Vintage Blowmold Holiday Decorations

vintage blow mold snowman

According to Dotson family history, when I was a little girl, I begged my parents to buy a set of blow mold holiday candles that were taller than me.  After hours of begging, they finally gave in and I worshiped those blow mold beauties for years until I became too cool for them as a teenager.

FIE! Because I would kill to have those old blow mold candles back now for the Peach. Sigh!

Blow mold holiday decorations—those large plastic figurines that light up— have been around since the 1930s. They became super popular in the 1950s through 1970s until they were overtaken by other more popular, lighter options like the blow up decor that has become very popular over the past decade or so.

Personally, it is the old vintage blow molds that make me stop and smile when I see one as part of a holiday decorations around a house.

blow mold vintage santa
Image via: Vintage Roadside


Image via: Sosorosey

They actually came in all different sizes including some as small as six inches or so, which is perfect for the mantle.

Clearly, I’m not alone because they are now highly collectible and can garner hundreds of dollars per item.  And the best part is they still look awesome (albeit a bit sun faded at times) but will still make any kiddo around smile ear from ear!

Also, I want to go to there…

Oh, and would you look at this?

Even in the snow, I think blow mold decorations still look wonderful. And thank heavens for the invincibility of plastic that could handle the cold weather.

Image

Personally, I’ve always wanted one of these Christmas lanterns.  I could totally see it hanging from my lamp post! So charming!

What kiddo wouldn’t love to have this outside his or her door?


Image via: Niftic Vintage

I did buy some candy canes for our front yard from Target and hope to have them around for the next thirty Decembers. She gets so excited when we put them up! I hope she is still excited years from now.

Did you grow up with any blow mold holiday decor?  Do you use it today?

8 thoughts on “Vintage Blowmold Holiday Decorations

  1. Great post! We went a little blow-mold crazy on ebay! I have the Santa and snowgirl in pic #3 (yes, Snowgirl; my daughter insisted) as well as a little snowman being hugged by two adorable kiddos. And I’m waiting on a 33-inch-tall snowman doffing his cap, like the one in your next-to-last pic!

    Here’s the little snowman with the kids. I’ve never seen one like it but the girls just adore him! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Blow-Mold-Lighted-Snowman-2-Children-Union-Products-Leominster-Mass-/190757951785?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&nma=true&si=ke%2F2vbqsKjjJpJ1kavL0JXG0VtY%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

    Next year, I’m totally getting the Noel candles.

    1. Oh mah lord! I’m TOTALLY in love with that snowman and the two kids! Freaking AWESOME! Excellent find, Jody! I can’t wait to see the whole light show you are putting together!

  2. We never had any blow mold but I always coveted it so badly. My parents would tell me it was too expensive, which I honestly don’t know if thats true or not. It may have just been their way of getting me to not ask for it. As an adult, I bought my first blow mold decoration last year, a faithful reproduction Santa head from the Vermont Country Store. I LOVE it.

    I haven’t even been able to bring myself to put it outside because 1) I’m afraid someone will steal it and 2) when it’s inside I get to look at it ALL THE TIME. I’ve always liked it when people put blow mold santa and reindeer on their roofs, as though he’s stopped by for a visit. Maybe that will be my goal for next year. If anyone can steal my blow mold santa off my roof, then they have EARNED it.

  3. Moe, I love the way you write so darn much!

    I didn’t know the Vermont Country Store had blow molds for the holidays still available. That store has everything I love!

    There is this amazing house a block away from me that has a vintage santa in the sled and two reindeer and somehow he has rigged it up to the side of the house, so it looks like it is actually flying. I love that so darn much!

  4. Blow molds are cool! A neighbor put mine on utube this year. Search. kBOu3b7LB28. My kids love it. So do the kids in the neighborhood. Inflatables just dont have personality.

  5. I have over 200 blow molds, and during Christmas I put out 100 of them. I even have comerical bells that I hag from two oak trees, twenty feet long, I hang them on a dog chain, 20 feet in the air. I hang 10 of them you can see them 1/4 of a mile from our house. I have soo much, that we had to put in underground wireing. The neighbor kids alwlays thought they lived next to Santa Clause when they were growing up. I wish everyone could enjoy them like my family does.

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