Rise and Fall of Spaulding Ware Melmac Dinnerware in Chicago Land

The Dilemma:

Hello, what's this? Spaulding Ware Creamer in Color-Flyte Colors?

It doesn't matter how long you collect something there will sooner or later be things that pop up that mystify you or are unexplainable. Imagine my surprise when I find this creamer marked Spaulding Ware, Chicago, but is a dead ringer for the designer  Kaye Lamoyne's "Glow Copper" color of the Branchell Color-Flyte line.

Mottling in Color-flyte colors as shown on the Branchell History Website by Dennis Teepe.

So my question was which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Relatively little is known about Spaulding Ware company history, I looked in some old Modern Plastics Encyclopedias and didn't see any Spaulding listed in Chicago in the forties.  I then found them listed in a 1953 Registered Corporations book of Illinois, however under "A-A Housewares, Inc." At the same address was the offices of  Spaulding at 3520 N Spaulding Avenue, Chicago 18 Illinois wherein respective representatives were  Harry Wohl and Dorothy Pollenz.

The original building where Spaulding Ware offices' were still stands in Chicago. 

Spaulding Ware Galore as offered in dadadish!

Just when I thought this "glow copper" creamer dilemma could be an uncommon fluke, melmac collector Ken Whittington of North Caorlina tells me there were other colors done in the other Color-Flyte colors as well! I was baffled!  

What is the Connection?
Sadly I cannot form any connection what so ever between Branchell and Spaulding, no matter how much sleuthing I do. Branchell, according to Dennis Teepe's Branchell History site lists them in business circa 1952-1958 at which time it was sold to Lenox.  Branchell's factories in St. Louis and Puerto Rico do not explain how during the same era the colors of the Color-Flyte designs would have gone to Spaulding. I believe Spaulding's dinnerware was produced elsewhere in Chicago, so definitely NOT in St. Louis!

There are of course only four possibilities that I deduce: 

1)  "Maybe Laymoyne worked for Spaulding."    I don't think so. Certainly he was under contract at the time and to leak a top secret formula would have been a huge no-no with legal ramifications.

2) "Maybe Spaulding had the color first and Laymoyne bought it."   Doubtful, he was a great designer.

3) "Perhaps Spaulding acquired it after Branchell's demise."  This would have meant the dishes had to be produced circa 1958 when Branchell closed.  Spaulding would have had a four year window to do so, from 1958 to 1961 because they were still offering melmac in 1961 as listed in a Supermarket Merchandising Magazine under "Melco-Ware".

4)  "Perhaps they duplicated it and used it without permission with no one ever catching them."   It wouldn't be the first time, I've seen examples of  Residential by Russel Wright and Daileyware using the same formula, but these were also produced in the same factory.  Being that ColorFlyte was produced in Missouri and Puerto Rico, this didn't seem a viable solution.

A full set of hard to find Spaulding Ware recently sold on Etsy at PomDecor's shop. 

If you look closely at the photo above the creamer and sugar would indeed be a more rigid feel.   I always thought that some of the creamer and sugars like the styles above were indeed polystyrene. We will find out soon, that Spaulding was using "less melamine" in some of their pieces which would explain why the pieces in the same set may feel or look differently (and perhaps not wear as well.)


The Answers, or Not?
The more I read on Spauldingware, the more I think the latter two possibilities may indeed apply to the latter years window.  In this May 1956 ad, Life Magazine shows Capri (regular color palette) and Decorated (patterns) as the two "styles."  They were also showing "Melco-Ware" at the Housewares Show in Chicago according to Modern Plastics Magazine. "Melcoware" is also traced back to their office address.  I can only assume that Melco-Ware stands for (Melamine - CoPolymer - Dinnerware). 

Ironically, in June 1960, the Spaulding Corporation (then containing the names of Gilbert B. Fern and the same Harry Wohl and Dorothy Pollenz from above) were being charged both as a whole and individually by the Federal Trade Commission. Essentially scamming the public as melamine co polymer did not exist, and it was in their print ads, guarantees, and advertising. By December the same year they were in huge trouble.

Guess I'll never know why or how these Spaulding Ware Spice Containers came to be.

It's no wonder by the early 60's they were gone. No doubt legal fees and loss of production time would drive them into their ultimate demise.   ~Poof, just like that~  We may never know the beginnings or the end of this company, or half the inner workings, but I can't help to find it odd that they would go to a housewares show and brag and advertise their wares as Melamine Co polymer only to become quickly indited. Did a competitor get a whiff of this infraction and turn them in?  Was this a sneaky way to avoid the inflating costs of melamine?  Did they cross the line too many times and operate shadily before (hence eluding to the Colorflyte dilemma)?

