Hippielight's Mini USA Vintage 1960s & 1970s Lava Lamp Models Index.
Love Lava Lite at Hippielight. The Hippiest Light of Lava. If you like Lava you will love Hippielight.
Welcome to Hippielight's Quick Mini Lava Lamp Index.
This page is a mini index of vintage Lava Lite lamps, styles, colour combinations and brochure scans. At a quick glance you can identify and learn about most of the Lava Lite products of the 1960s and 1970s, more detailed information can be found in the Hippielight Timeline which can be accessed from the menu above.
A big thank you goes to a wide range of people and the oozinggoo.com gang who have been so supportive over the years and donated information, pictures or friendship. However I would like to really thank: Jonas Goo, Craig aka Fog Rider, Bohdan Rudy, Brad aka Manix & Jen.
So lets start with a 1965 Lava Lite brochure. The images below show the beginning of the legacy. The first model Century graces America in five colour ways as it makes its debut. This is the NEW Lava Lite.
According to this advert, Lava offered the Century in 6 distinctive colorways:
1. Red Base with Green Liquid, 2. Orange Base with Yellow Liquid, 3. Green Base with Blue Liquid, 4. Yellow Base with Blue-Green Liquid, 5. Cream Base with Lavender Liquid, 6. Red Base with Clear Liquid. This brochure displays the lamps with switches directly on the bases and mentions a free clever 3D display that is free for any order of 12 units.
The Legacy of Vintage Lava Lives On Still Today!
Lava's legacy is still very strong today and vintage models are still sold and traded. In the vintage years Lava produced a wide range of designs. For example take a look at the vintage sales advert from a 1970s American shopping catalogue. One can see the ever-popular Century, the Windsor Lava Lite which stands on a circular Walnut-grain laminated base. The Continental candle based model which could be placed everywhere also featured. Replacement candles in a gift box were sold too. One can even see Lava's non-lava based products such as the KaleidoLite, which they describe as the Psychedelic sensation of the Century!
Lava Lite ... Adds Glamour and Interest to Any Setting!
The Original Lava Lites added Glamour and Interest to Any Setting! In the images below one can see even more Lava Lite styles.
"Lava is a philosophy. The primordial ooze that once ruled our world has been captured in perpetual motion. Lava is the moment. Its ever changing patterns are hypnotizing yet invigorating. Lava is an art form. Classic and at the same time... progressive. Lava is pre-historic and post-modern. Lava is here to stay."
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Hippielight's Detailed Vintage Lava Lamp Showcase. Created by: Anthony Voz, Jonas Goo & Craig French. Click on the image on the left to enter Hippielight's Vintage Lava Lite showcase which features pictures of 60s and 70s Vintage Lava Lites. This page shows a wide range of images and covers most of the products that were created by Lava. The best USA Lava Lamps were created in the 1960s and 1970s and were produced in Chicago. Many of these products have been handed down generations and this site serves a fun and informative resource of information on vintage Lava Lites. No matter what style and taste you have, you will find a vintage Lava Lite to suit your needs. From the Century to the candle powered Continental or the floor standing Imperial, Hippielight features it all. |
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Hippielight's Brochure Lounge: 1966. Thank you to Craig French for the scans of these December 1966 brochures. A range of beautiful adverts and brochures of the Lava Lite were found for sale on ebay. These give a rare insight into the vintage product range at Christmas 1966. Lava only started in 1965, so these brochures are very important. one can see a wide range of stunning Lava products including: The Savoy, The Imperial, wall mounted versions of the Lava Lite: Princess & Empress. These brochures feature all hand drawn illustrations which are visually stunning. Please click on the image on the left to enter this section. |
