PENNANT FACTORY
Homemade pennants inspired by designs of the past
The jobI know what you're thinking: "Enough with the Dodger pennants, already. Didn't you promise in your last post you were done?" It's true. I did. But, technically speaking, this month's project doesn't concern a "pennant," per se. This project concerns a cousin of the pennant known as a "burgee." Burgees differ from pennants in one key regard: instead of one tail; the burgee features two tails. Over the years they've been marketed under various names (e.g., fish tail pennants, swallow tail pennants), but its proper name can be traced back to its nautical origins when, as with the pennant, ships used flags of varying sizes, shapes, and colors to signal messages to neighboring vessels. Above: This excerpt from a 1946 trade catalogue by the Ace Banner & Flag Corp. of New York City illustrates the differences between burgees, pennants, and flags. For burgees, it reads: "The Proportions of a Burgee are Width at Head One Half of the Length and One Fourth of the Length at Swallow Tail." So there. This post won't involve a pennant. I'm making a burgee. I never said I wouldn't make a Dodger World Series Champs burgee, did I??
Apparently, if you wanted a burgee in 1912, you just had to head to upstate New York! Although Cornell clearly dominated the burgee market, you will find that plenty of these flags were produced for other Ivy League colleges and high schools in that era. It's notable that not all burgees were alike. Some were quite square; others were more tapered; but all featured that distinctive dual-tail look. Up to now we've been discussing the novelty burgee. These were made of felt and intended to be hung indoors; or, occasionally waved from a cane or dowel by a spectator at a sporting event. But, more often, burgees were employed as decorative flags adorning the exteriors of buildings. In such cases, they were made of canvas and significantly larger than the novelty burgee. In 1910, the nation's largest flag maker was Annin & Co. of New York, NY. Today, Annin is well known for their high quality American-made flags; but, at the turn of the past century, they were also one of the biggest makers of novelty pennants (and novelty burgees). It should come as no surprise then that, for decades, perched atop the company's headquarters flew a large "Annin & Co." burgee flag. Above: Annin's headquarters at 99-101 Fulton St., New York, NY ca. 1900. As one would expect, they flew a burgee flag of their own making overhead for many years. Of course, apart from decorating buildings, burgee flags have had one other very important purpose over the years: to commemorate a baseball team's status as pennant winners. Today, every major league baseball team celebrates and displays their titles in their own way. Some raise a banner to the rafters. Others uncover a sign on their "ring of honor." But, a handful of teams still practice the time honored custom of hoisting a burgee flag up a flag pole for their players and fans to see--typically, during the pregame festivities of the home opener, at the start of the following season. Here's a few images of such moments from the previous century: Note that, back then, most ballparks positioned their flag poles on or near the field of play. This placement made ceremonies like those pictured above possible. Since then, however, most ballparks have repositioned their flag poles away from the field. This was done for both player safety reasons; and to avoid obstructing fans' view of the game. This change prompted many teams to explore new, more permanent ways of displaying their titles. Here's some more contemporary depictions of how teams have raised their pennants: As you can see, not every team chooses to fly a burgee flag. Some fly triangular pennant flags. Some even fly traditional, rectangular flags. Some unveil signs that resemble a cloth flag. Additionally, some teams leave these items up in perpetuity; while others remove them as soon as the season comes to an end. The Dodgers organization has always been pretty traditional. Since 1955, they've won seven world championships; and, every season opener thereafter, they've celebrated by hoisting a burgee flag above their ballpark. A white burgee, trimmed in Dodger blue, to be more precise. And, when the season ended--the burgee was taken down and placed in storage; and periodically displayed at special events. Here's some images of the burgees they've used over the years: There you have it. Seven championships. And yes, that is co-owner Magic Johnson hoisting the '20 burgee flag above Chavez Ravine, earlier this year. But why should owners get to have all the fun? I want to hang my own championship burgee in my own home. So I figured: why not make a 2020 World Series Champion novelty burgee, out of felt, suitable for indoor display? |
