The owner of BlowMolds.com has nearly 1,000 blow molds, hundreds of replacement parts—and an ambitious idea for what 3D printing could mean for the future of the hobby.
By Curtiss Wayne Andrews
There is a particular heartbreak known only to blow mold collectors.
You find it.
Maybe it’s buried behind a stack of artificial Christmas trees at an estate sale. Maybe it appears on Facebook Marketplace at 6:14 on a Saturday morning. Maybe you spot it sitting forlornly at the back of an antique mall booth.
It’s old.
It’s beautiful.
It’s exactly what you’ve been looking for.
And it’s missing its nose.
Or an antler.
Or an ear.
Or a candle flame.
Or one of those maddeningly specific little plastic pieces that disappeared sometime during the Reagan administration.
Twenty years ago, that might have been the end of the story.
Today, there’s a good chance Tony DePasquale can help.
The Man Behind BlowMolds.com
When I was researching The Glow That Won’t Go Out: The Complete Collector’s Guide to Vintage Holiday Blow Molds, I wanted the book to be about more than identifying old Empire Santas or determining whether a snowman was made by General Foam.
The bigger story was why these things are still here.
Because that’s what’s remarkable about blow molds.
They’re survivors.
They spent decades outside in December weather. They were dragged into attics, basements and garages every January. They were dropped, faded, cracked, scratched and occasionally subjected to the questionable repair techniques of somebody’s grandfather armed with duct tape and tremendous self-confidence.
Yet collectors keep bringing them back.
That led me to Tony DePasquale of New Brunswick, New Jersey, owner of BlowMolds.com by GNK Collectibles.
I featured Tony and his work in The Glow That Won’t Go Out because he’s part of a fascinating development in the hobby: modern technology is now helping preserve decorations created decades before that technology existed.
At BlowMolds.com, missing pieces can be recreated using 3D printing. The current catalog includes everything from noses, flames and antlers to lantern components, light plates, adapters, windows and other remarkably specific pieces. The company makes clear that these are aftermarket replacements rather than original-manufacturer parts.
Tony’s philosophy can be reduced to one perfect sentence:
“Every Blow Mold Deserves Another Holiday.”
After featuring his story in the book, I wanted to go back and ask him more.
Not simply about replacement parts.
I wanted to know how someone ends up with around 1,000 blow molds, what he’s learned trying to recreate pieces manufacturers stopped producing decades ago—and whether 3D printing might eventually move from repairing vintage blow molds to actually creating them.
Here’s our conversation.
A Conversation With Tony DePasquale of BlowMolds.com
When did your fascination with blow molds begin? How big is your collection, and do you have any favorites?
Tony DePasquale: My love of Christmas displays goes back to childhood. Christmas was huge in my family: we went caroling, held family parties, and my father played Santa Claus.
I even proposed to my wife, Michelle, on Santa’s lap—with my father playing Santa. Michelle and I have been married for 33 years.
My blow mold collecting really took off when I answered a Craigslist listing for a few vintage pieces. The seller mentioned he had about 30 more in his shed, and I ended up bringing those home too.
Today, I have around 1,000 blow molds.
The Empire train is one of my favorites because I’ve always loved trains.
From 30 Blow Molds to 1,000
There may not be a more authentic blow mold collecting origin story than going to someone’s house for a few decorations and leaving with the contents of the shed.
Collectors understand how this happens.
You start with a Santa.
Then Santa looks lonely.
So you need Mrs. Claus.
Then perhaps a snowman.
Obviously the snowman needs some carolers.
Then you discover Empire made a train.
Several years later, you’re explaining to a perfectly reasonable person why your property now contains three storage buildings filled with illuminated polyethylene.
Thirty becoming 1,000 somehow makes perfect sense.
How did you come to own BlowMolds.com, and what is the store’s primary mission?
Tony: I first connected with GNK Collectibles when I needed replacement fawn ears for my own collection. That led to my helping produce replacement parts, and I eventually bought the business. I now operate BlowMolds.com through GNK Collectibles.
Our mission is summed up by our motto: “Every Blow Mold Deserves Another Holiday.”
A missing nose, ear, light plate, or other small piece shouldn’t mean the end of a decoration someone has loved for decades. We make replacement parts to help people put those pieces back on display.
That mission is evident in the site’s current catalog. Replacement parts span numerous manufacturers and styles, including highly specific components such as TPI reindeer antlers, General Plastics lantern panels and Empire/General Foam sleigh runners.
And this is where Tony’s work intersects with the larger story I wanted to tell in The Glow That Won’t Go Out.
Preservation doesn’t always mean keeping something 100% original. Sometimes preservation means making it usable again.
A Christmas decoration sitting broken in an attic isn’t preserving much of anything.
Put its nose back on, install a light and place it in the yard?
Now somebody’s kid gets to remember it.
That’s how traditions survive.
Did you have 3D-printing experience before opening the store? What have been the biggest challenges?
Tony: I was already helping produce replacement parts on 3D printers before I bought the business.
The biggest challenge has been learning hundreds of parts and making sure each one fits the right blow mold. There can be differences between pieces that look nearly identical, so I pay close attention to photos, measurements, and customer feedback.
I don’t paint the parts. I print them in different colors of filament to get the color they need.
I also make vinyl stickers and made-to-order holiday signs.
This is an important detail for collectors.
A replacement isn’t necessarily as simple as saying, “I need a reindeer antler.”
Which reindeer?
Which manufacturer?
Which production variation?
How does it attach?
Tony’s current tabletop reindeer listings, for example, distinguish between Union and Poloron versions because their attachment systems differ.
