Edition #9: Carnival Chalkware
These plaster knick-knacks are a little better than that giant stuffed Tweety Bird.
Before brightly colored stuffed animals hung from the ceilings, cheap and easy-to-make chalkware dominated carnival and fairgrounds, quickly becoming a souvenir staple well into the 1960s. These molded plaster figurines depicted everything from horse racing to doting dogs (and even a religious relic every now and then). Pop culture was represented as well, with Disney characters a popular choice — included in this swath of chalkware figurines was the Kewpie doll. The popularity of these carnival-exclusive prizes drove to different forms like banks and ashtrays. While not always given as prizes for popping balloons with darts, I included all of the above because I couldn’t resist showing some of these.
Vintage Lion Large Chalkware Bank on Etsy: Go big or go home, right? A 2’ tall lion shaped bank is arguably a 1000x better prize than a 12ft long stuffed boa constrictor.
Mid Century Chalkware Piggy Bank on Etsy: The front view of this piggy bank doesn’t do it justice. Please click through to see the actual shape of this swine. It’s so ugly, it’s cute.
Rare Carnival Chalk German Shepard Ashtray Holder on Etsy: This is one of the versions that most likely was in a souvenir shop, seeing as even back then handing out ashtrays to kids probably wasn’t condoned.
VTG 60s Chalkware Plaster Alligator Crocodile Figurine Carnival Prize on Etsy: I would argue that this is most definitely an alligator, but I can’t hate the SEO game.
Vintage Chalkware Carnival Prize; Middle Age Court Gesture Mirror on eBay: Mirrors were not a very common form of chalkware (I could only find a handful of examples). This clown/court gesture[sic] example reminds me of a way less patriotic convex mirrors with the eagle on top.
Vtg. Rare Risqué “howdy Pardner” Bareback Cowgirl Carnival Painted Chalk Ware on eBay: It should come as no surprise that some of these prizes were a little dirty for their time. This is the chalkware version of the pinup glasses that you turn around for the reveal.
Vintage Chalkware "Bulldog" Carnival Prize on Etsy: Man’s best friend made up a good chunk of these prizes, with the bulldog being the prevailing pooch. This one on the other hand is more Droopy than Hector.
Vintage Collectible Chalkware Horse Head in Horseshoe 1930s La Crosse Wisconsin Fair Prize on Etsy: There were many horse-related chalkware that popped up while researching. There’s a Mojo Dojo Casa House joke in there somewhere.
Vintage Chalkware Carnival Prize 1945 Cowboy Boots on eBay: A more laidback western-ish piece of decor, this pair of boots would look amazing on either end of a shelf of books.
Vintage / Antique “Thinker” Kewpie Doll Figurine Carnival Chalk-ware on Etsy: This is the best example of the Kewpie doll chalkware I could find, though there are tons more out there if you’re on the hunt.
Honorable Mentions:
Carnival/barker canes (also prizes during the early 1900s):
What terms were searched:
Chalkware
Carnival prizes
Carnival chalkware
Plaster carnival prize
Welcome to Finder’s Keepers
This is the newsletter dedicated to leaving no vintage stone unturned. Each edition will cater to a rabbit hole that I fell down one night and include an assortment of vintage finds that make you question “Why did anyone own this?” followed quickly by “Should I own this?”
My method is simple: I attach a keyword or phrase to the item and go digging, spending hours each week combing through hundreds of pages of Etsy and Ebay bric-a-brac until I’ve seen it all. It’s chaotic but satisfactory, like looking through every rack and bin at a thrift store for those of us that partake in the more visceral act of going in person. I also like to sit on my couch.
These are so cool