Best Places to Buy Blow Mold Yard Decorations (2023)

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Best Places to Buy Blow Mold Yard Decorations (1)

A blow mold Christmas decoration has a vintage charm that harkens back to a different era, and luckily, there are retailers who still make and sell these, as well as websites that make it easy to purchase ones from generations ago.

We researched the best online sites to buy your nostalgic decor from, considering the size, collectibility, and modernness of the available options. Some of our favorite retailers include Amazon for fast shipping, Etsy for vintage finds, and Walmart for a wide selection.

Here are the best places to buy blow mold decorations.

No surprise: This shopping giant offers plenty of options when it comes to these sweet decorations. You’ll find toy soldiers, candles, reindeer, and many other seasonal items. Some options even light up.

To find them, search “Christmas blow mold decorations,” and get ready for many listings. Be warned: the results after you hit the search button will include other holidays, such as Halloween, and other Christmas decorations (such as inflatable lawn items). Prepare to wade through the list.

You’ll see many blow mold decorations available, at a wide range of prices based on size and complexity. Most items top $100, and you’ll be shopping through third-party providers, so be sure to at least skim the reviews for more info on vendors.

And, since Amazon sells just about everything under the sun, you can kit up your Christmas decorations in one spot—you can find everything from ornaments to tree skirts to stockings (not to mention gifts!).

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If you’re looking for vintage charm, Etsy—an online store that’s home to individual sellers who share vintage and handmade items—is the perfect destination. Here, you’ll find a delightful collection of options after searching for “blow mold Christmas.”

There are pages of results, and helpful filters on the left side of the page—such as shipping time, item color, and price range—can help you sort through, and trim down the options. Etsy appears to have more options, at cheaper prices, and with more variety and search options than Amazon.

There are many options available for $50 or less, as well as pricier items. Since these are vintage items, you won’t necessarily be able to get matching items or more than one of a blow mold decoration that you like. A mismatched display can be quite charming, however.

Along with everything else you need to spruce up your home, big box retailer Home Depot has a limited number of new blow mold Christmas decorations available for sale, with prices generally below $50.

There aren’t a ton of options—but the options you have are all new products, and you won't have to deal with third-party vendors. And note that although there are advanced search filters available, you may still find yourself wading through non-blow mold decorations on the search results page.

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Wayfair

4.8

Best Places to Buy Blow Mold Yard Decorations (5)

You’ll find plenty of blow mold Christmas decorations at Wayfair, along with ample helpful sorting filters, such as color, category, rating, and more, to help you pinpoint the precise decoration you’d like to purchase.

Returning items at Wayfair is relatively easy. You have a 30-day window from when the item was delivered to get a refund or store credit. (Note that items must be in their original packaging and undamaged.) You’ll have to pay for return shipping.

Count on a hardware store to have just about anything you’d want on hand—including blow mold decorations. At Ace Hardware, you’ll find several Union brand blow mold decorations available—this is a good place to pick up small treats, with some options available that are under $20. You can easily sort the options by indoor or outdoor, as well as by filtering by price.

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Are you a diligent and patient online searcher? Then turn to Walmart, where you can find plenty of Christmas blow mold decorations. The catch is that you’ll need to wade through search results that mix together inflatable decorations with blow mold ones.

Like Amazon, most of the decorations are sold through third-party vendors. You can find items at a wide range of prices, including ornaments that are under $10, as well as pricier items. And, of course, as a big box store, Walmart offers plenty of other holiday decorations as well.

You can return or exchange items purchased at Walmart within 90 days of purchase, which makes it handy if you’re considering gifting something.

The Jolly Christmas Shop

Best Places to Buy Blow Mold Yard Decorations (8)

Just think of the Jolly Christmas Shop as holiday central. This store offers just about any items you’d want for Christmas—trees, collectibles, ornaments, and lights. And yes, they have offerings for other holidays and seasons too.

But most importantly, they offer blow mold Christmas decorations, with most items available priced at over $100. The site is well-designed and easy to navigate, and as the tagline notes, they have some options for decorations that are a bit out of the ordinary. This is a great shopping destination if you want to ensure that you won’t wind up with a display that’s suspiciously similar to your neighbors’.

Like Etsy, eBay is a go-to online destination for anything vintage or one-of-a-kind. Sellers and shops on this retailer offer a wide range of Christmas blow mold decorations at many different price points. Many sellers include a buy-now price (so you can snap it up) while others set the decorations to auction. That means there’s potential for getting into a fierce battle for the right to own a cute decoration like a camel, Santa, or more.

From one day to another, the options on eBay change. Basically, you never know when someone will be clearing out their attic or basement and post items, which could include blow mold decorations. Shopping on eBay has the feel of going to a thrift store or garage sale in this way—except instead of combing through dusty items, you can sort the results by price and way to purchase (auction, buy now).

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What to Look for When Buying Mold Yard Decorations

Size

Pay attention to measurements before you buy. Decorations should be large enough to make an impact on your yard or front porch from the street or curb without overwhelming the space that you have. Check measurements to make sure that mold yard decorations of different sizes are properly scaled to work well together on a lawn or front porch display.

Vintage Collectibles

Mold yard decorations have been around since the 1930s and were holiday lawn fixtures for decades before falling out of fashion in the 1990s. These iconic pieces of Americana have made a recent comeback, which has made the market for vintage mold yard decorations made by companies that are no longer in business more collectible and costly. When selecting vintage models, be sure to do your research to make sure that you are paying extra for rarer collectibles and not just paying more for a mass-produced vintage decoration that is still readily available.

Modern Reproductions

The modern appetite for nostalgic mold yard decorations has created a market for new vintage-style reproductions. While reproductions don’t have the same charm, character, and authenticity as vintage models, they are much less expensive. And you won’t have to worry about restoring or repairing a new blow mold if you take good care of it.

