Shiny "Coconut"
When we got into this hobby, we found a high level of interest in restoring, or in some cases, reconstructing vintage, but damaged, cardboard Christmas "putz" houses. Doors and windows to replace those punched out by little fingers were available, and several techniques for restoring, or in some cases, replacing the various kinds of mica and glitter coatings were documented. But one class of these 
little houses seemed impossible to restore to its original condition, the ones with what the early advertisements called "colorful silk floss," as you can see in the clipping from an early advertisement at the right.
These houses were flocked with a shredded-looking material that, according to collector Barbara Lovejoy, looked a lot like the kind of shredded coconut used on cakes and other deserts. No, it wasn't edible. But it was attractive and interesting. The bad part was that it did not hold up well, so many collectors found houses that were in otherwise good shape with half or more of the flocking material missing. (For the late Ted Althof's original description of "coconut" houses, click here. If you're at work, mute your computer first - Ted liked to put music tracks on his pages.)
For years, folks debated what the original material was. They tried substituting things they thought might give the same kind of effect: sawdust, shredded cellophane, you name it. But nothing really gave the same effect.
Well, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'm not saying I'm smarter than most, but I am more stubborn than most. After three years of experimentation, I've worked out the process and materials that the Japanese employed to make "coconut."
Our new coconut can be used to repair your older houses or to create your very own custom structures. I don't keep every color in stock, since I would have to keep an infinite number of colors. Instead I make each batch to order - a time-consuming process. So when you do order, please expect delivery in about two weeks.
Our "coconut" is packaged with enough product to cover one mid-sized putz house, or to partially cover more than one (depending on how you use it).
To request a quote, please:
- Determine what color(s) of "coconut" you need.
- Determine how many houses' worth of each color you need.
When you have the information you need, please use the Contact Page to send it to us.
Note: We apologize for not having a pricing sheet available yet. However there is no charge for requesting a quote. Also, we must add $6 shipping for 1-10 packages of "coconut." We can accept payment by check or PayPal (which includes MasterCard and Visa options). We'll send shipping and payment details to you along with the quote.
