Creators, Inc. rain lamps

Creators, Inc. was a rain lamp manufacturer in Chicago in the 1970s.

Background

Creators, Inc. seems to have been the main competitor with Johnson Industries in rain lamp manufacture in the 1970s. Vintage Creators, Inc. rain lamps are commonly seen for sale on eBay, as are vintage Johnson Industries rain lamps. Presumably Johnson Industries came first, since the founder Darrell Johnson invented rain lamps. According to an oozingoo.com (1-1-06) post on 5-3-04, "Creators' Lamp Co." was originally its own company, then later became a division of Haggerty, and (per Jonas) finally closed around 1992.

Although I have seen both ivory and brass colored finish on Creators, Inc. rain lamps, I have never seen ivory finish on a Johnson Industries rain lamp. Therefore Creators, Inc. probably introduced the ivory finish, so any rain lamp with an ivory finish is probably a Creators, Inc. rain lamp. Also, all Creators, Inc. single goddess statues I have seen have either one certain lady clutching a garment to her chest, whereas all Johnson Industries statues I have seen are of a certain completely barechested lady.

In case the above image is not visible, the now-defunct contact info for Creators, Inc. is:

Creators, Inc.
1642 N. Bealy Court
Chicago, IL 60622
Telephone: (312) 342-5700
TWX 910-221-1153

Instruction booklet

General

Thanks to a generous eBay seller of a Creators, Inc. rain lamp, I was able to get a free photocopy of the instruction booklet that came with the lamp without having to buy the lamp. A scan of the entire "booklet" is available via the links below as JPG files in black-and-white. The booklet consists only of a single 8.5" x 11" page, printed front and back, and folded over into pages.

creators_instructions_front.jpg
creators_instructions_back.jpg

Observations about the booklet

terminology
- Creators Inc. calls their lamp a "Shower-Lite" instead of a "rain lamp."
- The fishing lines that drip oil are called "wires," despite presumably being made of nylon.
- The top of the lamp is called the "canopy."
Two models of Creators, Inc. rain lamps are mentioned: YT-21 and YH-22.
- The only difference between these models appears to be whether they sit on a table or hang.
- Presumably the "T" and "H" of the "YT" and "YH" mean "Table" and "Hang," respectively.
- The Three Goddesses model isn't listed, despite this being the booklet that came with that model.
The fluid specified is "35 weight petroleum mineral oil," but nowadays mineral oil usually doesn't specify weight.
The bulb wattage is reduced from the 60 W max of Johnson Industries to a 10 W max for Creators, Inc.
The size of replacement wire is not specified.
The presence of a U.S. patent number (3,174,688) is interesting. Did Johnson Industries also have a patent?

Examples of Creators, Inc. rain lamps listed on eBay

Here are some photos and information about specific models of Creators rain lamps that have been listed on eBay, listed below in approximate order of increasing rarity.

center- piece description and link	# of posts	width x height	model number	observed sales price range	description
single goddess 3 posts	3	11" x 31"	YT-21, YH-22	$36- $104	The centerpiece is a single seminude goddess, probably Venus, garment clutched to her chest, one breast exposed, and mostly bare in back. There are both ivory colored and gold colored versions. This statue resembles the statues of Johnson Industries rain lamps.
single goddess 1 post	1	7.5" x 22"	?	$26- $66	These are readily recognized because they have only one post, which is uncommon for rain lamps. At least some of these lamps were stamped with exact dates, so it is known they were being made in 1978-1979. These years and design fit with their 1975 single post design patent, so these lamps could be considered to have a more advanced design.
Three Graces, gold	3	13.5" x 39"	?	$59- $180	Each of the three goddesses in the trio is different. They are back-to-back in a triangular formation and holding hands, each facing outwards in a different direction, one woman with one breast showing, all the others completely clothed. The color of the centerpiece is either gold or ivory.
Three Graces, white	3	13.5" x 39"	?	$91	Very similar to the more common gold Three Graces, but the statue is slightly different. There are variations on this statue and its color. All variations are less detailed and less realistic than the common gold version, the ladies look stiffer in their stance, and one lady has both breasts showing. One version is almost white in color, another version is gold.
mill	3	13.25" x 37.5"	?	$36- $82	The centerpiece is a water mill with a peaked roof, where the wheel turns and channels oil as the lamp runs. There is a screw for adjusting the oil flow in the mill. Requires 1 quart (= 4 pints) of oil and has a separate oil tube just for the mill. Some of the mills were white with a brown wheel, some were brown with a black wheel.
swing	3	14" x 36"	?	$110- $156	The centerpiece is a boy and girl (?!) on a swing, where the swing actually swings forward and backward as the lamp runs. The "Creators, Inc., Chicago" name is difficult to find on this model, but is located underneath the swing. Everyone describes this centerpiece as a "boy and girl" or "children" but the "girl" is quite well developed!

HOME Created: December 31, 2005
Updated: April 18, 2007