Tucked away in the off-season, I decided it was high time to bring our bounty of vintage Halloween blow molds out of storage and onto display. What seemed like a simple task was further complicated by my tendency to be “extra.” After clearing space, ordering risers, and arranging the collection, I felt the need to inventory and document the history of these haunted glow-ups.
And so here we are! Round two of our Museum of Mischief tour showcasing our vintage tabletop blow mold collection!
Despite the time it took to document the blow mold, maker, production dates, and other details, I have enjoyed discovering the history of these Halloween treasures. I have a whole new perspective on their journey from past to present. While many of these blow molds are the same age range as me, only one is from my childhood. We acquired the rest of our collection from thrifts, antique shops, auctions, and online sources. In other words, nearly every mold had a life before it landed here.
I’m honored that we are the conservators of these plastic peculiarities, and I’m excited to share a few more with you today.
Explore detailed photos of each unique piece in our haunted house and save this pin to your favorite spooky collecting board.
Empire Plastics was established in 1953 in Tarboro, North Carolina, as a maker of children’s toys but soon expanded into garden accessories and holiday blow molds. Operating as a sister company to Carolina Enterprises, both Empire and Carolina Enterprises stamps appear on their molds.
Distributed through its own Judith Novelty Sales division, Empire became a prominent leader in yard decorations, producing hundreds of holiday pieces and enjoying great success in the 1960s and 70s. Major department and discount stores like Walmart and Kmart carried Empire products until the company closed.
In the 1990s, the popularity of plastic yard decor waned in favor of air-blown inflatable yard decorations, and by 2000 Empire was facing bankruptcy. In 2001, it sold its inventory, production facility, and molds to competitor General Foam Plastics.
Today, these enchanting lanterns can command quite a chunk of change compared to their original price tag and are highly sought after by older collectors seeking nostalgia as well as younger ones who have discovered their charm.
Empire produced the Pumpkin Man Lamp in the 1960s and 1970s. This dapper jack is decked out in his Fall finery – trousers and a button-up jacket that barely covers his round belly. Reaching up, he tips his hat; this proper gent is more jolly than scary.
While the Pumpkin Man isn’t elusive, if you’re in the market and vintage isn’t in the cards, look for the more recent version released by Michael’s in 2019 under their Ashland brand.
This big fella is stamped 1968, though he likely didn’t make his spooktacular debut until 1969. Unlike the other blow molds in our collection, his design is delightfully simple – just a wide pumpkin with bold, classic jack-o’-lantern features. Yet despite his no-frills, friendly demeanor, he proved to be a lasting favorite, remaining in production all the way until 1997.
I love the look of a Halloween haunted house, so years ago when I discovered this blow mold existed, I went on the hunt. Produced in the 1970s, the Haunted House is orange with just the right dusting of black for a spooky appearance. Looking as though it is perched atop a hill, a series of steps lead to the rounded porch flanked by columns. The detail is perfectly creepy – board siding, barely hanging-on shutters, a dilapidated roof, and the bat in the attic – this mold knows how to haunt.
Small and mighty is this little Witch Lamp. Produced for approximately 10 years, from 1982 to 1992, this witchy has an attitude. Dressed in a full cloak, conical hat, and sturdy boots, she is firmly grasping her broom with a very serious look of disapproval. Despite her small stature of only 10 inches, she looks ready to cast a spell on anyone who would dare cross her.
The Pumpkin on Haystack Lamp is one you’ve likely seen before – a grinning jack-o’-lantern in a witch hat perches on a haystack. So easy to find that we actually have four (this is why I needed an inventory list!). While stamped 1969, at least one version of this mold appears to have been produced through the mid-2000s!
Bayshore ceased operations in 1977, but Empire Plastics produced this mold during the same period until they, too, went out of business in 1992. Still, the Haystack prevailed, and General Foam Plastics re-released the mold and ran it from 2002 to 2011.
According to Blow Molded, four manufacturers made this piece: the Haystack Lamp by Bayshore Industries, the Haystack Pumpkin (Unpainted) by Norben Products, and three versions by Empire: the Haystack Lamp in opaque, translucent, and unpainted haystack – and newer, more colorful versions by General Foam Plastics.
Which is which in our collection? All four of ours are impressed with the Empire logo. Perhaps I need to keep picking these up until I have every version from each maker?
Regardless of who made which one, this simple, common lantern has had a heck of a run.
Growing up, we had very few store-bought decorations, opting instead for tissue ghosts, construction paper crafts, and hand-drawn embellishments. However, come every Halloween season, one decor piece was placed prominently in the front window – an Empire vintage Halloween blow mold.
I can’t say when this piece became our Halloween staple, and I can’t recall whether we bought it at the local Duckwall’s or if someone gifted it to us. Regardless, every year it sat in the front window as a small beacon, summoning trick-or-treaters to our door. I do know that until 25 years ago, its whereabouts were a mystery.
It was the early 2000s when my younger sister and I arrived at our parents’ house to sift through and purge a basement filled with relics of the past. This long, tedious task was only bearable because of the gasps and shouts that rang out when one of us stumbled upon something from our childhood, making us pause and reminisce.
At one point, I questioned my mom about the Halloween blow mold. Was it somewhere in this pile of pastime clutter? She told me that we’d never owned a Halloween blow mold. What!? I looked at my sister, who shrugged at me and said she also had no idea what I was talking about.
Bummed, but with a big task ahead of me, I continued cleaning up the chaos until, taking a break, I sat on the floor, leaned back against the staircase, and with my eyes toward the ceiling rafters, I spotted a grinning jack staring back at me. The long-lost Empire Pumpkin on Cat Lamp.
Produced in the 1960s and 1970s, this lamp’s base is surrounded by a flock of flying witches who support a tiny skull tucked under a scaredy cat balancing a grinning jack-o’-lantern sporting a small top hat. In 1969, this sold in stores for the massive sum of 99¢, and while today’s value is much higher, it is priceless to me.
That concludes round two of our vintage Halloween blow mold tour. Be sure to check back to see tabletop blow molds by General Foam Plastics, Star Band, and more. And if you missed round one, head over to our Bayshore Industries blow molds tour.
Until next time – stay spooky.