This pennant was offered in several colors: red, green, blue, even black. Additionally, ADFLAG offered several variations in the graphics: (1) with the location, "CHICAGO"; (2) with no location specified; and (3) an angled version of variant #2, surrounded by a box. Without question, variant #1 was the most common. I suspect ADFLAG experimented with these three versions, saw what sold best, then decided that #1 was most desirable. It's also possible that versions #2-3 were adapted for sale in Los Angeles, where half of the series would be played (and where any reference to Chicago wouldn't be appropriate) . If so, this explanation makes sense: when the series shifted to Los Angeles, the coliseum was filled with more than 90,000 spectators for each game. A souvenir pennant, such as this, would have no doubt sold well there. Oddly enough, they never made a "LOS ANGELES" variant. Until I began writing this piece, I thought that was it. Three variants. All commemorating the National League pennant winning Dodgers. Nothing about their subsequent status as world champions. Recently, however, I discovered that was not it; that ADFLAG actually did make a World Champions variant following the end of the series. It looked like this: | Above: The three variants of ADFLAG's 1959 Dodgers NL champs pennant. |
Above: Coach Leo Durocher rejoins the Dodgers. His fiery temper earned him 95 ejections as manager; fourth all time. In 1994, Durocher was inducted into the Hall of Fame. With credentials like this, how could you omit the guy's name from a team pennant? | By 1963, the Dodgers looked a bit different than their last pennant winning team. They were noticeably younger. Brooklyn holdovers like Duke Snider and Gil Hodges had departed. But, in a twist of irony, the team brought back one old timer that was as New York as they come: Leo Durocher. Durocher had of course managed the Brooklyn Dodgers throughout the 1940s. In 1961, Durocher rejoined the team as a coach under manager Walt Alston. So when the Dodgers won the National League pennant in 1963, ADFLAG simply updated their 1959 pennant with the '63 roster. Perhaps out of respect for the great Durocher, ADFLAG squeezed his name on to the pennant--below Walt Alston and Sandy Koufax's names. This is the only pennant I know of where the maker included a non-manager member of the coaching staff as part of a team's roster. |
Above: Unlike the 1959 World Series games played in Chicago, the 2020 World Series games were well attended by Dodger fans; many of whom drove to Texas to see their team win it all. | For the 2020 contemporary adaptation, however, I based my design in large part on the 1959-dated variant #1. Truth be told: I never fully understood this pennant. Why reference "CHICAGO" on a pennant you're trying to sell to Los Angeles Dodger fans? Surely, ADFLAG made this to sell to Dodger fans in attendance at Comiskey Park during the series; but, honestly, how many of these fans showed up? How many bought a pennant? Was it worth it, for ADFLAG and their wholesale customers, I wonder? In contrast to the 1959 World Series, the 2020 contest was played at a neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. For practically every fan, regardless of who you were rooting for, this was a road game. Further, my sources tell me: of those that attended games #1-6, the majority were wearing Dodger blue. I am certain that, of the 20,000 or so Dodger fans that traveled to Texas for the series, a souvenir pennant like ADFLAG's commemorating their trip to Texas would have sold well. Especially if its design paid homage to the host city by name; and, the Dodgers' status as world champions. |
Top: Grand opening, Schaefer Brewery, Brooklyn, NY (1916). Bottom: Ebbets Field scoreboard, ca. 1950. | For most of the 20th century, the F & M Schaefer Brewing Co. was Brooklyn's biggest brewery. Moreover, they were avid sponsors of the Brooklyn Dodgers throughout the 1950s. Enter Ebbets Field during this time, and one of the first things you would see was a hand operated scoreboard in right field, crowned by a Schaefer Beer advertisement. It wasn't just an an advertisement: it was functional! When the official scorer ruled a play a hit, the "h" was illuminated; to charge an error, the first "e" was lit. So when the Dodgers finally won it all, Schaefer was quick to cash in on the town's euphoria for its beloved baseball team. A promotional item celebrating the team's championship did just the trick! |
