Celluloid: What a Wonderful Collecting Possibility

While I am interested in all avenues of Christmas as well as all other holiday items, Sharon is more fine-tuned and is fascinated with Halloween and Easter decorating.  While she decorates with glass, paper, papier-mâché, wood, and metal, she finds the decorations made from celluloid to be the most fascinating.  She, like many other holiday collectors, long ago discovered items made of celluloid. 

While many individuals found these objects somewhat garish and gaudy, there were those who found these whimsical and creative objects worthy of collecting.  In the early days, collectors labeled these items “early plastic” or “soft plastic” not fully aware of the term “celluloid.”  Made in the forms of rabbits driving cars, Santas in sleighs, witches upon fat pumpkins, and even tiny dolls; collectors began to more carefully inspect these items and soon realized fragility and creativity of the items themselves. 

While the scientific, definitive history of celluloid is left to scientists and those more versed in the history of this early plastic material, holiday enthusiasts and collectors can more fully appreciate these early marvels if a “light history” is presented. 

While Alexander Parkes and John Wesley Hyatt are the primary names mentioned when one speaks of celluloid, history has recorded other names as well.  Celluloid is the “generic” term applied to this early plastic.

Where does the term “celluloid” come from?  Two different stories have evolved over the years.  One story is that the word is a contraction for “colloid of cellulose” and the other story is that it is a combination of the words “cellulose and oid” (a Greek word for “like”).

Various trade names were used over the year when marketing celluloid items for sale.  Some of those names include Xylonite (English term), Zylonite (American), Viscoloid, Ivorine, Coraline, Pulveroid, and Fiberloid.  Others include Pyralin, Cellonite, and Pasbosene.  All of these trade names were used in trade catalogs such as Butler Brothers, Montgomery Ward, and Sears when illustrating celluloid items in their catalog pages.

The most fascinating collecting category of celluloid items for many collectors is that of holiday items.  Halloween leads the way in rarity with Christmas, Easter, and other holidays falling in place behind.  Halloween items are the scarcest and therefore command the very highest in prices.  Christmas with its ever-increasing number of collectors also is quite high in price.  In recent years, collectors have been drawn to Easter items as all Americans are starting to embrace decorating their homes for all the major holiday periods of the year.   What follows is a chronological look at our holiday year and some celluloid items, which will grace any holiday decorating you, may do.

            Four days after the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence, on July 8^th, 1776, we Americans first celebrated this famous holiday.  Now years later we continue this celebration.  Interestingly enough, more and more Independence Day trees in patriotic colors of red, white, and blue are being seen every year across America.  Therefore, July 4^th collectibles have seen some steep price increases in recent years.  Any image of Uncle Sam is counted as a very desirable item. 

While many Americans may consider Halloween a children’s holiday, that has changed in recent years.  October 31 is really the combination of  “All Hallows” or “All Saints’ Day” and “Samain.”  In the 1920s through the 1930s, Halloween parties were the rage.  Countless magazine articles detailed decorations, party games, decorations, and food.  Many of the celluloid items we have today can be traced back to their use at a Halloween party.

Christmas is the most popular and celebrated of holidays in the United States.  As early as the 1840s, Americans started the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree.  With the tree customs came the practice of decorating the entire home with Christmas items.  From wreaths to Santas to snowmen, Americans filled their home during this holiday.

Thousands upon thousands of celluloid items were manufactured for the Christmas holidays.  Candy containers, ornaments, standing figures, dolls, cards, advertising items, and so many other types of items were produced for Americans who had an insatiable appetite for such items, especially those which were more inexpensive

While standing Santa figures do abound, there are some real rarities among this collecting category.  Christmas lights and rolly pollys are at the top of the rarity chart. Santa delivering presents was a perennial theme prevalent in many of the different figural toys and figures created for the American market.  Very inexpensive in price, many of the below were given by neighbors to children they did know so well or by teachers to their students at Christmas as a tiny present.  Transportation items are always of interest not only to Christmas collectors but also to train, car, toy, and other such collectors.

Easter really is a combination of the Christian commemoration of the resurrection of Christ with the ancient rites celebrating the arrival of spring.  The fertility symbols of the egg and rabbit are an integral part of this holiday; thus the proliferation of these two symbols.  Ancient pagan tribes in Germany viewed the egg as the symbol of life’s beginning.  The yolk was associated with the sun and the white with the moon.  The rabbit served as an escort to the Teutonic goddess Ostara, whose name was later altered to that of the holiday, Easter.   Hiding and then hunting for decorated eggs is a custom, which evolved in our country. 

While Easter collectibles market itself has not seen the huge price increases that Halloween and Christmas have seen, there is a keen interest in Easter celluloid items.  It seems that collectors have recently discovered the whimsical, creative themes of these items.  Therefore, Easter celluloid has risen sharply in the past two years.  There is no doubt that this enthusiasm will not dampen, but only increase as countless more collectors will discover the charm of these toys, figures, and other Easter related celluloid items.

If you are interested in learning more about the fascinating history of celluloid, I suggest that you obtain a copy of my book, Celluloid: Collectibles from the Dawn of Plastics.

See book page for more details.

There are other sources as well, and I have included a brief bibliography below.

Anderton, Johana Gast.  More Twentieth Century Dolls - from Bisque to Vinyl.  Volume

            One, A-H. Des Moines, IA:  Wallace-Homestead Book Co., 1983.

Baekeland, L. H.  “The Invention of Celluloid.”  Scientific American Supplement.  28

March 1914: 202-203.

Belanger, Al. “An Interesting Art and Craft Medium.”   Industrial Arts & Vocational

Education.  September, 1939: 293-6.

Boyer, Jacques.  “The Manufacture of Celluloid”  Scientific American.  30 April 1910. 

Buchholz, Shirley.  Century of Collectors Dolls. Cumberland, Maryland:  Hobby House

Press, 1983.

“Celluloid:  The Oldest Plastic Maker Molds Brighter Future.  Newsweek.  6 June 1936:

34-6.

Clark, Ronald W.  The Scientific Breakthrough:  The Impact of Modern Invention.  New

York, NY:  G. P. Putnam, 1974.

DuBois, Harry.  Plastics History U.S.A.  Boston, MA: Cahners Books, 1972.

Ebner,  Professor Doctor.  “The Riddle of Cellulose.”  The Living Age.  5 June 1926:513-

16.

Friedel, Robert.  Pioneer Plastic: The Making and Selling of Celluloid.  Madison, WI: 

The University of Wisconsin Press, 1983.

Katz, Sylvia.  Plastics:  Common Objects, Classic Designs.  New York: Harry N.

            Adams, Inc., 1984.

King, Constance Eileen.  “The Search for an Indestructible Substance.”  The Collector’s

            History of Dolls.  New York:  Bonanza Books, 1977.

Kitahari, Taruhisa.  Yesterday Celluloid Dolls.

Yesterday’s toys:  Celluloid Dolls, Clowns, Animals.

Lauer, Keith and Julie Robinson. Celluloid: Collector’s Reference and Value Guide. 

Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1999.

Mc Fadden, Sybill.  “Character Celluloids:  Collectible Dolls of the Future.” 

            Doll News.  Fall 1976:  27-30.

Meikle, Jeffrey L.  American Plastic: A Cultural History.  New Brunswick, Canada: 

Rutgers University Press,  1997.

DiNoto, Andrea.  Art Plastic-Designed for Living.  New York:  Abbeville Press, 1984.

Robinson, Julie.  “John Wesley Hyatt and the invention of Celluloid.:  Antique Week

Central Edition.  19 June 1995:1-2+.