I'd like to think the wide world of melmac production full of mobsters and loan sharks, because , after all, this was Chicagoland.  I guess we'll never know.

Back in the day in Chicagoland, Postcards Available at VintagePlum's shop.

Have information on Spaulding?  Write me!

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Raffiaware Thermo Temp Mallory Randall Melmac History

Ice Cream Bowl by ThermoTemp pic at CheMichele

Themo-Temp , Raffiaware and Mallory Randall Corporation

I first wrote this post in 2011 when I ran into Etsy shop Modern Plastics owner Kailani Burke Nakanaela who helped me fill in some blanks and use her photos. At the time she was listing and cleaning out a huge collection of Thermo Temp / Raffiaware by the Mallory Randall Corporation.  This same corporation made Melmac in Classic, Malloware and Mallo-Belle lines.  However, widely popular was this super-duper insulated plastic ware set featuring burlap and straw in their lines.   

Note:  Not to be confused with THERMO-SERV,  find the post here. 

First of all, for those of you who maybe haven't seen all the wonderful items in the Themoware collection, I will break it down into several popular styles for you. Perhaps you have seen them unmarked, or didn't even know what they were. 

I like to break them down into five distinct easy to spot groupings, although more I'm sure exist.   First know they made tall tumblers, coffee sized mugs, tall mugs, ice buckets, pitchers, snack sets, salad sets, ice cream bowls, salad serving tongs, and more. 

Group #1 The ribbed Thermo Temp cream ribbing and pastel insides

Shown here at CalliCatVintage

Group #2 The ribbed Thermo Temp whitish ribbing and green insides

Find them and more at CheMichele

Group #3 The smooth looking embedded burlap sets 

Thermo Temp Salad Set serves six!  Sold at Modern Plastics, $45.99

Group # 4:  Straw outside of gorgeous pastels 

pic: Modern Plastics note the rare serving tray and different style ice cream cups.


Group # 5:  White inside of colorful burlap

These available at 7Trafalgar on Etsy.

So, when I picked the brain of Modern Plastics shop owner from Kailua, O'Ahu, Hawaii I had to find out what her story was, back then unleashing hundreds of hard to find Mallory items. 

Hard to find Mallory, in a breakfast sold quick at only $10 at Modern Plastics.

Shop owner Kailani Burke Nakanaela explained, "The story begins when my Husband and I decided to renovate his Parent's beach house. We have over fifty years of memories there, we actually met on the beach in Kailua as kids. We've been married 30+ years and now that the house has been passed on to us, we need more space for our children and grandchildren when they come to visit. I have been removing Melmac from the attic space for a couple of weeks now, the boxes are all deteriorated from the humidity and sea air, so bringing them down a rickety ladder has proven tricky. As I peel away the layers of cardboard I am just amazed at how wonderful everything looks. Yesterday my Husband tried to convince me that we could put these in the dishwasher .... I just smiled and banished him from the kitchen. This is probably the first time I have actually enjoyed washing dishes."

This is what she found....I'm gasping...how rare is this to find in the original box?

Kailani explains "I will be listing more items soon, there are over 200 Mallo-Ware plates and cups and saucers that I have not gotten to yet. This picture is one of ten Mallory mail-order boxes. Each box has service for four and the 1960 First Class Postage to Hawaii was a whopping $2.11."   So just what is Kailani doing with all that melmac and thermal plastic ware?   She says, "I am keeping a few pieces for myself, and for my children and grandchildren since they never really knew my Husband's Mom. I think I will be busy for the rest of the Winter cleaning and cataloging Melmac."

Let's talk Thermo Temp and Raffiaware. 

She had explained to me that she had original ephemera in some of the boxes, showing evidence up through 1966 (Spring.) She said that the term "Raffiaware" was no where to be seen in the promo pamphlet, which was odd, as some cups are marked Thermo-Temp and others Raffiaware.  Why?  Not only did she take note that some items were exclusively offered via a dairy service as a way of promoting dairy products, but that Sears had the exclusive right to market "THERMO WARE" tumblers (which by 1963 they were sold in 8 colorful tumblers.)

After talking with her I did some more research and surmised that means Mallory gave certain rights to certain retailers, and no doubt by Sears selling the colorful ribbed cups that's why there are so many that exist today.  I researched and found an ad dating back to 1959 mentioning the Thermo Temp double walled insulated tumblers.

Circa 7/59 Billboard Magazine.

Mallory's History has been sketchy. Luckily, I pieced this together.

