Prompt Cast
The History and Popularity of Pink Plastic Lawn Flamingos
TLDR Pink plastic lawn flamingos were created in the 1950s as a way for people to stand out in cookie cutter subdivisions, and they became a symbol of suburban working class culture. After facing a backlash in the 1960s, they made a comeback in the 70s thanks to director John Waters and became popular in the gay community, eventually spreading to the larger community in America as a campy and funny lawn ornament.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Pink plastic lawn flamingos, a popular piece of yard art in the 50s and 60s, were created by a sculptor named Don Featherstone in 1957.
02:12
Pink plastic lawn flamingos were created in the 1950s as a way for people in cookie cutter subdivisions to stand out, and they became a symbol of suburban working class culture, but faced a backlash in the 1960s before making a comeback in the 70s thanks to director John Waters.
04:25
John Waters brought back the Pink Flamingo in a schlocky and campy way, creating the offensive movie "Pink Flamingos" in 1972, which became a symbol for gay America in the 70s.
06:46
Pink flamingos were brought back by John Waters and became popular in the gay community, but also spread to the larger community in America as a prank and a way to mock those who originally enjoyed them earnestly.
09:00
The pink flamingos became loaded objects, mocking the taste of those who originally enjoyed them, and in the 80s, they outsold the duck with ducklings lawn ornament.
11:07
Flamingos became popular again as campy and funny lawn ornaments, and there is a chain letter-like activity where people set up flamingos in yards to raise money for charity.
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Plastic pink flamingos are still popular today, with about a thousand of them being made daily in the United States using 270 million pounds of plastic, and there is an urban legend that having one in your front yard means you are a swinger.
Categories:
Society & Culture
