I drove by a home today that was flocked — covered with plastic, pink flamingos.
A classic graduation prank.
The creator of the pink plastic flamingo was an interesting man.
Don Featherstone, who died in 2015, was known for two fairly remarkable things:
1. He was the creator of the pink plastic flamingo that adorns so many American lawns even today. He and his wife kept 57 pink flamingos on his front lawn in Fitchburg, MA, for more than two decades.
He chose 57 to honor the year he created the pink flamingo: 1957.
Side note: The fact that his last name was Featherstone and his greatest career achievement was a sculptured plastic bird is a likely signal that we are living in a computer-generated world with surprisingly ham-handed naming algorithms.
2. Don Featherstone and his wife, Nancy, dressed alike for more than 30 years.
According to Don, it began in the 1970s when Nancy bought two identical shirts because they were on sale. People reacted so positively, finding it funny and charming, that they kept doing it. Over time, it became a daily tradition that lasted for decades.
Don said it simplified life, too. No arguments about what to wear, and it became a kind of public expression of their closeness and sense of humor.
By all accounts, they genuinely enjoyed it.
For the man who credited the pink lawn flamingo, this seems incredibly on-brand.