Not much in my travels has been found on the web or in print about the late and great Mallory-Randall company.  I often thought they were somehow connected to P.R. Mallory, the battery company but I have no proof of that. Back in 2011 there was a Mallory USA still in existence, but as of 2018 I lost them. They had been in business circa 1900 proves that either all minds have the last name Mallory (and mold plastics) or something is missing to the history.  I suppose I don't have enough facts, so I will write what I have found.

Here is an ad from a 1956 Life Magazine (above) showing Mallow-ware (left, coming in ten colors at that time) and Classic (right.)  We know the company was producing melamine.

Furthermore, I found and sold an old open stock order form, according to the print code on the lower right, was printed in 1956.   The address for ordering was Mallo-Ware, 456 N. Parkside, Chicago, 44 Illinois although the dishes themselves often are backstamped Chicago, 41, Illinois.  This could mean the offices and factories were in two different places. 

To confirm this, an old Mallo-Ware brochure (in with warranty information, below) confirms the two different addresses, as shown below, lists the company Mallo-Ware at 3760 Milwaukee Avenue Chicago, 41 Illinois.  

Milwaukee Avenue Address is printed on this ephemera.

Mallory Sites: Parkside & Milwaukee Avenue Debunked 

So thanks to old paperwork, we know there were two addresses.  I used my trust snooping skills to do a Google Earth flight from the comfort of my chair.  The 456 N. Parkside Address proves defunct, there is a large apartment type building there, which according to property records was a 5+ unit facility that sold in 2005 for $800,000.  Could this have once been office buildings and housed the corporate offices of Mallory?  Probably not considering the dwelling doesn't look as old, and the same lot sold years early for 1/4 of that value.  Being there's a lot of new growth in the neighborhood; it is probably a more recent structure.

456 Parkside leaves us no clues.

So then I was off to the other location on Milwaukee Avenue. I used Google Maps and found an empty space at 3730 Milwaukee Avenue, and smaller empty space on 3760 Milwaukee Avenue with only the tiny brick faced Grayland Pub at 3734 Milwaukee Avenue still standing in between.  The area boasts residential housing across the street.  It appears the old buildings are long gone, but I find this hard to believe a factory was once here, hardly not enough room.

Only the skinny pub remains circa 2011 at the Milwaukee street address...

So, this begs the question, will we ever know what happened to Mallory Randall? Perhaps they only were in fact a distributor of wares and had another molding company doing the dirty work.  The only thing we will know is when we find wonderful snippets of history as marked on the bottom of the boxes, "Raffiaware by Thermo-Temp, Mallory Randall Corp., Made in USA,"  Even then, when we think we may be close to the answers, specimens pop up that surely puzzle us. 

Here are some more clues from Modern Plastic's finds: 

Courtesy Modern Plastics

What I learned from this photo? It doesn't say America's FIRST insulated, it says America's finest. I'm thinking that Thermo-Serv came before, read my article here.

Thank you to Modern Plastics.

We may never know just what these are, indeed a form of Raffiaware as listed in Jherrmann's shop quite possibly a knockoff or a spectaculr unfound Mallory design......

BUT WAIT!  Thanks to a great reader we have more information:  They write:  The footed cups at the end of this post are "continental coffee mugs" by Better-Maid brand from the J.P. Gits Molding Company of Chicago (also makers of Gits ware and, later, Roselle ware). They used the prefix Thermi- for their insulated plastic ware (Thermi-cups, Thermi-fashion, Thermi-ware). See here: https://www.pinterest.com/magria7484/better-maid/ads/

If you have information on the company that produced these items, please drop me a line. 

Mallory - Randall

ThermoTemp

Raffiaware

Malloware

MalloBelle

Classic

Mallory

♥

You can find me on Facebook, or in my Etsy shop.  I strive  to write accurate information but unfortunately more and more information is harder and harder to find.


 

Hemco , Hemcoware, Hemcolite, Westinghouse Saga - Early Melamine and Melmac Dinnerware

Photo Courtesy of Cathigreen on Etsy!

Hemco Plastics Division 

of Bryant Electric Company

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Hemco's Early Plastics
Hemco was one of the earlier plastic molders who had it's plastics in the form of dinnerware on the market for industrial and consumer use. 

Early examples of Beetleware "mania" included hard plastic kiddie dishes and Mickey Mouse mugs. In Newsweek Magazine circa 1939, Hemco proudly explained they had hundreds of new dies for producing such items.  A small picture of Mickey Mouse next to the article read, "We hired salesman who knew dishes rather than switches and plugs...and almost before we knew it, we had an important new business on our hands."

