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Text By Ellen Gardner •
Photography by Borella & Company
Unless your parents were movie stars, children’s birthday parties were pretty
simple events during the 1940s and ‘50s, especially compared to today’s
extravaganzas. Small gatherings were usually held at home, and guests left with
modest tokens (a bottle of bubbles, a colorful party favor) instead of elaborate
goody bags. Mom typically served as caterer, baker, and party planner;
entertainment was rarely more complex than a giddy game of pin the tail on the
donkey.
In those days, a store-bought cake was considered a big deal. Most
decorations were made of piped-on icing, candy, or plastic. Sometimes,
higher-end bakeries added whimsical figures made from chenille stems (or pipe
cleaners), like the ones shown here.
The plush cake toppers often took the
shape of cowboys and Indians, circus performers, musicians, athletes, and, of
course, the ever-popular fairy princesses.
(a) Jolly clowns, frolicking musicians, and fanciful circus creatures are
prime examples of the chenille-stem characters that adorned kids’ birthday cakes
from the 1940s into the 1960s. Decorations in mint condition can cost anywhere
from $15 to $25 each.
(b) These party animals originated at a Los Angeles bakery that catered to an elite
clientele. Candles (c) were par for the course on most cakes, but chenille
characters, (d) were considered extra-special decorations.
A recent poll in a parenting magazine found that one-quarter of parents spent
at least $200 on their child’s last birthday. In Great Britain, half of
parents reported spending a whole week’s pay.
According to experts, the
“more is more” wave is still on the rise. But don’t fret, Mom and Dad: A small
but influential trend favors the return of home-based gatherings with
old-fashioned games and crafts for the kids—like making fuzzy cake-toppers of
their own.
(e) In the early ‘60s, what more did a girl need than a few friends, some snappy
party hats, a cake, and paper noisemakers? Here, Mary Engelbreit (right
foreground) celebrates her 9th birthday.
They’re The Tops
Chenille decorations weren’t common during the Baby Boom years and are even
harder to find now. Keep your eyes open at garage and yard sales.
Vintage
circus animals are available at Tinsel Trading Co.,
tinseltrading.com.
Want to have fun? Make your own. Many crafts stores sell
pipe cleaners (also called chenille stems) and instructions.
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