The Lava Lamp

By Ben Liew  •  in Knowledge
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It’s the ultimate symbol of sexy in terms of bedroom lighting. But what about that hypnotic concoction inside it? What do all these oozing bubbles mean and who’s in there blowing them? Jump on our magical laps and let us break the Lava Lamp down for you.

Meet Edward, He Likes To Be Nude
Back in the day, just after WWII was over, there was a man called Edward Craven Walker. We guess you could call him the Father of the Lava Lamp. Anyway, Walker was a Singapore-born Englishman who flew spy planes over Germany.

As the story goes, Edward was enjoying a pint in a pub in England when he noticed a fascinating lamp, which Ed described as a “contraption made out of a cocktail shaker, old tins and things.” This sparked something groovy deep inside Walker’s mind. Said lamp was the invention of a mysterious “Mr Dunnett” who, by this time, was dead. Bummer.

Edward Craven became obsessed with making a better version of that lamp and in between making films about nudism and setting up his own nudist camp (which curiously banned obese people based on some dubious “healthy-spiritual and physical-life” ideals he had), Ed spent the next decade and a half doing so.

The Colours, The Shapes, The Love
At first, retailers and business-owners thought Walkers lamps were ugly. But it was the 60s and the Love Generation had just arrived with flowers in hair. The randomness and seductive fluidity of Walker’s lamps were an instant hit. And with its psychedelic appeal, hippies had something to stare at while listening to Jefferson Airplane records and smoking things that smelt funny.

It was the perfect light for the changing times, Ol Ed declared: “If you buy my lamp, you won’t need to buy drugs.” Hmm…. Originally named the Astro Lamp, Ed soon struck a sweet deal with a couple of American suits for the rights to manufacture and sell the lamp in the States under the name Lava Lite Lamp. And that’s how it got its name.

Lava Forever?
Before selling his company, sales of Lava Lamps had exceeded 7 million units and Ed was living it up big time. The discoball took over for the better part of the 80s but today, with over 400,000 lava lamps made each year, the Lava Lamp is enjoying a renaissance. Sadly Ed Craven Walker passed away in August 2000. But being the nice naturalist he was, he generously left behind his secret Lava recipe (oil, wax and other solids) so there’d be groovy times for all to come while he trips in nekkid lava heaven.

Lava Lamp Math
Bedroom + Lava Lamp + Barry White = Score!
Discoball + Mirrors + Lasers = Epilepsy!
Cheap Trick + Tommy Chong + Ashton Kutcher = That 70s Show