FAQ

  • How do you store a blow mold?

    Blow molds should be covered in clear plastic (such as dry cleaning bags) and tied with a zip tie or a knot. This will protect them from dust, dirt, or paint scratches. It’s best to store them indoors to protect them from the elements or the fading effects of UV rays, or on racks or shelving in a garage. Be sure to store your blow molds upright and do not stack them on top of one another.

  • How do you restore a blow mold?

    If your blow mold no longer lights up, replace the lightbulb, and if that doesn’t work, replace the socket. Consider switching to LED lighting that won’t overheat and will last longer. Repair cracks in a blow mold from the inside using clear epoxy glue and a clear plastic patch cut out from a milk jug or similar piece of plastic. Faded paint on a blow mold can be spruced up with spray paint.

  • How do you clean blow-up decorations?

    Blow mold decorations should be wiped down after the season is over with a soft cloth. To remove any stubborn stains, be sure to use only gentle, non-abrasive soap, and avoid rubbing or scrubbing painted areas of the mold, which may damage paint. Be particularly careful when cleaning vintage blow mold decorations, which are more fragile and prone to damage.

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Madeleine Burry is a health and wellness writer for The Spruce. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as Women's Health,Livestrong.com, Good Housekeeping, and more.

After getting her start in online media atAbout.com, where she was the education editor, Burry went on to work as managing editor for Scholastic's parents' site, and then as associate managing editor forParents.com. Since 2014, she's been writing for many online publications, on health, wellness, beauty, food, and nutrition. You'll find her writing online atPrevention.com, Health.com, ApartmentTherapy.com, WhatToExpect.com, WomensHealthMag.com, WomensDay.com, Via.com,TheKitchn.com, NYMetroParents.com, GoodHousekeeping.com, and more.

FAQs

Does anyone make blow molds anymore? ›

That's what makes the vintage blow molds so valuable. However, blow mold makers do still exist, and they continue to produce new blow molds for retailers who sell them online.

What are the most sought after blow molds? ›

One of the earliest and also the most popular and famous blow mold is the pink lawn flamingo which was designed by Don Featherstone. He is the most famous blow mold artist out there and his blow molds are very collectible. A lot of his blow molds will even have his name on them, like my Dracula blow mold.

What happened to blow mold Christmas decorations? ›

Although two of the leading manufacturers of classic blow molds, General Foam Plastics and Union Products, went out of business in 2018 and 2006, respectively, other companies such as Cado, which acquired Union's molds, the Twillery Co. and Mr. Christmas are turning out new models and reproductions of old ones.

Are blow molds coming back? ›

The blow mold industry is starting to return and the interest in the inflatable market is going the way the blow molds did in the early 90's. Quality of the new inflatables is declining and materials are getting thinner and cheaper.

Which is better blow mold or Roto mold? ›

Here's the bottom line: If you're producing fewer than 3,000 pieces of product per year, you might be better off using roto molding. But if your production volumes are higher, blow molding is the way to go because it can save 40 percent on per-piece cost.

What is the difference between Roto mold and blow mold? ›

Rotational molding is the more versatile of the two, boasting great design flexibility and low startup costs. Blow molding, on the other hand, produces products on a shorter cycle time but is less flexible in terms of design. Initial setup costs are also very high.

How long do blow molds last? ›

According to Richard Bell, our Tooling Manager, “A well-maintained blow mold should last 15 – 20 years before the materials begin to fail beyond repair.”

What are the three types of blow Moulding? ›

There are three types of blow molding processes:
  • Injection Blow Molding. In injection blow molding, a blow or core rod is used throughout the process. ...
  • Extrusion Blow Molding. Extrusion blow molding can be continuous or intermittent. ...
  • Injection Stretch Blow Molding.

How can you tell if a blow mold is vintage? ›

Do Look For A Barcode. If you ever see a barcode sticker on your blow mold, then you know it can not be older than the 1970s. Companies began using UPC barcodes in 1974. However, remember that anything over 30 years old IS considered vintage … so even if there is a barcode, it may still be a vintage find.

How do you keep blow molds from being stolen? ›

Create a chain of zip ties or cut enough cordage to secure the blow mold to the stakes. If using zip ties, a zip tie gun is a tool you'll want in your lighting kit, especially if you have many molds to secure. When used properly, you want the zip tie to be as tight as possible.

Why are plastic blow molds so expensive? ›

When something is rare and there is a demand for it, it's hard to come by and often very expensive. With the rarity of well-maintained blow molds also comes the fact that some of the original companies that made these products are out of business. This makes them even more collectible.

Is blow molding expensive? ›

Cost of Blow Moulding

On average, an extrusion blow mold of a single cavity is as cheap as $3000 whereas a multi-cavity extrusion blow mold can go up to $25000 which is expensive but it comes with enough efficiency to return the profits and cover up the initial cost.

Is blow molding cheap? ›

Blow Molding is Relatively Inexpensive

Cost is a big factor in any manufacturing, especially a large-scale, industrial plastic manufacturing job. Blow molding is typically quite inexpensive compared to other fabrication methods, making it completely customizable and scalable to your or your client's needs.

Why are blow molds so popular? ›

The seasonal outdoor decor, known as blow molds, have become increasingly valuable as the companies that made them went out of business and as collectors remember them from their childhood. The price, Barrows said, often depends on the decoration's size, condition and age.

What happened to Empire blow molds? ›

Its molds and machinery were sold in an auction and another company called General Foam Plastics purchased many of them. After their purchase of Empires assets, General Foam rose to become the top manufacturer in blow molding.

Did General Foam Plastics go out of business? ›

Note: since GFP is now out of business, their website is defunct.

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