Merchants Decide Last Thursday Too
Late For Thanksgiving

Throughout the history of the United States, the date of Thanksgiving shifted many times. But finally, by Presidential proclamation, it was established as the last Thursday of November.

This worked fine until 1939. The country, not yet involved in World War II, was still struggling to throw off the effects of the Great Depression.

In that year, Thanksgiving would fall on November 30, the fifth Thursday of the month. A group of retail merchants, with a glance at previous sales activity, felt that they would lose an important week of sales with Thanksgiving falling that late. And they convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving back a week, to November 23. FDR thought it was a good idea, and he announced in August that Thanksgiving would be on the 4th Thursday of November that year.

Only the retail merchants liked the idea. Across the United States, protests erupted. Everyone from the American Legion to the National Council of Teachers of English protested. The governor of Maine stated that “the President may make any proclamation he desires... regarding the observance of Thanksgiving Day, but we in Maine will continue to have our Thanksgiving the same time as we have down through the years.” The Selectmen of Plymouth, Massachusetts, where Thanksgiving began, objected to “sacrificing the real significance of the day for the purpose of satisfying commercial interests.”

These objections were mild, however, compared to the uproar raised by the coaches of football teams across the country. By 1939, the climax for most football programs took place on Thanksgiving Day. And schedules had been long set. If November 30 became just another Thursday, they estimated at least half of their spectators would be unable to attend.

There were also those who rode the fence. The governor of Texas declared that his state would observe both November 23 and 30 as Thanksgiving days. The governors of Colorado and Mississippi followed his example. Several colleges also took that point of view.

The other group with no objections was the turkey growers. As long as there was a Thanksgiving, their turkeys would be in demand; one week did not make that much difference. They could have the turkeys ready whenever they were needed.

By the end of October, all the states had decided on a date. In addition to the three that were going to celebrate twice, 22 states had opted for Roosevelt’s November 23 (including Oregon, Washington and California.) The remaining 23 states would celebrate on the traditional last-Thursday-date of November 30. The mayor of Minneapolis, who obviously had a mind of his own, declared an 8-day holiday, from one Thursday through the next.

The ones who fared best during this conflict were the turkey growers. There was such a frenzy of turkey buying that most of the turkey markets closed out weeks in advance. The retail merchants who started the uproar found that their increase in sales was very small.

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Candy Maker Makes Its Own Containers

Plastic, inexpensive and lightweight, was the favored material for thousands of products of the 1950s. And Halloween decorations and toys were no exception. For many years, collectors totally ignored the items from this decade. But now, 50 years later, plastic Halloween items find a place in many collections.

The E. Rosen Company was one of the primary producers of these collectibles. Founded in 1911, it started out as a candy company. Following World War II, the company began looking for a new type of container for its holiday candies. Tico Toys, located nearby, manufactured plastic novelties, including holiday containers. E. Rosen purchased Tico, and the new company was called Rosbro Plastics.

The hard-plastic containers were made into the 1960s, (when the company shifted its manufacturing activities to Hong Kong.) Many of the pieces will be embossed “Rosbro Plastics.” Some were simple candy containers, but others were quite elaborate, with wheels and multi-colored figures. In addition to candy containers, Rosbro also made hard-plastic jack-o-lanterns.

Union Products was the major producer of battery-operated hard plastic jack-o-lanterns in the 1950s. They ranged in size from 2 1/2 inches to 11 inches in diameter. The earliest ones had wire bail handles. Later, the handles were also made of plastic. The company also made a plastic witch, with broomstick and hat, with an opening where candy could be added.

Other companies producing plastic Halloween items in the 1950s were the Best Plastics Corporation, Commonwealth Plastics, Fun World, Inc., Kokomold, Inc., Lapin and Pulpco.

By the 1960s, most of the production of plastic Halloween novelties had shifted to Hong Kong, and the more pliable vinyl plastic was used.. However, even these have become very collectible, and are more affordable still than those made in the United States.

Unfortunately, this is another area where reproductions do exist. One clue to watch for is the condition of the plastic. Old polystyrene (the type of plastic used) becomes brittle with age; so even when old molds are used, that brittleness will not be present. Reproductions also tend to be more opaque, but that doesn’t help much unless you have both old and new to compare.

There are several reference books on Halloween collectibles that include plastic items. Halloween Favorites in Plastic, by Charlene Pinkerton, (Schiffer Publishing) is devoted strictly to this topic.

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Holiday Cookie Cutters Once Made Of Tin

Until nearly the end of the 19th century, itinerant tinsmiths traveled the country roads, selling everything from buckets, pots and pans to pierced-tin lanterns. The scraps from these larger pieces were saved to make cookie cutters. These were sold to the housewives for a few pennies, or given as a “gift” if a large order was placed.

The designs were not limited to holiday motifs, but this was when most of the cookies were made. When the housewife of the 19th century baked Christmas cookies, she made huge batches, and the more different designs she had, the more she was likely to make.

In some areas, it was the custom to share the cookies with neighbors. Quite often this was done, not to display the skills of the baker (almost all housewives were good bakers,) but to show off the designs of the cookie cutters, many of which had been handed down for generations. There were birds, fish, flowers, animals, religious motifs, hearts, patriotic symbols, and household items. A family’s collection might include cutters shaped like a flag, Ben Franklin, a pigeon, rocking horse, a banjo, Uncle Sam and a pipe. Since all were handmade by the tinsmith, no two were alike.

Surprisingly, Christmas motifs were among the rarest, even though the cookies were made at Christmas time. The star was not too uncommon, but angels, trees and reindeer will be hard to find.

By the middle of the 20th century, cookie cutter reproductions in tin were being made. Many of these were made by retired journeymen, and some included their initials on the cutter. There will never be an identifying initial on an old cutter.

The quality of the tin is a clue to determining age. The new cutters are more apt to be shiny and bright. The solder line is another clue. The old tinker soldered only where necessary instead of along the whole design. The whole job is not as likely to be as neat as that done by the later smith.

A quick test is the shape of the back. Since the old tinker used whatever scraps he had, the back piece is apt to be of some irregular shape. Newer pieces sill have a square, oblong or other uniform back panel.

The turn of the design edges is another clue. Later pieces, with the help of modern tools, will be neater and more conventionalized; early pieces were turned by hand; they will be less uniform, but often show more detail.

Finally, the back panel on the reverse side will often show the cutter design in relief, caused by years and years of use, pressing into the cookie dough.

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