The lawn ornament known as the plastic flamingo is a somewhat familiar sight to Americans. Although its presence is widely known across the nation, only a few know the story of how the pink lawn flamingo became an icon of suburban kitsch.
The plastic flamingo's origins began in a manufacturing facility in Leominster, Mass. The plastic industry was not foreign to Leominster, for the New England town was home to Earl Tupper, the inventor of Tupperware. In 1957, Union Products hired Don Featherstone, a recent art school graduate, to design plastic molds of animals. He first created a duck and subsequently made the pink flamingo, which became an instant success.
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Featherstone copied photographs from National Geographic magazines in order to design an accurate flamingo. The plastic flamingos were originally sold in pairs -- one would stand upright, while the other with its head down. They were three feet tall and made of hot pink and yellow plastic.
Before the plastic flamingo's invention, the garden gnome was the most popular lawn ornament in the United States. While the garden gnome's origins come from European tradition, the plastic flamingo was a totally American invention.
Although the plastic flamingo was successful during its initial release, they slowly declined in popularity during the late 20th century. After the Cado Company attained rights of the plastic flamingo in 2010, production of the pink flamingo increased. Once sold for $2.76 for a pair in 1958, plastic flamingos today are priced from $20 to $30.
In residential areas, the plastic flamingo is quite a controversial issue. Some housing associations have banned it and similar lawn ornaments with the argument that they lower property values.
Despite this, the plastic flamingo mains the most popular lawn ornament in America. In 1996, Featherstone was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize (a parody of the Nobel Prize) for his creation of the plastic flamingo. Featherstone's ornament has had a prominent role in both music and film, namely John Waters' 1972 film "Pink Flamingos." Most recently, the Common Council of Madison, Wisconsin named the plastic flamingo as the city's official bird in 2009.
Sure, it's kitsch, but the plastic flamingo is undeniably an American cultural icon.
