Day32-SHEL-GLO
Shel-Glo Group
I know. This is not Blenko, but it is a water bottle and in order for you to know what is Blenko, you need to know what is not. This is obviously not Blenko, but some of the upcoming listings may not be so obvious. I am showing 4 examples. Shel-Glo made other colors so I assume that these water bottles will show up in other colors as well.
Shel-Glo was the name of an entire, houseware product line made by Kilgore Mfg. of Westerville, Ohio. They were produced from 1935 to 1955. Shel-Glo water bottles are made of cellulose acetate.
These are the same general proportions as Blenko and have a stopper as well. More examples of non-Blenko water bottles will follow in the immediate days. Blenko purists please be patient.
BLOG UPDATE: January 5 2014– For a while now I have wondered whether the Kilgore Shel-Glo, “Wat-R-Jug” was the basis for the Blenko water bottle because the information that I had was that Shel-Glo was made from 1935 to 1955. If the Wat-R-Jug was first made in 1935 then it would stand to reason that the Blenko water bottle which made its first appearance in 1938 would be a re-design of the Kilgore product. I have recently received information from a Kilgore collector who states that Shel-Glo was a name for the plastics process that Kilgore used. In 1935 it was used to make grips for cap pistols, children’s toys and pulls for vending machines, etc. Any advertisements that the collector had for the kitchenware line were post WWII. He believes that the kitchenware line was made from approximately 1947 to 1955 when the line was sold to ECKO of Chicago. No patent numbers have yet been found to confirm or refute this.
Shel-Glo Gray
Shel-Glo Salmon
Shel-Glo Yellow
Shel-Glo Blue
A Year of Blenko Water Bottles 