Monday, October 11, 2021

Everybody Loves a Lantern, So Why Don't You?

 I found two of these unassuming flat discs in a lot of newer Halloween decorations.  Unassuming, but I recognized what they were right away.


They were marked "Made in Japan" and that was enough for me right there.


Grabbing both sides and gently pulling gently revealed...


Clowns... Why did it have to be clowns?  I was hoping for a witch, black cat or even Jack O' Lantern.

But make no mistake, this collapsible accordion lantern isn't a birthday decoration.  This is a certified Halloween decoration.  It's listed in Dan & Pauline Campanelli's "Halloween Collectables [sic]" book from 1995 (p.24). These lanterns date from the 1950's.

The reverse is plain.


Despite being clowns, I think these lanterns are pretty cool and I'll decorate with them this Halloween.

If you're done clowning around here, why not head over to The Countdown to Halloween and check out some of the other great blogs participating this year!

4 comments:

  1. 1950s? so, Occupied Japan, then? interesting. once again, you scored paper things that are in fantastic shape, and no obvious fading. considering they are paper, it's quite remarkable!

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  2. Normally, occupied Japan are marked as such, but that was immediately post-war from about 1945 to 1952. This is probably later in the 50's.

    Yes, I'm always shocked to find crepe paper decorations still intact.

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  3. Clowns - I am with you. They give me the creeps.

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  4. They are pretty cool. But yeah, something once made to look fun and silly now comes across with an air of creepiness.

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