You Say Plastic. I Say Bakelite.

When I say, “vintage plastic for baby,” do you cringe just a little? Well believe it or not, generations before us survived infancies filled with gorgeous plastics that would melt your heart even today. Hard to believe? Take a gander at this…

There’s several terms out there synonymous with vintage plastics. Maybe you’ve heard of Bakelite? Yep, it’s plastic. But funny thing is, calling it by another name seems to give it a different persona. Bakelite is actually one of the hottest vintage collectibles out there.

Bakelite is the trade name for a castable, flame-resistant plastic invented by Leo Baekeland in 1909. It was originally used for industrial purposes, but its light weight made Bakelite perfect for manufacturing inexpensive jewelry and other items. (Perhaps inexpensive in a past life, but as a vintage collectible, prices can now range from reasonable to ridiculous.)

Some of those ‘other items’ crafted from Bakelite included cutlery sets for baby (above) and functional teething rattles (right). Crib toys were also frequently made of Bakelite — usually in the shape of whimsical people and animals, like this Bakelite bear (below).

Now I’m not suggesting giving vintage plastic to your sweet baby (not a good idea). What I am suggesting is that plastic pieces like these deserve to be admired for the works of art they are. There’s very little that compares to their vintage charm, don’t you think?

Footnote: As I mentioned, Bakelite is hugely popular. While researching, I found so many incredible examples — from watches to brooches to kitchen utensils to napkin rings. I fell in love over and over again. It was really hard to stay focused on baby-related items. I highly recommend googling ‘vintage Bakelite.’ Scotty dogs and cherries are probably two of the most popular Bakelite themes. Absolutely gorgeous and totally worth a look!