model. He named the duck Charlie, and after completing the sculpture, he released it in a local park. His next assignment was a flamingo, which he based on photographs of flamingos from National Geographic, as he was unable to obtain real flamingos to use as models. Featherstone's creation, named Diego, was mass-produced by Union Products and has since become an icon of pop culture.
The pink flamingo lawn ornament became popular in the 1960s, a decade of backlash against conformity and middle-class taste. It was seen as a symbol of rebellion, outrageousness, and bad taste. In 1972, the cult classic film "Pink Flamingos" further solidified the pink flamingo's place in pop culture.
Over time, the pink flamingo evolved from a symbol of kitsch to art. In 1987, the governor of Massachusetts proclaimed the plastic bird "an essential contribution to American folk art." Featherstone received the Ig Nobel Prize for Art in 1996 for his creation.
Featherstone retired in 2000, and Union Products stopped producing the pink flamingos with his signature in 2001. Featherstone passed away in 2015 at the age of 79 from Lewy body dementia. Today, the pink plastic flamingo continues to be a beloved and iconic symbol, with visitors often leaving flamingo ornaments on the lawn around his grave.
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Union Products, the manufacturer
Union Products, a manufacturer of plastic lawn ornaments, was based in Leominster, Massachusetts. The company tapped into the post-World War II suburbanisation and the burgeoning age of petroleum byproducts, making "plastics for the lawn".
In 1956, Union Products hired Don Featherstone, a recent art school graduate, to sculpt plastic lawn ornaments. Featherstone's first assignment was a three-dimensional duck, which he modelled on a live duck that he purchased and kept in his sink. Featherstone named his creation "Charlie the Duck", and it proved popular, outselling his flamingo for decades.
Featherstone's next assignment was to create a flamingo. He based his design on photographs of flamingos from National Geographic, as he was unable to obtain real flamingos to use as models. In 1957, the pink plastic flamingo was born, and it was mass-produced by Union Products. The first consumers of the pink flamingo lived in working-class subdivisions, while middle-class suburbanites avoided it. However, by the 1960s, there was a revolt against middle-class taste, and the pink flamingo became a symbol of rebellion, outrageousness, and bad taste.
In 1987, the governor of Massachusetts, Union Products' home state, declared the pink flamingo "an essential contribution to American folk art". This proclamation coincided with the 30th anniversary of the plastic flamingo, and Union Products began producing flamingos with Featherstone's signature on the rear underside to distinguish them from imitations.
Union Products stopped producing pink flamingos in 2006, and the company closed down. The copyright and plastic moulds of Featherstone's original design were sold, and the flamingos continue to be manufactured by Cado Manufacturing, Inc.
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The 1960s backlash
The 1960s were a decade of backlash against conformity, with hippies rallying against the plastics industry, cultural critics chastising all things "unnatural", and home and garden magazines urging people to abandon lawn ornaments like gnomes, lawn jockeys, and flamingos. The plastic pink flamingo, created by Don Featherstone in 1957, had become popular with working-class subdivisions, but the middle class gave it a wide berth. However, in the 1960s, there was a revolt against middle-class taste, often led by the children of the middle class.
By 1970, even Sears had stopped selling the pink flamingo, replacing it with natural-looking fountains and rocks. But the 1970s brought a resurgence of kitsch, and the pink flamingo became a symbol of rebellion, outrageousness, and bad taste. This was helped along by the 1972 cult classic film *Pink Flamingos*, in which the heroine lives in a trailer surrounded by pink flamingos.
In the following decades, the plastic pink flamingo continued to gain cultural prominence. In 1987, the governor of Massachusetts proclaimed the plastic bird "an essential contribution to American folk art," and new clubs celebrating the pink flamingo sprang into existence. In 1998, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles sold plastic pink flamingos in its bookstore, and in 2009, the Madison, Wisconsin, city council named the plastic pink flamingo the official bird of the city.
Despite its iconic status, the pink flamingo continues to be a divisive symbol, with some homeowners associations forbidding their installation on the grounds that they lower neighbourhood real estate values.
