Milwaukee-based The Wagner Companies have begun its seasonal manufacturing of the famous “festivus poles” which became popular during a 1997 episode of the show Seinfeld.
According to Jerry Stiller’s character in the show, Frank Costanza, the festivus tradition includes a display of a bare aluminum pole in opposition to the commercialization of the highly decorated Christmas tree.
Wagner first began producing festivus poles in 2005, and have shipped more than 5,000 since first making them available.
“Having grown up in Astoria, Queens and gone to Queens College with Jerry Seinfeld, I was always a big fan of the show,” said Tony Leto, executive vice president of sales and marketing for The Wagner Companies. “In December, 2004, I read an article in the NewYork Times by Allen Salkin that touched on how the fictional festivus was starting to take hold in various parts of the country.”
The specifications noted for the poles were something the company could do and in 2005, the timing seemed right and they went into production, Leto said.
“Milwaukee seemed like the perfect manufacturing location for festivus poles since it is a city that shares the festivus pole’s very high strength-to-weight ratio,” he said. “It has also been a fun project for us since it allows us to step away from the architectural and industrial metal products we would typically produce.”
Festivus poles are now available at the Royal Garden Florist in Rego Park, Queens, but can also be purchased online at www.festivuspoles.com.
