They practically gave them away. Nobody bought them. That was twenty years ago.
From the late 1950s through the 1970s, vintage holiday blow molds - those hollow, glowing plastic figures from Empire Plastics, General Foam, and Union Products - defined Christmas on American front lawns from coast to coast. Then tastes shifted. The figures ended up in thrift stores and bargain bins while the people who knew what they were quietly kept buying.
The revival came fast and hit hard. Today those same figures can command serious collector interest. TikTok thrift haul videos featuring vintage Santas rack up millions of views, and collector communities have formed around the shared pursuit of matched reindeer herds, complete nativity sets, and rare Halloween finds.
The Glow That Won't Go Out is a comprehensive guide to vintage holiday blow mold collecting. Part cultural history, part field guide, part love letter to a tradition that refused to disappear, it explores the history, identification, display, restoration, and community behind these glowing pieces of American holiday culture.
Inside all ten chapters:
• The Complete History - From the postwar plastics revolution and Don Featherstone's pink flamingo through the golden age of production, the decline of the 1980s, and the remarkable 21st-century comeback driven by social media and new generations of collectors
• Manufacturer Identification Guide - How to identify Empire Plastics, General Foam, Poloron Products, Union Products, and smaller makers by their marks, plastic weight, paint style, and construction details; how to spot reproductions; and how collectors distinguish ordinary finds from highly prized pieces
• Iconic Figures A to Z - The sack Santa, nativity scenes, choir boys, reindeer herds, candles, Halloween witches and ghosts, jack-o'-lanterns, Easter bunnies, Thanksgiving turkeys, and lesser-known figures
• Display, Restoration, and Care - Arrangement philosophy, GFCI safety, cord replacement, weatherproofing, paint and restoration considerations, lighting choices, and proper off-season storage
• Collector Stories - Real accounts from the community, including memorable finds, displays, traditions, and the people keeping the hobby alive
• The Full Holiday Year - Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, and other seasonal figures collectors pursue
• The Future of the Hobby - Preservation challenges, new production, restoration, documentation resources, and what collectors can do to help these figures survive another generation
• Complete Glossary - Collector terminology covering manufacturing, condition, collector shorthand, and major manufacturers
This book is for longtime collectors, first-time thrift and estate-sale finders, people who inherited a family collection, vintage-holiday enthusiasts, and readers interested in American material culture and postwar suburban history.
The factories that made many of these figures are closed, and many original golden-age molds are believed to have been lost or scrapped. What remains is what was made, and what the collector community has preserved, documented, and kept glowing.
Put yours out. Plug them in. Let the neighborhood see.
Curtiss Wayne Andrews is a researcher, writer, graphic designer, and holiday blow-mold enthusiast based in Southern California. His work explores American material culture, collecting history, and the communities that form around overlooked objects. He is also a contributing author to The Unknown Critic Presents: Hoarders of History - 100 Timeless Collections That Reflect Who We Are and Treasures, Trinkets, and Triumphs! The Unknown Critic's Dusty Adventure Through America's Top 100 Antique Shops. In The Glow That Won't Go Out, he brings collector knowledge, historical research, and a lifelong fascination with glowing holiday figures together in a guide to the objects, makers, stories, and traditions that keep the hobby alive.
