I found two of these unassuming flat discs in a lot of newer Halloween decorations. Unassuming, but I recognized what they were right away.
Grabbing both sides and gently pulling gently revealed...
Clowns... Why did it have to be clowns? I was hoping for a witch, black cat or even Jack O' Lantern.
But make no mistake, this collapsible accordion lantern isn't a birthday decoration. This is a certified Halloween decoration. It's listed in Dan & Pauline Campanelli's "Halloween Collectables [sic]" book from 1995 (p.24). These lanterns date from the 1950's.
The reverse is plain.
Despite being clowns, I think these lanterns are pretty cool and I'll decorate with them this Halloween.
If you're done clowning around here, why not head over to The Countdown to Halloween and check out some of the other great blogs participating this year!