Christmas Blow Mold Mania

[Earth 2 Chris]

I thought I would share a video I took of my blow mold display in my yard, after we had a light snow. I somehow now have 19 blow molds (!) in the yard, and several small ones in the house. I'm not really sure how this happened, but it's now officially "a thing". Some are vintage, and a few are new. The first two you see are available at Michael's this year, as is the large toy soldier, which is also at Lowe's (where I picked it up).

Chris

[EMCE Hammer]

You are my hero. I haven't been to Michael's since they switched over for Christmas, gonna need to make a trip!

[Earth 2 Chris]

They also had large blow mold heads, meant to hang on a wall or door that also have sound. There is a Santa and a Snowman. I passed on those for these two, and the day I was there, Holiday merch was 50% off, plus I had a 20% off coupon on that, so these were like $17 a piece. I was beyond elated.

Chris

[Brown Bear]

That’s impressive! Love it! My blow mold count this year is currently at 23 and I’ll definitely be checking out my nearest Michaels for more!

[Wee67]

A blow mold manger! The reason for the season

My wife mistakenly said we didn't have enough Christmas decorations. However, she matched the speed at which my face lit up to cut off my thought, saying we were NOT going to take in another round of thrift stores.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Thanks! Part of my kid's old swingset served as the manger in previous years, but it fell apart this summer, so I had to improvise. It's made of pieces of wood from that swingset and a pair of discarded shutters.

I think I have enough Santas, unless I see something distinct (or finally find a good price on Santa in his sleigh), but I still need the animals, shepherd and angel for the Nativity scene.

Chris

[Makernaut]

Very nice!

Bonus points for the doggie getting up and stretching as if preparing to tag along. That put a smile on my face!

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Ha, yeah, I honestly didn't realize she was in the frame until after I recorded it. She kind of blended into the porch with all the colored glow.

Chris

[Werewolf]

That's wicked! Thank you for sharing.

I loved seeing the dog too. Adorable.

[EmergencyIan]

Wonderful! All of the classics from my childhood. I just took a trip back in time.

- Ian

[Hedji]

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! The thing is, they're so dang EASY to set up, and they bring all the right nostalgic feels. Don't know why they're not more popular.

Cute Pup too!

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I feel like they are becoming more popular again, which is weird, because Empire and General Foam Plastics are out of business, as far as I know. There's obviously a few companies making these, and a few retail outlets selling them again, but it's a slow return. I think the inflatable craze is kind of peaked. They are still ominipresent, but honestly, they are kind of a pain, easily torn, etc. I don't hate them, but they just don't have the nostalgia that these blow molds do.

The real bummer about these is buying the big ones online, whether from ebay or new from retailers is cost prohibitive, due to the HUGE shipping costs. So they are still "hunting" only, in a lot of ways.

Chris

[Hedji]

Problem with inflatables is during the day when you deflate them, they really look junky.

If you watch that TV show about the Christmas Light Fight competitions with people doing over the top light displays, you see a LOT of blow molds. They get a lot of air time, so I hope it's as you suspect, and we're on the verge of a comeback!

[sprytel]

I love blow molds... but they require so much space to store them. That's my only issue with them.

[Hedji]

You're not wrong about that. I think that's the appeal of the inflatables for most folks. I love mine enough that we built a loft in the garage to keep them, and going on the ladder is an ordeal because I'm afraid of (small scale) heights.