Above: These two camera angles show how designers created a unique 3-D effect by layering the three rows comprising the '55 Dodgers as they appeared in the official team photo taken at the close of the regular season. | Let's talk about the sign itself a bit more. The outer frame featured a faux wood veneer measuring about 13" x 20" x 1 3/8". What's more: the entire sign was made from cardboard. By far, the most distinctive design element concerned the team photo: it was die cut into three separate rows, with each row set back at different depths. The effect was that the team photo took on a 3-D appearance, especially when viewed from different angles. Because the sign was made entirely from cardboard, of the few that survived the past 65 years, very few are in perfect condition. Most feature bent corners, tears to the players' necks, color fading, etc. But that's to be expected when you consider the fragile nature of a piece like this. Maybe it's for the best that Schaefer never made a promo pennant for the Dodgers. After all, this promotional sign is like nothing else made for any other team. And that's fitting, because the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers were a team like none other. If you want to hang one of these vintage promo signs in your office, wet bar, or man cave, I'm all for it. But, be ready to pay top dollar to get your hands on one. This sign, in halfway decent condition, routinely fetches a price north of a thousand dollars. I'm not about to spend that much on a piece of cardboard. Maybe a triangular piece of felt ... but not cardboard. So, I figured: why not try and make one of these from scratch? |
Except for one man: Walter O'Malley, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Here's a summary of the events leading up to the creation of this most special of pennants. By the late 1950s, Ebbets Field, the Dodgers' storied ballpark, was nearing 50 years of service; and it was falling apart. Moreover, it lacked sufficient parking spaces and access to public transportation. Despite fielding some of the franchise's greatest teams that decade, attendance had been in a steady decline. O'Malley's answer was to build a modern ballpark, in Brooklyn, at a new location with access to trains connecting the venue with the suburbs of Long Island, where many of his fans were now living. Only one person stood in O'Malley's way: Robert Moses, "Master Builder" and urban planner for the metropolitan New York City area. Moses wanted to build a new ballpark; but, not in Brooklyn; rather, in Queens, where a site could be procured that fit neatly into Moses's post-war vision for the region. O'Malley wasn't about to move the Brooklyn Dodgers to Queens. So when Los Angeles offered him a deal he couldn't pass up, he took it. |
Known today among collectors as “3-D pennants,” these pennants were made exclusively for only four MLB teams: the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and Boston Red Sox. As the name would indicate, all four designs featured a subtle three-dimensional element to the mascot artwork, e.g., Uncle Sam’s fluffy beard, sox batter's puffy red socks, a googly-eyed giant, etc. All of these characters featured an actual wooden bat measuring about 4.5" in length, sawed in half, and slotted through the felt. In the bum's case, his bat featured a polka dot bindle hanging from its end. During this same time, Collegiate also produced 3-D pennants for a handful of colleges. And, although not quite so P.C. by modern day standards, they were equally interesting, as this small sampling reveals: |
In 2018 I started a separate website called Pennant Fever dedicated to 20th century felt novelty manufacturers. It focuses on these companies' history, products, etc. Eventually, my interest in these businesses inspired me to start making my own pennants. THIS site you're currently viewing, Pennant Factory, is where I'll showcase some of the felt projects I've taken on. Most are reproductions of real pennants once for sale to the public. I've done my best to re-create the originals as authentically as possible based upon surviving photos, known dimensions, etc. Others are my original work, intended to look like the styles of yesteryear. Some turned out better than others. See for yourself. Enjoy! -KRB
All
1916 NL Champs Pennant
1952 + 1953 NL Champs Banners
1955/2020 WS Champs Banners
1955 WS Champs Pennant
1959 NL Champs Pennant
1963/2020 WS Champs Pennant
1965/2020 WS Champs Pennant
2020 WS Champs Burgee
"3-D Pennant" (ca. 1950s)
"B.B.C. Series" Pennant (ca. 1910)
Bklyn. Robins Pennant (ca. 1917)
"Burnt Leather Seal" (ca. 1940s) - Collegiate Mfg. Co.
"Caricature Pennant" - Clayton Kershaw
"Caricature Pennant" - GS Warriors
"Date Pennant" (ca. 1960s)
Dodger Stadium Scoreboard (1988)
Early 1910s Football Pennants - Reproduction Co.
"Grommet Pennant" - 1920 NL Champs Pennant
GW Forum Scoreboard (1998) - LA Kings
Jackie Robinson Pennant (1947)
Keezer "Emblem Pennant" (ca. 1950s)
"Kicked Football Series" Pennant (ca. 1940s) - Epstein Novelty Co.
LA Dodgers V. SF Giants "1st. GAME" Pennant (1958)
"Mascot Banner" - Chicago Pennant Co.
"Mascot Banner" - Collegiate Mfg. Co.
"Mascot Banner" (II) - Chicago Pennant Co.
"Monogram Pennant" (ca. 1910s)
ND "NO PARKING" Sign
ND Stadium Scoreboard (1988)
ND Stadium Signage
Notre Dame Banner (1931)
Notre Dame Pennant (1925)
Notre Dame Pennant (ca. 1965)
Oakland Raiders (AFL) Pennant (1960) - ADFLAG
Oakland Raiders (AFL) Pennant (ca. 1960) - Trench
Phila. Athletics Pennant (ca. 1910)
"Photo Pennant" (ca. 1960s)
Schaefer Promo Sign (1955)
Staples Ctr. Banners - Lakers
Staples Ctr. Banners - LA Kings
"Trophy Banner" (ca. 1920)
Vin Scully Tribute Banner (2022)
"WELCOME....' Banner" - Carly Bros.
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