Haunting Honeycomb

It's that time of year and I am consumed once again with my Hallmark honeycomb collection. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and coupled with some new additions to my collection in the past few years, I am in pure paper heaven! This hobby of mine has grown out of my passion for modern vintage paper, graphics and ephemera which Hallmark's Plans-a-Party collection reflects. Not only do they mark special occasions, they are affordable and don't take up much room once folded into their envelopes.

The ad above from 1961 encapsulates all that I love from that era and with a Halloween motif, this particular collection really floats my boat. In the past few years I have been able to procure half of the items seen in the ad and once I've collected them all, I will be throwing my little girl a vintage Halloween party!

This imposing 12" owl honeycomb centerpiece was a beautiful find which had never been opened when I purchased it last year. A few friends ask me if it was difficult to assemble these unused items, since there were still in such pristine condition. To be honest, for the most part, I am not a precious collector of paper. I believe these items should be taken out every year and enjoyed! I do get a thrill every time I open a new honeycomb structure for the first time. It's as if I just purchased it from my local Hallmark store!

That being said, the puppet honeycomb seen above is truly the only item I have not been able to bring myself to open. It is the OLDEST ITEM IN MY COLLECTION and is still in its sealed original plastic packaging. I think this piece may even be from the late 50's judging by the black and white photography, the .50 cent price point, and the font used. The fanged cat in the ad is seen as the 3 puppet on the package, so that would verify the time period was before the ad which ran in 1961. Perhaps someday if my daughter wants to play with it I will be able to part with its original condition. But for now, it will remain the exception to the rule.

Before my daughters's Halloween costume/birthday party last year, I was able to score an unused and very rare 8 pack of these AMAZING spiderweb placemats. When I set the party up, the graphics from the web made the items on the table jump out at you! Although NOT a honeycomb item, as I am trying to piece the Plans-a Party Spook Fest together, these DARLING paper placemats were a serious addition to my collection.

Another NON-HONEYCOMBED item but rare as hens teeth and part of this series, are these spooky decorations that originally came in a "handy punch-out book" from Hallmark. I literally just found these items last week and was TREMBLING in the knees when I finally found yet another piece of the spook fest puzzel! I am now searching for the remaining items: the paper plates, cups, napkins, and of course the honeycombed paper hats and mini owls. If you come across these items, please drop me a line!

Additional items in my collection that are not seen in the 1961 Spook Fest Ad includes the following pieces starting with this approachable witch and her slightly shy kitten. What I'm most intrigued about this particular piece is the construction of the witch which is cleverly rolled into a cone shape and once paper tabs are secure, the cone is then slipped over the honeycomb structure. The sparse decorations and directional lighting of both the witch here and the owl above on a orange paper backdrop is pure and simple. My eye is drawn to the product and the lovely sans serif type makes me harken back to this modernist age.

Another friendly almost timid witch is found in this pumpkin and witch combo above. Probably my least pristine package with a torn cover and tape, I'm still intrigued by her less than spooky demeanor. She's more of a Grandmother figure dressed up for Halloween then the more sinister witches we see today. Obviously produced for a family with young children, I have seen many items that accompany this witch still available but I like my witches SCARY AND SPOOKY. That's why I've begun to collect this rare witch seen below.

The green is perfect shade of chartreuse and along with her sinister grin, her bats circling over head portending your impending doom and her boney finger pointing off stage, this witch means business! Who wouldn't be scared by this 36 x 72" giant life sized poster hanging up in the entryway? I was also fortunate enough to find an unopened package of 8 invitations which I look forward to using next year! I have yet to find her accompanying honeycomb centerpiece but with time, I'm sure it will turn up. Drop me a line if you see her around.

Going back to the cutesy side of Halloween. the newest edition to my Halloween owl collection, is this later 60's model once again perching upon a friendly and inquisitive cardboard pumpkin. He's not going to frighten even a scarecrow away but he is a lovely addition to the collection. The simple orange backdrop is still prevalent and it looks like they are referencing the party streamers originally seen in the 12" owl at the beginning of this blog.

My newest pumpkin centerpiece is this lovely early 60's gem that has not yet been punched out. I was intrigued by the overly simplistic design and presentation. A real gem and at $1.00 is indeed a clever gift for Halloween!

What is halloween without a screeching cat? This cat definatly belongs to the whicked witch listed above. His scowing back and curled up tail is beautifully accented by the shadow of a branch once again a plain orange backdrop. His claws are hidden but you know he's about to pounce!

The beautifully crafted shape of his body is held up by the curling tail. Last year I was lucky to find these amazing Halloween place cards which had not yet been used. At only 2" in height they are a bit difficult to put together but I am so thrilled to have them a part of this collection. The graphics alone are worth of my admiration.

I generally find the Halloween decorations a bit more rough around the edges than other holidays. Could it be that the sugar fueled Hallows Eve leads past owns to be a bit more aggressve with their packaging? Or are the kids just eager to pop their spooky treats out of their bags? What ever the case may be, I added this AMAZING 6 foot tall skeleton to my collection this year and although the packaging is worse for the wear, the actual item is in very good condition.

This guy not only has the lovely element of a honeycombed head, the cardboard bracket that attaches to his body gives a feeling of a vertebra. The accuracy of a nasal hole makes his slight smile a bit creepier. But it's the paper construction of his body that blew my mind when I opened him up. Still using the same tissue paper, Hallmark came up with this UNBELIEVABLE accordion folding technique which allows the limbs to fold up and store nicely when they aren't stretched to the 6 foot length! It is interesting how they chose to illustrate the cardboard hands and feet. If they had constructed them in a bone like structure, they piece would surely not last a season. Instead, they ingeniously got somewhere between flesh and bone and this example here is still in great condition after 40 years of use!

Unfortunately, that paper engineering begins to decline in the 70's as you can see here is this final haunting honeycomb from my collection. This hanging ghost's paper construction although at first interesting, doesn't really work and the bent and folded streams of paper hanging down look more like a whirling dervishes skirt than an apparition.

On top of that, the graphics from the 70's with it rounded fonts and corned on the cardboard items, make this ghost look both scary and cute at the same time, a feeling that leaves me wanting to take sides! Of course I couldn't leave him out of my collection and will hang him in the "cutsey" section of my collection.

For the love of paper,

Julie Green
October 17, 2015