TO LEARN MORE

RELATED INFORMATION:
Invention of the Lava Lamp   from The Great Idea Finder
History of Household Items    from The Great Idea Finder

ON THE BOOKSHELF:
Cocktail Shakers, Lava Lamps, and Tupperware: A Celebration of Lifestyle Design
by Wayne Hemingway, Keith Stephenson / Paperback: 144 pages / Rockport Publishers (2004)
The book combines hip graphic treatments with a level of ironic kitschness that reflects the products featured. Internationally acclaimed pop-cultural design aficionado Wayne Hemingway adds his uniquely witty commentary, as a collector and champion of mass-produced interior design.

ON THE WEB:
The Mystique of the Lava Lamp
At their peak, more than seven million Lava Lamps were sold around the world each year, but by the early 1970s the fad had run its course and sales fell dramatically. Plus random facts section.
(URL: www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A641224)
The Lava Lamp Story
Mr. Craven Walker of England is definitely the one responsible for the proliferation of all of these liquid motion lamps.
(URL: www.oozinggoo.com/themyth.html)
Lava World International
In 1965, an American gained the rights to the then-called "Astro Lamp” and began marketing it as the LAVA® brand motion lamp. In 1976, Chicago entrepreneur Lawrence Haggerty acquired the rights, and the company continues to be the only manufacturer of the LAVA® brand motion lamp worldwide.
(URL: www.lavaworld.com/)
The Historical Text Archive
Kick back, turn some groovy music on and enjoy the serene, liquid motion of your Lava Lamp.
Article by Donald J. Mabry for The Historical Text Archive.
(URL: www.historicaltextarchive.com/s/lava-lamps.php)
The Lava Lamp Celebrates its 40th
Mathmos has just released a 40th anniversary range of lava-free techno lamps including the sound-activated, mood-changing Tuba. Will this become a cult classic, too? Perhaps, but history shows you need to be prepared to endure a decade of fashion oblivion before they become collectable.Article by Leslie Gillian for the Financial Times.
(URL: www.msnbc.com/news/981697.asp?vts=101920031721&cp1=1)
Mathmos, London England
In the 1990s Edward Craven Walker sold his rights to Cressida Granger whose company Mathmos continues to make and market lava lamps and other related products.
(URL: www.mathmos.co.uk)
Salt Valcano
Make your own miniature "Lava Lite"
(URL: www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/volcano.html)
Lava Lamp Links Page
The world wide web's penultimate (yes, I leave it to someone else to provide the ultimate) list of links to all things Lava Lamp on the web. Accompanied, of course, by short reviews of the sites.
(URL: www.syddware.com/lavalamps/)
Pop Culture Cover: History of the Lava Lamp
But sadly, as the disco decade ended, so it seemed had the lava lamp's popularity. Lava-Simplex discontinued all except of their six best-selling lava lamp models, and even those only sold until the mid-80s, when the company was bought by the much larger Haggerty Enterprises.
(URL: www.thedailyeasternnews.com)
Lava Lamp Timeline
Lamps manufactured by other companies who pay Lava World for use of the lamp configuration include: Glo-Oozy/Flo-Oozy, Space Lamp, Cosmic Lamp, etc. Article by Jonas Goo
(URL: www.oozinggoo.com/timeline60.html)

WHERE TO FIND:
Lava Lamp
Homewares / by Haggerty Enterprises Inc / ASIN: B000BEYCYK / model #: 5210 / Less than $25.00
From haphazard invention to cultural icon, LAVA® brand motion lamps have held a place in the hearts of generation after generation. To this day, Haggerty Enterprises, Inc. is the only manufacturer of the LAVA® brand motion lamp in the U.S..

WORDS OF WISDOM:
“If you use my lamp you won’t need drugs" -- Edward Craven Walker
"It's like the cycle of life. It grows, breaks up, falls down, and then starts all over again." -- Edward Craven Walker describing his invention, the lava lamp.

HOW IT WORKS:
How Liquid Motion Lamps Work
In this article, we'll look at these popular devices to find out exactly what happens inside to produce such a mesmerizing display. Article by Tom Harris for How Stuff Works. POP-UP ADS.

DID YOU KNOW?:

• At their peak, more than seven million Lava Lamps were sold around the world each year
• Employees take an oath of secrecy upon being hired so that the mystery of the Lava Lamp's inner workings are never revealed.
• Lava Lamps can be seen almost every night on prime time television.
• Haggerty Enterprises, Inc is the only official manufacturer of the Lava Brand Motion Lamp in the United States. Mathmos is the only official manufacturer of the Lava Lamp in the UK.
• More Lava Lamps were sold in the 1990s than in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s combined.
• The Lava Lamp has been hailed an American icon by everyone ranging from People magazine to the Smithsonian Institute.
• The Lava Brand Century Motion Lamp was the first US style created and the Astro Lamp was the first UK style. Both are still top sellers today.
• There are over 100 different style and colour combinations of Lava lamps, including glitter motion lamps.
• The largest Lava Lamp on the market towers over four feet tall and holds ten gallons of the 'secret' formula.
• No two Lava Lamps are the same. They all have their own personality.
• Today there is a lava lamp on a permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian museum, Washington, D.C., as well as a growing trade in vintage lamps