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Hippielight's: Vintage 1966 Lava Lite Range. Part 1. The Aristocrat, The Decorator, The Royal 4000 Series & The 2000 Series. Thank you to Fog for these images. We are very lucky to see December 1966 wholesale brochures from Lava, which show us their product range at the time. Click on the images on the right to see the brochures in more detail. Lava brought the magic of the Crestworth Astro lamp to the USA in 1965 yet by 1966, they had already created a whole lineup of stunning, beautifully designed Lava Lites such as the The Royal 4000 Series which featured both a table top design and even a wall mounted design. To name a few models: There was the Aristocrat with flecked gold paint on a black/white bases and caps. These models had random flecked gold paint that made the lamps look like a work of art. There was the Decorator which featured a tray/ dish that allowed the user to decorate the lamp as they so please. The Decorator also featured this gold flecked paint on a white base and cap. The Royal 4000 Series was the ultimate in luxury with regal elegance. The 4000 Series featured The Empress & The Regency. The Empress was a stunning wall mounted Lava Lite which was built with the utmost design and quality of a luxury product. The 2000 Series was a more family oriented & in-expensive range. The 2000 series featured The Princess and the The Consort. The floor-standing Imperial and candle powered Savoy designs were also in production. 1000 Series: - Aristocrat & Decorator. 2000 Series: - Princess & Consort. 3000 Series: - Savoy - Gold and Silver Metal Coloured Editions - Candle Powered. Also featuring: Happy Occasion Pack. 4000 Series: - Empress & Regency. 5000 Series: - Imperial. The Wholesale brochure also states that: LAVA LITE is guaranteed for 90 days from date or purchase. A guarantee certificate is packed with each Lava Lite. Products of: Lava/Simplex/Scribe - Effective: December 15, 1966. |
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Hippielight's: Vintage 1966 The Imperial 5000 Series. Part 2. Simply King Size. Simply Dazzling. Simply Stunning. Simply The Imperial. One vintage Lava Lite rules supreme, simply the largest ever vintage Lava Lite, The Imperial was amazing. King-size elegance and beauty. The Imperial featured a massive container supported on a beautiful metal and walnut stand. These lamps were individually carton packed and the 1966 wholesale brochure shows 3 colour ways for the product. Model: 5102: Orange Wax. Clear Fluid. Model: 5103: Green Wax. Clear Fluid. Model: 5106: Red Wax. Clear Fluid. More colours colour ways may have been produced in the following years. This model was sold for $149.50, as featured in the brochure. See more in Hippielight's Detailed Lava Showcase. |
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Hippielight's: Wall Mounted Empress. Wall Mounted Lava Lite Empress Model. Flow on the Wall. The Empress, a wall mounted Lava Lite with regal elegance. These lamps just like the smaller wall mounted model: The Princess are very elusive to find. Very few of these lamps have been seen. Regal beauty to reflect the charm and warmth of one's personal good taste. Use in pairs over fireplace or mantle, use singly as night light in halls or foyers. Suggested List Price: $29.95. The Empress was part of the Royal 4000 series. A vintage 1966 Lava brochure states the following colour combinations for the Empress. Model: 4202: Orange Wax. Yellow Fluid. Model: 4203: Green Wax. Blue Liquid. Model: 4206: Red Wax. Clear Liquid. More colour ways may have been produced in the following years. |
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Hippielight's: Savoy & Continental Spotlight. Surrender to the power of the Candlelight. Flow with Candlelight. Lava, created a lamp to suit every single taste and every house style. This product is very special as unlike all the other Lava Lites, the Continental product was powered by a candle. In fact the whole base was disposable and featured a large candle. Today, as these candle bases are no longer produced, household tealights are used. These lamps are very stunning. Thank you to Fog and Manix for the images of their Continental. The Continental was truly portable as it was cordless and really unique. These lamps are extremely elusive and rare to find. From a 1966 Lava brochure, we can see this product was featured in 3 colours in 1966. There were two metal body combinations: Silver base, collar and cap. Gold base, collar and cap. Please see chart on the right or details below: Model: 3212: Gold Metalwork. Orange Wax. Yellow Fluid. Model: 3215: Gold Metalwork. Champ. Wax. Champ/ Mist. Model: 3216: Gold Metalwork. Red Wax. Clear Fluid. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Model: 3222: Silver Metalwork. Orange Wax. Yellow Fluid. Model: 3225: Silver Metalwork. Champ. Wax. Champ/ Mist. Model: 3226: Silver Metalwork. Red Wax. Clear Fluid. Replacement Candle units were $.75. (Bulk packed 24 to a carton) This product was also featured in Happy Occasion pack. No: 3295. I'd love to see a Happy Occasion pack. This shows the ultimate creativity of the Lava company and it is so cool to give this as a gift to someone. This pack contained 3 Champagne/ Champagne Mist bottles. This is a very rare colour combination and the bottles have a slightly misty appearance. These bottles had 3 happy slogans written on the actual bottle: 1. Happy Birthday. 2. Happy Anniversary. 3. Happy Holiday. Replacement base unit candles were also sold separately for the product. |
