One Christmas, all I wanted was a lava lamp. My seven-year-old brain really thought that a lava lamp on my dresser would make my room cooler and help me climb the second-grade social ladder. Even though I got the lava lamp I dreamed of (purple, with big glitter pieces), my hopes of being popular in elementary school never came true.
Still, I watched with avid interest as the lava lamp celebrated its fiftieth birthday recently.
Happy Birthday, Lava Lamp!
The lava lamp, like many of the coolest things from my childhood, was created by a British inventor. Known as the Astro Lamp as well, the lava lamp has blobs of colored wax floating in a clear liquid. An incandescent bulb at the bottom heats the wax, making it rise and fall as the temperature changes.
Even though the lava lamp is not as popular today as it once was, they are still sold around the world. And they are still as groovy as ever, if you ask me.
The Takeaway
Clearly, the lava lamp is a hilariously tacky home décor item. Still, it is a hilariously tacky home décor item that has staying power. When you contemplate the success of your product or brand, you should strive to make it as successful as the lava lamp, if maybe a little less kitsch. Even if people are only consuming it ironically, ironic consumers are better than no consumers at all.
Do you have a lava lamp? Do you know where I can get a lava lamp? I broke mine in a move.