The Many Lives of the Mold Pan at Mama’s Treasures According to Brian Alexander, the author of “Spiffy Kitchen Collectibles,” Krause
Publications, 2003, “Vintage mold pans come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
News-Antique.com - Nov 09,2007 - According to Brian Alexander, the author of “Spiffy Kitchen Collectibles,” Krause Publications, 2003, “Vintage mold pans come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many were created to help celebrate holidays, birthdays or other events. The mold shape sometimes
helps determine the event to be celebrated. Others had themes such as animals, flowers, shells, or rings. Most pans from the 1930s to 1960s came with colorful and graphically interesting labels or packaging. These materials usually provided information on product use and recipes. today, it’s unusual to find a mold pan with the original labeling but if you do expect to pay about 35% more. Mold pans with a figural shape or having the design of a well known licensed character also have a higher collector value.”
I have always loved figural mold pans. I think it started with my grandmother’s famous Jello Salad Mold which was given prominent placement on our Thanksgiving table. Every year she would amaze us with her concoctions of jello, fruit cocktail, raisins, nuts and coconut. When I was very young I actually thought she put it together with a magic wand like the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. As I grew older and realized it wasn’t quite magical, I tried to learn the skill of creating a beautiful mold myself. I use the word skill because it does take a certain skill to do it successfully, and I soon found out that I wasn’t very good at it no matter how hard I tried. However, I was still an admirer of the pans.
They were bright, shiny, interesting and just plain fun to look at.
As I grew older and had my own home, I loved them because they made decorating my kitchen so cheap. I could find them at thrift stores and garage sales, and there was no end to how many different kinds I could scavenge. In today’s society, I know you don’t see
very many Jello molds on holiday tables, but the mold pan has not lost it’s usefulness. I’m a strong believer in recycling old things in different ways and with some imagination the mold pan can show up almost anywhere. Here are some hints for recycling these loved pieces of kitchenalia.
1. Turkey molds surrounded by fall color leaves make great centerpieces for your Thanksgiving table.
2. Take them to the beach and let your kids have a blast making more interesting sand art.
3. They still make great wall decor and they’re easy to paint to accent room color.
4. Use them in your garden for visual interest.
5. Small molds make great Christmas tree decorations. Just punch a hole, thread a ribbon and hang them on the tree.
6. Use them as baskets and fill them with baked goodies from your kitchen for a gift.
7. Small molds make great votive holders or make candles in them.
8. You can fill them with nuts or candies for holiday company.
