An Ode to FLAMINGOS!

Christy Hullum, Glamping Nation
Apr 21, 2015
3 min read

I attended the Alice in Wonderland exhibit at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, TX on Sunday. It was a great exhibit, filled with rare editions, the history of the book and author, and all the bits and pieces that make up this most magical (and my favorite) tale. My friend Judy commented how she had always loved the scene where Alice and the Queen played croquet with the flamingos, and I must admit I love this scene too – especially in the animated Disney version.

Which brings us to today’s “Ode to Flamingos.” These pink and fluffy birds are the much lauded mascot of glampers around the nation, showing up on everything from curtains and pillows to the traditional pink plastic sentries standing guard outside of camper doors.

I admit, I have a flock of them myself, including a 5 foot tall metal flamingo that had to ride home from Wimberly Market Days with his head sticking out the car window. His name is Howard. He lives on the deck with a half dozen plastic flamigos, you know, so he won't get lonely. Oh, and his sister Louise... this is Louise. She isn't a flamingo, she's a Cinco De Mayo. We think. She likes tequila.

The point is, to make sure you don't get lonely, you better adopt a flock of flamingos for yourself. Here are a few of our favorite flamingos this morning. And don't worry, I'm the designated driver, so I'll make sure Louise gets home okay.

For your camper, your yard, or to make that chandelier you saw on Pinterest... traditional pink plastic flamingos.

You can click any of the photos below to go shop for the items! DID YOU KNOW? Pink plastic flamingos were first designed by 1957 by Don Featherstone while working for Union Products, and in 2009, the city of Madison, Wisconsin Common Council designated the plastic flamingo as the city's official bird!

Want a more retro Florida Flamingo? Go for these salmon colored ones instead:

And, for good measure, you better put up security lights too- and by security lights I mean Flamingo Party LIGHTS of course!

DID YOU KNOW? Flamingos are famous for standing on one leg, with the other one tucked up under their body. Why is that? We don't know! Some research indicates it helps them conserve body heat, since they often stand around in cold water, but the strange behavior persists even in warm water flamingos. What we do know is this - flamingos don't stand on their heads for fun. They have unique beaks that help separate mud and silt from food when they are upside down. And why are they pink? Because of carotenoids in their diet, which gives them their bright pink color. If you ever see a pale or white flamingo, it likely means he's malnourished.

Need Flamingo Gear for the camper? Me too. I've got 5 yards of turquoise fabric with bright pink flamingos all over it to make curtains, and I've already painted Milly's bathroom flamingo pink (photos to follow later)...

Welcome home flamingo... love these door mats!

And to proclaim your love of flamingos everywhere you go - FLAMINGO FASHION!

I want these Sperry Topsiders with Flamingo Print right NOW!

And these Sperry Slide-ons, because two pairs of flamingo shoes are better than one! And I did just buy salmon colored bermuda shorts last week (don't judge me!) so these will match perfectly! I will be so cute.. you just wait and see.

And I also want these flamingo print Vans- because two pairs of flamingo shoes are not enough, obviously. And again with the matching the shorts.

And if I'm going to have all these flamingo shoes, I'm going to need flamingo bags right? Right? Of course. Louise won't be seen with me if my shoes don't match my bag. I like these two by Mud Pie.