29 Days till Halloween

Die Cuts

This Witch (1980s) is a personal favorite of mine.
She and this reproduction 1930's cat will greet guests at my
front door this Halloween.

I would like to follow up my previous post about decorating by discussing some of my favorite decorations.  When I think about Halloween decorations, one of the first things to come to mind are die cuts, or cardboard cutouts.  These are those paper decorations that were hung up on walls and bulletin boards in elementary schools or in the windows of local business or home.  Over the past century there have been literally hundreds of Halloween die cuts produced from pumpkins to witches, friendly to scary, large to small, colorful to drab.  Since the 1920s, Beistle has been king of this decorating niche.  However, Luhrs, Dennison, and AMSCAN have also produced several memorable paper vignettes of our beloved holiday.  Unfortunately, die cuts are quickly becoming a forgotten art.  In honor of those grinning Jack-O-Lanterns, spooky witches, and ghastly ghosts who have peered at us throughout the decades, I present a die cut retrospective after the jump!







Pre-1950's

Die cuts from this era were very simple, usually only using about 3-4 colors, if that.  The colors were primarily the traditional black and orange with some shades of yellow and green used for accenting.  The usual characters were witches, black cats, skeletons, Jack-O-Lanterns, and the moon.  Also, unlike many die cuts nowadays, these were often embossed or pressed to give them a 3D effect.  Production of Halloween die cuts were severely stinted during the 1940's due to the war; however, they began to pick up again by the latter part of the decade.  Many of these early styles are now available in the form of reproductions by their original producer - Beistle.  Please note that some of the photos below are of the reproductions and not the originals.

Courtesy of JAW Arts

The 1950's 
After the war, die cuts slowly made a comeback but it was in the 1950's that they really took off.  Beistle finally had some competition in the form of Dennison and Luhrs.  This new wave differed from its predecessors as the art style moved more toward a stylized realism in opposition of the previous form that was very simple and almost cartoonish.  The die cuts of the 50's utilized shadowing and highlights to present more 3D images.

The 1960's
The 60's saw an explosion of new die cuts designs.  At this time, more and more companies began producing their own lines.  As to be expected, the art styles a very reminiscent of the time as were the colors.

These 4 courtesy of JAW Arts

Courtesy of JAW Arts

The 1970's
The boom of the 60's continued into the 1970's.  Now stores were joining in and began producing their own lines.  Another aspect that defined the die cuts of the decade was the introduction of Day Glo colors.  Pieces colored in this style were vibrant and featured an array fluorescent colors, which gave the effect of a strong glow.  One downfall of this particular kind of die cut is that they had a tendency to fade quickly if exposed to direct sunlight, giving them a dingy appearance.  A common color scheme for 70's cuts was Day Glo (fluorescent) orange and black to give strong contrast.

Courtesy of JAW Arts

This and next 7 photos courtesy of JAW Arts

This witch was available in several color variations.

The 1980's and 1990's
These decades saw very little differentiation between the two.  In this period, Beistle reclaimed it's spot as the most prominent producer of die cuts.  Personally, this is my era of choice.  The artwork is just great.  Fun and spooky, all at once - perfect for Halloween.  Of course, maybe I'm biased as I was a child of the 90's.  My elementary school had tons of these scattered throughout on bulletin boards and windows.  They were also popular in homes and businesses around my town.  Most of these styles are still available today.

Technically not die cuts, but I love these!  

My personal favorite - a fond childhood "friend."

Flocked (velveteen feel) die cuts were also popular during the 80's.

The 2000's through Today
The die cuts of today are vastly different from all preceding movements.  Rather than hand-created art, they are created digitally or with Vector.  There are many reasons for the switch in medium.  Besides keeping up with modern style, it is also very cost efficient as it cuts down the number of man hours needed to complete a given piece.  Additionally, multiple artists can work on one piece without there being apparent differences in style.  All of this also allows for a company to produce more designs each season.  While the newer designs are cute, they lack the charm of previous eras.

More Die Cuts in Action

Purchasing
Interested in purchasing some die cuts of your own?  They can be picked up a numerous retail stores.  You might also want to check your local party stores as they often carry old designs if that is what you're after.  Ebay is also a good place to look as are flea markets, antique stores and garages sale.  They can usually be picked up rather inexpensively.  Want to buy new?  Check out www.partycheap.com for a vast array of die cuts and other Halloween decorations.  They carry several of the Beistle designs from the pre-1950's and the 1970's-1990's as well as new styles.

Thank You
I am highly indebted to Jason Walcott's Vintage Halloween (JAW Arts), where I found several of the photos and a plethora of information.  Check out his website!  He has a lot of great stuff out there!  He also has retro goodies for sale!