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1965 The Century. Lava is here to stay. The Very First USA Lava Lite Design. The Century was the first Lava Lite produced in the USA and started the legacy of the Lava Lamp in the USA. The original founders of Lava, were inspired by the Crestworth Astro Lamp, that they saw at an exhibition and they acquired the rights to sell it in the USA. They opened in Chicago and brought the magic to the USA in 1965. The Century sold very well in the vintage Lava Lite years. With its pinhole base, it is a very timeless design that will stand the test of time. "Lava is a philosophy. The primordial ooze that once ruled our world has been captured in perpetual motion. Lava is the moment. Its ever changing patterns are hypnotizing yet invigorating. Lava is an art form. Classic and at the same time... progressive. Lava is pre-historic and post-modern. Lava is here to stay." |
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Hippielight's: Kaleidolite. Fun. Flashes an ever-changing pattern of colours and geometric shadows. The psychedelic sensation of the century! It glows - it flickers - it changes colour - and produces strange shadows in an ever-changing random pattern that is absolutely unpredictable. KaleidoLite contains a series of colourful lights that are programmed to flicker singly and in sequence shining their light through a matrix that creates a veritable myriad of coloured shapes and shadows. KaleidoLite is weird, wild, wanton, whimsical and watch-able. Ripe for the "in" crowd and in for the ripe crowd. A great commercial eye-catcher for stores, outlets of any kind that want to attract attention. Featuring a solid American walnut base, Individually gift carton packed. Made in the USA. |
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Hippielight's Brochure Lounge: Even More Brochures: 2. Thank you to everyone who donated images for this section. Thank you to Jonas Goo for his images of Lava Lite brochures, they are remarkable and are a must see. See original brochure images of: Aristocrat, Decorator, Princess, Consort, Nite Lite, Executive, Regency, Enchantress, Continental, Imperial, and much more ... See Lava Lite adverts from vintage sales catalogues. Hippielight will take you back into time and remember the magic of the Lava Lite. Please click on the image on the left to enter this section. |
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Hippielight's Brochure Lounge: Even More Brochures: 3. Even more brochure scans and photos from vintage catalogues. Lava Lamps were very popular in the 1960s and the 1970s. This means that nearly all the major store catalogues featured a wide range of Lava Lites for sale. Hippielight have found these brochures and have scanned them and restored them. With original details, these brochures are a trip down memory lane and the years that have been forgotten, relive the magic of Lava Lite. This section has adverts for: Aristocrat, Coach Lantern, Century, Enchantress Planter, Wave Machine and many more ... Please click on the image on the left to enter this section. |
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Hippielight: The Lava Philosophy & Even More Brochures: 4. Pix and Mix: Carlisle, Century & Lantern Models. On the left one can see a page from a vintage store catalogue, regarding decorative kinetic lighting. Just like any store which supplied decorative lighting, the Lava Lite was very big in the 1970s. It was everywhere and everyone wanted one, it was the coolest thing to have and to watch. Lava's philosophy at the time was that there were all different kinds of designs that would appeal to just about anyone. If you were more traditional you would have liked the Lantern, fancy something more modern but still elegant then the Century was just for you. This philosophy was so important and created a very diverse array of Lamp style and configurations. Lava also introduced the Wave Machine which was not illuminated but relaxed you just like the Lava Lite. Please click on the image on the left to enter this section. |
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Hippielight's Vintage Lava Lite Styles Gallery. Pix and Mix: Lantern, Mediterranean, Century, Enchantress Planter. On the left one can see a 1970s advert for various Lava Lites. From the left to right we can see a Lava Coach Lantern, which combines the traditional charm of an old style lantern with the magic of the Lite. The Mediterranean with its exotic Spanish influenced design is second from the left. The Century is featured in two colours and looks so beautiful bubbling away and flowing. Last but not least, we have the Enchantress Planter. A wonderful 32oz lamp that has a tray on the base. The integrated tray holds a ring of plastic flowers and leaves. It compliments the lamp and makes the lamp look very attractive, a true hippie look. Do you have any of these? See more in Hippielight's Detailed Lava Showcase. |
