Decorative Halloween celluloid items were manufactured in Japan and the United States. The highest quality items were made by the Viscoloid Company of Leominster, MA from 1920 – 1925. Their output had great detail and very often were made using various colors, in addition to orange and black. Viscoloid pieces are clearly, although minutely, marked. In 1925, Viscoloid was purchased by Dupont and renamed Dupont Viscoloid Company, Inc. Subsequent to the merger their products tended to be mainly made in orange and black. The pieces were of slightly lesser quality and had the original Viscoloid mark obscured in the original molds. Celluloid is extremely flammable; this attribute contributed to its increasingly limited use after the mid-1920s. The fragility of this medium makes finding high-quality examples extremely difficult, as most extant items have cracks and/or dents.
Excerpts from our long-established personal vintage Halloween collection representing the high watermark of condition and rarity.
We periodically add photographs as we maintain our archive.
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- Celluloid Halloween Veggie Man with bat on one side, witch on the other, USA, Viscoloid Company of Leominster, Massachusetts, early 1920s, 4.25” h x 2” w.
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- Celluloid witch pulling cat in pumpkin cart, Japan,1920s, 2.25” h x 3.25” w. A high-quality example in remarkable condition.
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- Celluloid witch wearing harlequin outfit holding cat, USA, Viscoloid Company of Leominster, Massachusetts, early 1920s, 4.75” h x 1.75” w. A high-quality example in remarkable condition.
