• The Miami Herald/AP, Friday, June 1, 2007 12 PM

A manufacturer that bought the copyright and plastic molds for the original pink flamingo lawn ornament plans to have new birds on the lawn by Labor Day. J.C. Waszkiewicz, head of family-owned HMC International, says he expects retailers that buy his firm's flamingoes wholesale will appreciate subtle design differences between knockoff versions and the original by Don Featherstone.

The ornaments hit the market in the late 1950s when the color pink was in vogue, and America's exploding population of suburbanites sought to add flair to their lawns. But the birds also came to symbolize bad taste, and some residential developments even banned flamingo ornaments from lawns.

The flamingos typically sell at $10 to $20 for boxed sets of two--one standing nearly 3 feet high with its head held proudly erect, the other bending over as if munching on grass. Their legs consist of spindly metal rods that can be planted in the ground.

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