Am I the Only One That Still Has a Melted Plastic Popcorn Santa?

While unpacking the holiday decorations I came across an antique that you don't see anyone displaying anymore.

In the box of nutcrackers, ornaments and plastic mistletoe was a curious Christmas decoration that used to be found in every household. Our melted plastic popcorn Santa brings back a flood of holiday memories from the 1970s.

The Santa measures about 18 inches tall and is made with a bunch of different colored plastic pieces that had been melted together to form a Santa design. Today the thought of hanging a toxic melted plastic decoration on your door may seem a bit odd, but when I was growing up it was a status symbol.

History of Melted Plastic Popcorn Decorations

These quirky holiday decorations were made by the Kage Company in Manchester, Connecticut. Our Santa just recently lost his original sticker that proudly proclaimed it was made in the USA.

There's also a handwritten name on the sticker. "Shirley" is either the person who manufactured the decoration or a person who gifted it to our family way back in the day.

When I say everyone had one of these plastic decorations when I was growing up I'm not exaggerating. You couldn't visit anyone's home in the 1970s without seeing a popcorn snowman, angel, tree, wreath, candles or Santa displayed somewhere.

More Than Just Christmas Decorations

The melted plastic decorations weren't just popular during Christmas. We also have characters from when I was a child that celebrate Thanksgiving and Halloween.

My favorite is the black and white ghost, which we still hang on our front door every October.

A search on Ebay turns up even more holiday versions including a cupid for Valentine's Day, an American Flag for the Fourth of July and even an Easter Bunny.

These kitschy antiques don't appear to be worth much money, with most of them selling for about 12 dollars. The true value, however, comes from the memories that flood back every time I pull one of these characters out of the basement.

While we still display our melted plastic decorations every Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas, I don't recall seeing them anywhere else for at least the last few decades. The Kage Company is known as Preferred Poly Products and, although they continue to make polyethylene envelopes and plastic sleeves out of their Manchester facility, the 70-year-old company doesn't appear to be in the Christmas decoration business any longer.

Do you still have one of these melted plastic popcorn decorations? If so, we'd love to see it! You can share a photo on our Facebook page or upload it directly to us through our app.

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