Last week The Boston Globe had an item about another local company that has fallen on hard times. It’s not the same as Digital Equipment Company coming to an end, but it’s newsworthy.
Pink plastic flamigos are going away! Although, as seen in the photo, some are more lavender in color. And me only 15 years away from being old enough to justify buying one. My guess is the molds will be sold to some outfit in China.
Birthplace of the flamingo will go the way of the dodo
October 21, 2006
The pink flamingo began as an emblem of suburban style, faded as a symbol of ultimate tackiness, and re-emerged as a showpiece of kitschy-cool. Now, it’s facing extinction.
The flamingo’s maker, Union Products of Leominster, is scheduled to close Nov. 1, the victim of soaring energy and material costs, according to published reports. Dennis Plante, Union’s chief executive, couldn’t be reached for comment. For a half-century, the company has made a variety of plastic lawn ornaments, but none ever fired the imagination like the flamingos, which sell for less than $10 each.
Designed by Don Featherstone of Fitchburg, whose signature beneath the tail proves authenticity, the ornament went into production in 1957. Like other popular cultural icons, flamingos have had their ups and downs. But through it all, Featherstone has steadfastly disagreed that they are tacky, insisting they would add style to any lawn.
In Union’s hometown, flamingos are a point of pride, said Mayor Dean Mazzarella, noting there’s hardly a resident who hasn’t been asked, “Can you get me a few flamingos?”
The Featherstone flamingo, meanwhile, still has a chance to survive, although probably somewhere else. Union plans to sell the molds to another company.
ROBERT GAVIN
© Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
My stepson Bernie works at Corvette Amreica in Milroy, doing injection molding on replacement parts for all types of Corvettes. The fumes are horrific, even WITH the best possible face masks! We’re trying to get him to quit smoking, as that just exacerbates the problem.
TRUE STORY: Back when Bernie decided he was going to Penn. College of Technology at Williamsport, he wondered aloud what he should major in. I said, “Bernie, I have one word for you: PLASTICS!” He said, “OK, I’ll major in that, and he DID! until he made some catastrophically stupid personal mistakes and had to drop out of college… Still, he had enough experience under his belt to land the job at Corvette.
Doug, you can look in almost any catalog and see flamingo themes. There’s even one you can dress up for whatever time of the year it is, like the Easter Bunny, or a leprachaun, Santa, etc.!
That’s not good about the loss manufacturing jobs in your stretch of PA! I’m surprised they’re staying in the U.S. at all.
Jeff (our brother) worked at a plastics factory right in Acton, as did I for a time. Plastics manufacturing yet remains around here. Foster Grant closed many years ago, but Massachusetts is still home to the largest maker of polarizing sheet plastic for sunglasses — International Polarizer, in Westboro. It was started by a former Acton resident, Dr. Richard Phillips, who sold it to PPG last year.
I thought China and Taiwan were ALWAYS the main manufacturers of these monstrosities! We have VERY bad news here in Mayberry. New Holland, a large manufacturer of farm equipment in nearby Belleville, is clsoing its doors, leaving over 500 workers out of work. Our next-door neighbor has worked there for nearly 20 years (he’s about my age). Tom says he hasn’t quite been there long enough to get a retirement package. The Mennonite guy at the end of the road also works there and in is only in his early thirties. His wife just gave birth to their third child. Not good! The company is going to send its main manufacturing operations to other outlets in North Amreica, and POLAND!