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Hippielight's: Glitter Lite by Lava. Twinkling, sparkling, scintillating Glitter Lite - like bits of tinted starlight floating in a brilliant sky! Glitter Lite provides light, motion and brilliant sparkling color. Ever-changing. Constant action ... Starts within two minutes. Makes a remarkable conversation piece with unlimited possibilities. Modern styling ... Available in your choice of two distinctive models to complement any decor. Lava made two styles of Glitterlite. Enchantress Glitter Lite (500 Series) which is the lamp style in the front of the image on the left. They also produced the Windsor Glitter Lite (300 Series), which featured a circular wooden base and was slightly similar to a Consort design. Each of these designs were produced with (301/501) Gold Liquid, (302/502) Silver Liquid & (303/503) Emerald Liquid. The Windsor Glitter Lite featured a stylish contemporary design with continuous action in columnar splendour on a magnificent walnut grained laminated base with brushed gold finished parts. Suggested retail price of $14.95. The Enchantress Glitter Lite was tall, elegant and graceful. The Enchantress lines flow delicately from a tapered cap to a pertly pinched base. The satin chrome finished cap and base give it that modern flair. Suggested retail place $18.95. See more in Hippielight's Detailed Lava Showcase. |
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Hippielight's: The Mediterranean. The Mediterranean - Series 2940. Exotic Spanish inspiration mixed with classic Lava Lite. The Mediterranean is a lovely wrought iron Lava Lite model in deep lustrous black. The legs are formed by three Florentine scrolls. It really has a Mediterranean feel to the lamp's base and cap design. However the Mediterranean uses the same "Consort" style bottle, however with a black cap. It has an on/off switch on the cord. Please see the images on the left. Known Models: No: 2942: Orange Wax. Yellow Liquid. No: 2943: Green Wax. Blue Liquid. No: 2949: Red Wax. Clear Liquid. |
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Hippielight's: Enchantress Planter. The Hippiest Lava Lite - Love the Flowers. Probably the most hippie and happy Lava Lite ever made and my favourite Lava Lite in the whole world. Vibrant, colourful and so funky. The Enchantress Planter was a wildly popular Lava Lite which was 32oz making it just the right size, not too big and not too small. The Enchantress Planter was the sister to the Enchantress. The difference being that the Planter model featured a dish on the base, which came with happy and beautiful flowers. Users can replace the flowers with anything they wish. On the left you can see a Planter being unboxed with original flowers. Original Flowers are 6 white petal flowers, with tonnes of beautiful sunset orange closed flowers and some tiny little flowers too. Totally beautiful. Tall, slender, graceful and charming. |
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Hippielight's: Aladdin. You get three free wishes. The Aladdin is the first lamp in the image on the left. Of all the Lava Lites, the Aladdin is the only one which gives you three wishes if you rub the base. Well seriously, it is a wish to even own one of these wonderful Lava Lites. The Aladdin was probably the first themed Lava Lite ever, with its genie like appearance, it is truly magical with its Aladdin inspired base design. See more in Hippielight's Detailed Lava Showcase. |
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Hippielight's: Saturna. Totally Spaced Out. Saturna conjures all the thoughts of an alien spaceship or something magical like a wizard's hat. The Saturna was a 1970s Lava Lite that featured a 32oz bottle just like the Carlisle and the Enchantress Planter. It looks really amazing and is a wonderful Lava Lite. On the left one can see a Saturna and see the lamp flowing, the base and the underside of the base. The Saturna looks wonderful next to the Aladdin Lava Lite. In fact they are the most magical looking Lava Lites ever created. See more in Hippielight's Detailed Lava Showcase. Or click on the image on the left to enlarge the image. |