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The cult classic film, 'Pink Flamingos'
The cult classic film, *Pink Flamingos*, was released in 1972. Directed by John Waters, the film is a surrealist black comedy that explores themes of exhibitionism, voyeurism, sodomy, masturbation, gluttony, vomiting, rape, incest, murder, animal cruelty, cannibalism, zoophilia, castration, and foot fetishism.
The film stars the countercultural drag queen Divine, who plays a criminal named Babs Johnson, who is proud to be known as "the filthiest person alive". Divine lives in a trailer with her mother, Edie (played by Edith Massey), her son, Crackers (Danny Mills), and her companion, Cotton (Mary Vivian Pearce). The story revolves around Divine's character being challenged by another pair of criminals, the Marbles (David Lochary and Mink Stole), who are envious of her reputation and attempt to outdo her in filth.
Pink Flamingos gained a reputation for being shocking and outrageous, with many viewers finding it disgusting and repulsive. It features a range of disturbing scenes, including one with dog feces that has become infamous. Due to its content, the film was initially banned in several countries, including Switzerland and Australia, and faced distribution challenges in others. However, it eventually gained a cult following, with audiences appreciating its unique style, bizarre plot, and Waters' visuals and dialogue.
The film is considered a part of what Waters labelled the "Trash Trilogy," which also includes *Female Trouble* (1974) and *Desperate Living* (1977). It is also credited with contributing to the popularity of plastic pink flamingos as a symbol of kitsch and bad taste, further cementing its place in pop culture.
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The symbol of kitsch
The plastic pink flamingo, a creation of the American artist Don Featherstone in 1957, has become a symbol of kitsch. Featherstone, a trained sculptor with a background in classical art, worked for Union Products, a maker of plastic lawn ornaments in Leominster, Massachusetts. His first product, a polyethylene duck called Charlie the Duck, outsold his flamingo for decades. The flamingo was based on photographs of flamingos from National Geographic as he was unable to obtain real flamingos to use as models. Featherstone's flamingos were mass-produced by Union Products and have since become an icon of pop culture.
Featherstone's flamingos were initially popular among working-class subdivisions, while middle-class suburbanites avoided them. The appeal of the lawn ornament was diverse: the hot pink colour, the novelty of plastic, and the exotic association with Florida. However, by the 1960s, there was a revolt against middle-class taste, often led by the children of the middle class. The hippies rallied against the plastics industry, and cultural critics denounced unnatural items. Home and garden magazines encouraged people to opt for more natural yard décor.
Despite this, the plastic pink flamingo endured. By the 1970s, it had become a symbol of rebellion, outrageousness, and bad taste. This was further solidified by John Waters's 1972 cult classic film *Pink Flamingos*, in which the heroine lives in a trailer surrounded by pink flamingos. In 1987, the governor of Massachusetts, Union Products' home state, declared the plastic pink flamingo "an essential contribution to folk art". The lawn ornament has been included in the Smithsonian's collection and has inspired clubs such as the Flamingo Fanciers of America and the International Society for the Preservation of Pink Lawn Flamingos.
The plastic pink flamingo has become a ubiquitous symbol of kitsch, often used in media and fiction to represent bad taste and cheapness. Its popularity has spawned a spoof lawn greeting industry that installs flocks of pink flamingos on people's lawns. While some homeowners associations forbid the installation of plastic flamingos, the city of Madison, Wisconsin, designated the plastic flamingo as its official bird in 2009, embracing the kitsch icon as part of its identity.
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Frequently asked questions
The American artist Don Featherstone invented the pink plastic flamingo in 1957.
Featherstone was inspired by photographs of flamingos from National Geographic as he was not able to obtain real flamingos to use as models.
The pink plastic flamingo has become an icon of pop culture, with appearances in films, television, and songs. It has also been used as a symbol of kitsch, bad taste, and rebellion. The pink flamingo was also featured in John Waters's 1972 cult classic movie "Pink Flamingos".
Yes, Cado Manufacturing, Inc., a blow-molder located in Leominster, Massachusetts, currently manufactures the pink plastic flamingos designed by Don Featherstone.
