Happily for flamingo fans, the ‘70s were a carnival of schlock, and by the early part of the decade, the pink flamingo had become so un-cool, it was cool again-this time as a self-conscious symbol of rebellion, outrageousness and all things Bad Taste. By 1970, even Sears had stopped selling the pink flamingo, replacing the gaping hole in their garden department with natural-looking fountains and rocks, writes Jennifer Price in her book Flight Maps. Hippies rallied against the plastics industry, cultural critics chastised all things “un-natural,” and home and garden magazines pleaded with people to abandon the gnomes, lawn jockeys, and flamingos of yesteryear in favor of classier, more natural yard décor. The 1960s were a decade of backlash against conformity, false experience, and all things Parental-including, evidently, Mom and Dad’s lawn décor. When they first hit stores, the blushing birds cost $2.76 a pair and were an immediate hit in working-class subdivisions from the Redwood Forest to the Gulfstream waters. Thank you, Don, for all the joy your creation continues to bring.According to Smithsonian, he used a National Geographic photospread as a reference, and it "took about two weeks to model both halves of the bird, brought into the third dimension by then-revolutionary injection-mold technology." Sadly, on June 23, 2015, Don Featherstone, flamingo father, died. He often wore flamingo clothing and was a verbal and visual promoter of the iconic bird. For example: after something has been discovered or created, no one - anyone, anywhere, ever - can later be the first to have made that discovery or creation.įeatherstone spent 43 years with the company, rising to the position of president before his retirement in 1999. Ig Nobel Prizes are awarded for achievements that make people LAUGH, then THINK. Featherstone was the winner of a 1996 Ig Noble Prize for Art. Today ornithologists estimate that there are only 200,000 wild flamingos in existence (plus the ones in captivity), and the plastic flamingos have multiplied well into the millions. Plastic flamingos have adapted very successfully to the modern environment. Featherstone told us that his plastic flamingos out-numbered real ones 7 to 1 at that time. He named the first plastic flamingo Diego. It took about two weeks to model both halves of the bird, brought into the third dimension by then-revolutionary injection-mold technology. Not having a live flamingo model, he used pictures and National Geographic Magazine to sculpt his now famous flamingos. Don told us the plastic duck was anatomically correct (and no, we didn't ask). Featherstone named the duck Charlie then later set him free in Cogshall Park in Fitchburg, MA when the plastic duck was complete. Don convinced a live duck to model for him (no, we don't know how he did that). Facing hunger, he went with the plastics company. He said his choices were: starving artist or plastics company. He was offered a job with Union Products to sculpt three-dimensional versions of the company's most popular two-dimensional products: the duck and the flamingo. Born in September 1957, the icon of the American landscaping, the pink plastic flamingo, is over 60 years old! But where did it come from anyway? Would you believe a very serious sculptor and classical art student who needed a job? Although you might believe the plastic flamingo was a figment of the unemployed mind, quite the opposite is true it was actually a New England plastics company's idea! (stuffy New England? Yes, New England.) And it didn't involve drugs or alcohol! When we met Don Featherstone, flamingo designer, in he told us that after graduating from Worcester Art Museum's art school, he had limited job offers.
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