Lava World in the 1980's

[Autumn]

So whats the deal with the 80's? I recently got a lamp dated 1986 and it got me wondering what happened during the 80's. Lavaworld does not have any info about that time period... What lamps were they producing and did they come out with anything special during the 80's?

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

The 80s are a bit gray in terms ofg both my knowledge and of sales.

Early 80s: Some 70s models, such as the Carlisle and Capri, may have continued for a few years.

The "Rainbow" series 200 is introduced, and not much is known about this save that the Aztec, model 209, was part of it. The Rainbow are 32 oz. lamps, and the Aztec had a sparkly metallic paint finish in a dark bronze-gold color, with "sun gold" lava in clear liquid. Another model in the series, name unknown, had the same painted metallic finish in an orange-red color, and orange/clear globes were made as well. This series likely lasted only a few years.

Mid-80s line: The new Midnight joined the Aristocrat, Century and Enchantress. These were available in red/yellow and white/blue. Note: "orange/yellow" had acquired red lava in the mid-70s. "Red/yellow" was a change in name only. Similarly, "green/blue" had the green wax go from a minty green to a pale sage color to cream throughout the 70s, and only a darkening of the liquid from aqua to blue was needed. The Coach Lantern survived in a single 70s color, red/clear, but was given white/blue by the late 80s, before being discontinued in 1991. The white/blue Midnight ended up being THE 80s lamp, and it seemed to assist in bringing back the popularity.

Other products through the 80s: The Wave Machine (in a new black finish), in 16" and 18" models, as well as an 18" version with wave sounds and, in some, blacklight-responsive fluid. The GemLite survived in a single, new model, the 650 Confetti, a Consort bottle in a flared base.

The big changes came in 1991, which saw the introduction of the Princess, with three new colors, as well as three more GemLite colors and orange/orange, pink/pink and purple/clear Midnights. The Elec-Trick series and black/clear came in '93, as did bottlecap tops for 32oz. lamps.

[Autumn]

Thanks for the info, I love the history of these lamps.