Kiddie dishes like this were mass produced by Hemco Plastics Division.

In 1943, Modern Plastics reported, "Hemco is molding a wide variety of fighting material. This includes plastic inner helmets, coil forms for military radio, plastic bomb loading funnels, radio parts, fuze noses, airplane instrument cases, ship lighting reflectors....."    Add that to the already evident masses of plastic cups, utensils, divided kiddie dishes,  and kitchen items.

Rare 1939 Hemco Plastics were beautiful in color and styling.  This item was referred to as Beetleware. Credit: MOMA

Hemco's Industrial & Consumer Dinnerware 
Sometime during this entire era, contracts with the aviation industry were also evident for dinnerware.  We can see by viewing these rare early examples made by Hemco (identical to Watertown Ware shapes for the navy) here on fellow researcher Christopher McPherson's wonderful Plastic Living Site.    Fellow researcher Robin Ptacek, an avid collector of early plastics has assembled beautiful collection of early brightly-colored Hemco.  Colors so radiant such as bright reds, greens, yellows and blues are becoming harder and harder to find.  Some of the earlier wares were Beetle, Polystryne, and Melamine.   It is not uncommon to find an old wicker hamper full of a picnic set marked Hemco!

Rare Hemcoware Cups (probably melamine) as offered by Cathigreen on Etsy!

Hemco was Competing with Westinghouse (it's owner)
In 1946, it is stated that through "Plastics Business" the Bryant Electric Company, Westinghouse owns Hemco Plastics Company, a leading custom molder of plastics.   So one must ponder the question was Westinghouse using Hemco to mold it's many radio cases, fan parts, and  washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator parts?

Westinghouse radio by VintageRatz on Etsy.  Makes you wonder was Hemco molding the cases?

 
What's even stranger, Westinghouse is also doing their own melamine and melmac branded dishes to compete against it's own Hemcoware! Pieces can be found marked Westinghouse, Ovation, Newport, Darien, and more.....

Photo from TheCreekHouse on Etsy showing a Westinghouse backstamp!

Photo and this Westinghouse creamer/sugar set available from TheCreekHouse on Etsy!

Westinghouse's other line "Newport" divided bowl by RetroChalet on Etsy!

Ovation line by Westinghouse offered at JetSetVintage on Etsy!

Hemco's Three Lines of Dinnerware: 


Several brands produced for the Hemco line were marked Hemco, Hemcoware, and Hemcolite.  Curiously, some of these lines were melamine, and others made of a more ridgid polystryene-type material.

This photo from Black Market Antiques, and is that of a "HemcoLite" cup and saucer.

I originally thought that the "Hemcolite" line was indeed the Polystryene line, (hence lighter in weight making it perfect for picnic plastics) but examples with all different backstamps have emerged making me wonder just really was going on.  Of course we may fathom the factory could have "forgotten" to change the backstamps, marking the dishes wrong but that theory was debunked when I read in a Consumer Reports magazine of November 1954, it mentions "Hemcoware" as using "improved polystreyene for its cups."   So just what was melamine and what was polystrene and why was there so much mixing and matching going on?   It's so confusing as some Hemco was Beetleware, Polystryene, or Melamine! Geesh!

Hemcoware Plates, thinner than most 1950's melamine were great for picnic use also, these sold by RetroChalet on Etsy! 

I do have a set of nicely sturdy Hemco dinnerware in my camp in Maine.  They are thicker than these above Hemcoware dinner plates, and resemblant of most 1950's thick melmac.  It is unclear why there were so many variants of Hemco, unless Westinghouse just wanted to cover all angles and all markets, which was probably smart at the time.

Hemcolite cups as offered by ZebrasandBubblegum on Etsy! See below for same molds from Long Island!

Hemco's Molds are Found in Long Island, NY: 
I'm afraid we won't get the answers to these questions, as Hemco molds turned up in Long Island City, NY and are backstamped as such. I have been unable to find out a lot of information, except finding a few rare dolls on this site, dolls circa 1949-1961 which begs the question WHEN during that time did HEMCO PLASTICS sell their molds to PMA Corp?    If you compare they are dead-ringers for Hemco molds, but molded in a polystrene.

The same exact Hemco plates and cups, except made of a cheaper, thinner polystrene were also sold by RetroChalet but backstamped NY Plastic Molded Arts Corp, Long Island NY.  

More from Long Island, NY.

Additional Information: 

Hemco at MOMA 1939 Examples found here

Read about Bryant Electric Company on Wikipedia
History of Bridgeport, Connecticut on Wikipedia
Plastic Molded Arts Corp (doll information)