1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
_____________________________________
L
E G E N D :
Years
General
information
Model
Names
Descriptions
Variations
known/seen
Color
Combinations - Lava color/ Liquid color
_____________________________________
1990
The
25th Anniversary for Lava Lite. A huge party at a nightclub in Chicago
marks the celebration. The new "Titan", a vaguely Century-shaped lamp standing
all of 2 1/2 feet tall, is shown off. This model won't make it to the market
for a number of years due to engineering difficulties.
The
catalog page for The Titan is released, shown in these colors:
Black
base/cap, white lava - blue liquid; Brass base/cap, red lava - yellow liquid.
Another series, one that does go into production and occupies the back of the Titan's catalog page, is the Giant Wave Machines. These models sport a bulbous black base with a glowing blue line around the middle, lights within that can be turned on or off, volume and tone controls, and a cylindrical wave cell with clear ends. They are:
Atlantis
model 2000
8"
tall, 22" long wave cell, 4" diameter cell. Model 2002 has the light/sound
option.
Pacifica
model 5000
9"
tall, 30" long wave cell, 5" diameter cell. Model 5002 has light/sound
option.
New
colors are added to the:
Midnight
additional
colors added:
Orange/
Orange
Pink/
Pink
By
now, anything old is rare. 1970s/80s Aristocrat, Century, Enchantress easiest
to find. 1960s Consort easiest to find.
1991
Coach
Lantern
Discontinued.
Midnight
New
colors slowly added to lineup.
After
this time, new models such as Century lamps in black (doesn't last long)
and silver bases as well as brass, Aristocrats
in silver and black as well as brass, the Princess (an Enchantress form
with a white base and coral, yellow or purple in clear), the Elec-Trick
(Enchantress form in red, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple and pink
with matching blacklight-responsive bases), the Silver Streak (Enchantress
form with silver base), and Giant Lava (Titan) lamps come marching onto
market. First, Enchantress caps, followed by Century/Aristocrat caps, are
updated from a screw-on top to a crimped metal bottlecap with a false plastic
cap sitting over it. A whole lineup of new colors flood the lineup. Gold
Aristocrat, gold Enchantress and gold Century keep the "classic" 1980s
two: Red/Yellow and White/Blue. These three are now known as the "Classics".
Lamp's official name changed from "Lava Lite" to "Lava Lite Lamp".
New
black
lava in clear liquid comes on market - is
best-seller color until black "Midnight Century" is discontinued.
mid 1990s
Lava-Simplex, under Haggerty Enterprises, becomes Lava World. Lava World introduces the Icon series with its ceramic bases in the form of skulls, alien heads, devils, evil deranged clowns ("Cranky the Clown" Think horror movie here; also think of those ceramic bases used on water pipes sold for dubious purposes), nasty jesters ("Chester the Jester"), and stoned mushroom-people ("Toady"). After a time, these are discontinued and simpler versions with ceramic caps come out, followed by a model with Garfield on the base.
New lamps currently on the market include:
The
Wizard
A
Carlisle type cone on a footed black plastic tray, with holes shaped like
stars and moons. Pointed metal overcap also has stars/moons cutouts. Available
with black, silver, and metallic red or blue bases and caps, one line is
of the Lava Lite type while the other contains glitter like a Gem Lite.
Gem Lite is new formula - uses a nasty staining/icky fumes if broken type
of liquid.
The
Starship
A
sleek Enchantress bottle and pointed cap with a tapered, pointed-bottom
base supported by three long, curved rocket fin legs. Available in black
base (with a ring of holes in base and cap) or silver (without holes).
A less graceful counterpart to UK-made Crestworth (Mathmos) Telstar.
Psychedelic
Swirl
Limited
Edition lamps hand-painted with wild tie-die-like swirls of white. Enchantress
shape. Lamp bases come in purple, green, blue and red.
Year
2000 Lava
A
polished chrome Aristocrat with the number "2000" cut out of the base so
it glows. A limited Edition of 5,000 lamps were made.
Yellow/
Blue
Knock-Offs,
Etc.
Other
Lava Lite Lamps made by another company but using Century-size Lava World
bottles are a Beatles Yellow Submarine lamp, a KISS lamp, and a Coca-Cola
lamp with a base featuring the Coca-Cola polar bear. These are limited
editions of 10,000.
The new official lamp name is the "Lava brand Motion Lamp". Lava World
allows companies such as Lyon Design to make their own lava lamps, for
royalties payments.
Lamps manufactured by other companies who pay Lava World for use of the
lamp configuration include:
Glo-Oozy/Flo-Oozy,
Space Lamp, Cosmic Lamp, etc. Tall, narrow cylinders with black or chrome
flared base. Also made in larger version. Both sizes and both colors made
with lava wax or Gem Lite type glitter inside. Versions are produced with
bases/caps covered in decoratively patterned Fimo, a modeling clay often
formed into intricate patterns.
"Scenic" lava lamps with decorated base/top. Designs include "alien spacecraft",
"sharks", "flower garden", "Santa Claus", "Dinosaurs", and "polar bears
- penguins".
Lyon
Design's pointed-top "rocket lamps" with cylinder base, in black or silver,
"Gas
Pump" lamp with themes such as Route 66, Texaco advertising, and hippie
flowers.
"Way
Out Lite" shaped as an old fashioned gumball machine with red enameled
base and top and glass globe with red/clear lava inside. Formula cheap,
tends to cloud.
This
is Lava history in the USA as I know it... Enjoy!
If
you have any information or suggestions/corrections/additions, want to
see a photo or sketch of one of these, have lamps or catalogs to sell or
trade, or simply want to discuss your collection or shoot the breeze about
old Lava Lites, email me - Jonas Goo
Thank
you!
~
Jonas Goo