That’s restoration becoming detective work.
Are parts from certain manufacturers harder to replace than others?
Tony: The difficulty often comes down to the individual part rather than the manufacturer.
Some pieces have unusual shapes, attachment points, or variations between production runs. Photos and measurements help us identify the right version, and sometimes a customer’s feedback helps us refine the fit.
That’s something collectors should remember before ordering any replacement part.
Don’t assume.
Document.
Photograph the mold.
Photograph the attachment point.
Look for markings.
Measure the opening.
The difference between a replacement that works and one that doesn’t can come down to a surprisingly small detail.
Could 3D Printing Eventually Create the Blow Mold Itself?
This was the question I really wanted to ask Tony since about 6 years ago I met with a 3D printing company in Costa Mesa, CA to try and figure out how to make blow mold Christmas ornaments (which Mr. Christmas is now manufacturing and selling at Walmart for just $5.97 a piece).
Replacement noses and antlers are one thing.
But once you can digitally model missing components, an obvious question follows:
How far can this technology go?
Have you considered 3D printing an entire blow mold? Could it work?
Tony: Yes, and I’m working on something along those lines.
I’m interested in recreating smaller vintage pieces and making miniature versions of larger ones.
I’ve spent hours researching who owns the copyrights and trademarks for different designs, including whether some trademarks were ever registered. The history can be complicated, especially with pieces dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, so I’m taking my time with it.
Let’s just say you never know what might be 3D printed next.
Now that is interesting.
We’re watching two eras of plastic manufacturing collide.
The classic blow molds collectors love were products of industrial manufacturing: molds, machinery, production lines and companies capable of manufacturing thousands of decorations.
3D printing changes the economics.
It potentially makes extremely small production runs—and highly specialized replacement components—possible in ways that wouldn’t have made economic sense during the industry’s original era.
That doesn’t mean someone can simply reproduce any vintage design they choose; intellectual-property questions matter, exactly as Tony notes.
But the broader possibility is fascinating:
Could technology developed decades after the golden age of blow molds help keep the aesthetic alive?
We’re already watching the first part of that happen.
Tony’s Advice: Inspect Your Blow Molds Before Christmas
If you’re reading this with a garage full of Christmas plastic, Tony has another recommendation:
Don’t wait until December.
What advice would you give collectors about blow mold maintenance?
Tony: Check your blow molds before the holiday season, while there’s time to find or order anything missing.
Store them carefully, keep track of loose accessories, and avoid forcing a replacement part into place if it doesn’t fit.
Keep them in a dark storage space.
Sunlight is the enemy of blow molds, more so than heat.
If you need help identifying a part, send clear photos of the entire blow mold, the area where the part attaches, and any manufacturer markings.
Measurements of the opening or attachment point are especially helpful.
That’s particularly good advice heading into fall.
Replacement parts aren’t necessarily warehouse items sitting on a shelf waiting to ship. BlowMolds.com says its parts are printed to order, with current typical lead times around 7–10 days and potentially longer waits during busy periods.
So September and October are much better times to discover Rudolph is missing an antler than December 18.
Tony’s site also publishes specific handling recommendations for 3D-printed parts, including guidance about bulbs, adhesives, drilling, heat and storage.
Before You Put Up Your Display This Year
Tony’s advice inspired a checklist I’d recommend to any collector:
- Inventory your blow molds. Make sure everything you expect to have is actually there.
- Check removable parts. Look for noses, antlers, flames, lantern tops, signs and light plates.
- Inspect attachment points. Don’t force a replacement into brittle vintage plastic.
- Photograph unidentified damage. Get wide shots, close-ups and manufacturer markings.
- Take measurements. Especially openings, slots and attachment points.
- Test lighting before decorating day. Discovering a problem in the garage beats discovering it on a ladder.
- Limit unnecessary sunlight during storage. Tony specifically identifies sunlight as a major enemy.
- Order replacements early. Holiday repair season is not the time to discover you need an obscure 40-year-old plastic nose.
And when in doubt?
Ask someone who has approximately 999 more blow molds than a normal person.
This Is Why the Glow Won’t Go Out
When I chose the title The Glow That Won’t Go Out, I wasn’t simply talking about a light bulb inside a piece of molded plastic.
I was talking about persistence.
Companies disappeared.
Factories closed.
Molds were destroyed, sold or forgotten.
Christmas decorating changed.
Inflatables arrived.
LEDs arrived.
Tastes changed.
And still, every November and December, thousands of these old plastic Santas, snowmen, candles, angels, reindeer and Nativity figures emerge from garages and basements and light up again.
Why?
Because people keep caring about them.
Collectors rescue them.
Families inherit them.
Restorers repair them.
And people like Tony DePasquale figure out how to manufacture the tiny missing piece that allows something made half a century ago to survive another Christmas.
Tony’s motto gets the entire philosophy exactly right:
Every blow mold deserves another holiday.
I’d add only one thing.
Every time somebody repairs one and puts it back outside, they’re not merely saving an old decoration.
They’re preserving somebody’s Christmas memory.
And that’s ultimately what The Glow That Won’t Go Out is about.
Meet More of the People Keeping the Glow Alive
Tony DePasquale and the work of BlowMolds.com are featured in The Glow That Won’t Go Out: The Complete Collector’s Guide to Vintage Holiday Blow Molds by Curtiss Wayne Andrews.
The book explores the history, manufacturers, identification, collecting, restoration and enduring appeal of the glowing plastic decorations that became part of the American Christmas landscape—and the collectors helping ensure they don’t disappear.
For replacement parts or help identifying a missing component, visit BlowMolds.com.