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Hippielight's: Carlisle. Cone of Blobs. The Carlisle is a cone shaped Lava Lite that features the same 32oz bottle as the Saturna, Aladdin, Enchantress Planter models (to name a few) but features a wonderful starlight cone shaped base. Please note that the bulb is mounted in a sideways position due to space reasons, also the Carlisle is a very beautiful Lava Lite design. This design is not to be confused with the later 1990s Wizard lamps which feature star and moon cut-outs on the base and cap and feature a pointed wizard like cap on the bottle. |
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Lava Lite presents: GemLite: Prepare to Shine. In the 1970s Lava introduced the GemLite, which was a range of glitter lamps, these lamps really glittered like crazy. They featured a fast moving solvent based formula which had beautiful pieces of tiny reflective foil inside the lamp. When the lamp was switched on the glitter would swirl beautifully in the lamp and would shimmer casting reflections on the surroundings. These lamps are very beautiful and extremely elegant. Two different base and cap models are shown in the images on the left. These lamps also were sold with the Lava formula as well as GemLite formula. The lamp which has curved edges is known as The Continental Model. This lamp should not be confused with the Savoy/ Continental candle powered lamps. This lamp is not similar in design and is powered by a bulb. This design has also been seen with Lava as well as the GemLite glitter formula. The lamp with the square, modernist look, is known as The Mystique. This lamp features a very fresh look and is very modern/ minimal in its appearance with a metallic presence. This model has also been seen with Lava as well as the GemLite glitter formula. See a webpage dedicated to these wonderful pieces here or click on the image on the left to enter. |
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Lava Lite's Musical Aristocrat Mystery Lite. We Lava collectors love the original Lava Lites and nothing is better than finding a lamp style or design that has not been seen before. The lamp on the left is a typical Aristocrat with the white base and cap combination with the gold flecks of paint on the base and the cap. It is not an early white and gold Aristocrat as earlier versions of these lamps featured a gold cap as opposed to the white/gold cap seen. However unlike normal ones this features an inverted tray that is located on the mid-point of the base. This tray contains two musical windup music motors which play sound. Once the music motors have been wound by clockwork action, they will begin to play music. A few of these lamps have been spotted, therefore these lamps are not just customised pieces. Further to this the part which contains the music box has the same white and gold paintwork on it, which makes us believe this was not customised and shipped from the original factory. A few examples of these have been spotted and are very rare, therefore they may have only been produced for a limited time or in a small number. These lamps are not featured in any catalogue or sales brochure that we have seen and do remain a musical mystery. If you know any more about these lamps or have one, we would like to get in touch with you. Please drop us an email at: hippielight@googlemail.com Thanks! |
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Lava Lite's Artwork, Paperwork, Misc. Some small scans and photos of misc Lava Lite artwork, paperwork (warranty cards etc ...) and Lamp Tags. These vintage pieces of paper reveal the operating instructions of the lamps and show wonderful illustrations of Lava Lites. Fascinating - Exotic. The Original Lava Lite. The colorful decorator lite of a million moving shapes. New Patented Formula. Lava-Simplex Internationale Chicago, Illinois 60613. Really cool stuff. The Lights Fantastic. Click on the image on the left to enter.
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Stardust Lites. Heat Tapes, Inc of Chicago. Stardust Lites. Heat Tapes, Inc of Chicago. This section of hippielight.com is dedicated to something different: Stardust Lites. These lamps were not produced by Lava but were produced by Heat Tapes, Inc of Chicago. However, these lamps utilise parts seen in Lava's vintage products, such as the Consort. Nobody really knows if they were in any way related to Lava directly or if they were simply copies. These lamps are very beautiful and a great number of collectors include these in their collections. These beautiful little lamps are very stunning with their distinctive ornate base. This ornate base style gives the lamp its unique charm and character. It really defines the whole piece. These lamps have been seen in lava and glitter versions. To see more of these lamps and more details, please click on the image on the left. Thank you to Lynn for the photos. |
Hippielight's: Lava Lite Vintage Brochures. Love them all. Peace, Love & Lava.
