| ca 1950:
A jolly Snowman from Paramount, circa 1950. he is one of a series of
"working" Snowmen, which also included figures with a shovel, rake and
a hay or pitchfork. |
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| ca 1950:
This flocked Santa Glo wall plaque or
tree topper was first made by Royal, then later offered by NOMA after
the Royal Christmas factory burned in 1955. The plastic used in the
early years of manufacture did not stand up well over the years, and
older plaques are often found distorted and cracked. |
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| ca 1950:
Colorful free standing or wall
hangable hard plastic lighted figures with flat backs like this were a
common NOMA offering during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s
and 60s. This is one of several subjects, others of which included
elves, candy canes, holly arrangements, candle groupings, bells and
snowmen. The particular example pictured here is circa 1950. |
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| ca 1950:
Manufactured by Miller in beginning in the late 1940s, this light was
also sold as a simple non-electrical candy container, packed with a
cellophane-wrapped bunch of lollypops. There was also a matching Santa
on skis available from the same company, available either unlighted or
with candy as well. |
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| ca 1950:
This plaque by the L.A. Goodman company is one of several that the
company offered. It is about 22 inches tall. Plaques like these were
manufactured using the Vac-U-Form technique, a post World War II
manufacturing process using inexpensive plaster moulds. The TICO
plastics division of NOMA pioneered this technique. |
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| ca 1950:
Miller offered this Vac-U-Form Santa
plaque first in the late 1940s. Items like these did not catch on
right away, but by the middle of the 50s, were quite popular in homes
with children. Many varieties were offered, including Nativity scenes,
bells, candy canes, snowmen and the like. The example pictured here
does indeed have blue holly leaves instead of the green that one would
expect. |
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| ca 1950:
Here is a wall plaque by NOMA. Like the Miller example above, this too
is Vac-U-Formed plastic with a cardboard backing and a light.
|
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| ca 1950:
This is only one of several Santa faces offered in hard plastic by
NOMA, the leading manufacturer of Christmas lighting in the world at
that time. This particular plaque is most often found with the paint
rubbed off of Santa's nose and cheeks from storage over the years, and
this example is no exception. It appears that a previous owner has
tried to touch up the damage. |
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| ca 1950:
Here is the same plaque that was sold a bit later than the plaque
pictured above, showing a somewhat "less expensive" paint job.
Referred to by collectors as the "sunburned Santa variation" of the
plaque, this much less desirable version is also the one most commonly
found. The example is shown lit, and showcases Santa's somewhat
frightening bright orange-red face. |
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| ca 1950:
Here is a Raylite (Paramount) lighted musical church, one of several
similar offerings from the company. Other available items included
lighted altars and tabernacles. NOMA also offered similar products,
although theirs were much more elaborate and expensive. This church
plays "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" on its music box. The windows,
when lighted, have a pretty stained-glass like appearance. |
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| ca 1950-1960
This charming treetop star joins the collection through the kind gift
of web site visitor Karl Jenkins. The coiled spring allowed easy
placement, and the center hole was prepared to hold the uppermost lamp
in a string of lights. Foil decorations like these were quite popular
in the 1950s and early 60s. |
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