Below one can see a wonderful scan of a Lava Lite brochure. This documents a wide range of vintage Lava Lite designs, including: The Decorator, The Continental, The Imperial, to just name a few. These wonderful range of designs show the diverse product range of Lava. Thank you kindly to Jonas Goo for the images below. To see more Lava Brochures and vintage Sales Ads please click on the Brochures button in the menu at the top of the page, or click on the images below:
Hippielight's Favourite Lava Lite. - It has a special place in our heart.
Whilst we love all vintage Lava Lites, Hippielight's hippiest Lava Lite would have to be the Enchantress Planter. With its cool shape and based on the Enchantress design, the planter version features a dish at the mid-point of the base. This dish shipped with beautiful plastic flowers and leaves, giving the planter a stunning and yet beautiful array of greenery around the lamp. This makes it Hippielight's hippiest lava lite. Be happy. Thank you to Jen for the image below of her Planter.
Hippielight Presents: Bohdan's 1990s Retro Lava Lite Gallery ...
The 1990s was a rebirth time for Lava, regaining its popularity and becoming the coolest lamps around once again. This part of hippielight is focused on the 1990s and the models that brought the lamps back to their place in pop culture. A very big thank you goes to Bohdan you copied these images and sent them around the world so they could placed on www.hippielight.com. It couldn't have been done without his wonderful help.
Take a look at the models below and click on a lamp to find out more ...
Hippielight Presents: Craig's Vintage KaleidoLite Mini Gallery ...
KaleidoLite is an amazing vintage Lava Lite product that features flickering coloured lights and patterns. Just like the Silver Spinner (please see below), these models were the only non liquid products that were made by Lava Lite in the 1960s and the 1970s. They are stunning pieces of vintage kinetic lighting.
A vintage advert for Lava Lite products describes this wonderful product as: The Psychedelic sensation of the century! Colored lights flickering through an invisible sleeve create countless shapes, colours and shadows. 14" high, 7" frosted glass globe, 5" sq. base in simulated walnut finish and gold finished metal parts. 2Ibs.
You can see images more images of the lamps and the sleeve below ...
Please enjoy the photos below courtesy of my friend Craig French.
Hippielight Presents: Jerome Dopson's Vintage Silver Spinner Mini Gallery ...
Lava's Silver spinner was a very clever product that features a beautiful metal base and a circular globe which sits on the base. Inside there is a standard lighting fitting and a spinning shade that sits on a needle and rotates simply via the heat generated from the bulb. As the shade rotates it casts coloured patterns on the surface of globe and beyond.
It is a true psychedelic sensation! This particular model seen below, owned & photographed by Jerome Dopson, dates to the 1970s and is a great piece of Lava's history.
Please enjoy the photos below courtesy of my friend Jerome Dopson.
Hippielight Presents: Vintage Imperial Photo ...
The image below shows Lava's largest commercial lamp known as the Imperial model. The photo below captures the flow and the beauty of this stunning piece. Featuring a 3-legged base that is so in keeping with the styles of the time, this lamp is a showcase to motion within the lamps. Also note the candle powered Lava Lite on the table too.
- Any questions? Please email: hippielight@googlemail.com -
Thanks for taking a look at hippielight. We are always looking for pictures or vintage Lava Lite information. Maybe you or your family worked for Lava? Maybe you worked in a store in the 1960s and 1970s which stocked Lava, or maybe you just have some fond memories your like to share? We'd love to put this on the website so why not drop us a message at the email box above. If you need any help identifying or with your Lava Lite, feel free to email us too. Thank You for looking at hippielight.com: The Hippiest Light of Lava.