For generations, the General Electric name meant you were getting a quality set
designed to last.
You can tell when your set was made by looking for a few clues.
In the 1960s almost all the large bulbs were made in the U.S.A. while the Merry
Midget miniature sets were made in Japan or Taiwan. Midget sets from this era
used bi-pin base bulbs and were laid out in a
loop.
In the 1970s production started going to South Korea and the ererGEsaver logo
was introduced in 1975 in response to the energy crisis. Midget sets changed to a
straight line layout in 1978 and now used the standard wedge base bulbs.
In 2001 G.E. discontinued their holiday lighting line and sold it to
Santa's best
craft, who now sell the sets and use the familiar trademarks under license
to G.E.
Click on the mini image to see the full size version, then use your browsers back button to return.
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Click on the light switch to the left to enter the gallery
where you'll see many of these sets lit up, all on one page! (Broadband recommended) |
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G.E. Glow Bright C7-CC, pre 1975. These bulbs had a glazed ceramic like finish that
would never chip or fade, but they also got very hot! Note the round G.E. logo at the base of the bulbs.
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| Lighted G.E. Twinkle Bright. |
   
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| G.E. Satin Glo #D23. These early bulbs had a nice metallic shine to them, but when lit up, they looked like regular Christmas light bulbs. How do you tell them apart? Satin Glo had the G.E. logo on the bulbs, and Satin Bright did not. Note: there was also a white color not shown. |
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G.E. Satin Bright.
#D36. These Bulbs had a Metallic appearance and they really did "Shine even when
they're off" as their advertisement said. When lit, the bulbs appeared slightly
transparent. Unfortunately it's difficult to capture this effect on film.
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| G.E. Satin Bright vs. Kmart. This picture shows a comparison of the G.E. lamps - top with K-Mart's offering for the 2002 -2004 Christmas season - bottom. The colors are strikingly similar (note that K-Mart has added a pink color), but the base materials are different as well as the shape of the lamps themselves. |
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A package of C-6 Bulbs made in Mexico. They're all orange so these bulbs were probably intended for candelabras. |
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A package of C-7 "EnerGE saver" Glow Bright bulbs from the 1970's energy crunch
era. These bulbs had an exterior paint coating that was more efficient - it allowed the same brightness using only 5 watts for C-7 and 7 watts for C-9. |
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 G.E. Champagne bulbs in C-7 size, 5 watt. The
colors are blue, green, red, orange, and violet. Notice the rippled flame shape
of these bulbs reminiscent of vintage lights. These were found in a dollar store
in 2004, so the bulbs are probably old stock and could be the last item offered
by G.E. before they sold their product line. |
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| General Electric Lighted Ice bulbs from the 1960s. These had plastic "ice" crystals on G50 candelabra base globe bulbs. The colors are (L-R) Ruby, Garnet, Topaz, Emerald, and Turquoise. When lit, they looked like snowballs. Check the price sticker - 19 cents! |
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A later version of Lighted Ice made after 1975. These bulbs were reduced from 7 to 6 watts to save energy, and were made in South Korea. |
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| A comparison of G.E. Lighted ice bulb made in U.S.A. vs. newer bulb made in South Korea. |
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| Another variation is these stardust bulbs which date to the 1960s. They're the same shape as torpedo chandelier bulbs and have a glitter finish. |
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G.E. Merry Bright bulbs in C-9 intermediate base
size, Catalog C9-MB. These are steady burning bulbs with a transparent finish
which are often confused with twinkle bulbs. Once the bulbs escape from their
packaging, the only way to tell them apart is to examine the elements inside. |
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Merry Midget Light sets.
| G.E. Colonial Lights Miniature 12 Light set, made in Japan, Model COL-2-12, 1960s to 1970s. This set had miniature oil lamps and included clips to attach the lights to the tree. |
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| G.E. Lantern Lights Miniature 12 Light set, made in Japan, Model LTL-2-12, 1960s to 1970s. This set had miniature coach lanterns. |
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A G.E. Candle bright Miniature 12 Light set, Model CL2-12, 1960s
to 1970s. It was made in Japan and used Bi-pin bulbs. The sockets were hidden in the candles while the bulbs were the flames. |
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| Here's a close-up of the back of the Candle Bright box, showing the set's features. |
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Here's a G.E. Merry Midget 35 light mini set, model L2-35, 1960s
to 1970s. This set was laid out in a loop and had plastic beads behind the sockets, similar to the C-6 sets it replaced. Note: the paperboard insert for this box is missing. |
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General Electric mini bulbs used in this set had a bi-pin base that was unique
to G.E. The bulbs were also cemented to the bases to prevent people from twisting the bulbs, a big no-no. The center bulb is a red-tipped flasher. |
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A more modern G.E. Merry Midget 35 light set, #UPRL2-35, 1980s. It uses the standard wedge base bulbs and straight line layout. |
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Here's a G.E. Tinsel-Lite 20 light set, model UTL2-20, made in Korea.
The enerGE saver logo on the box dates the set to after 1975. This set uses mini
bulbs surrounded by plastic and tinsel reflectors. The lights are beautiful
when lit, but the tinsel trim is very fragile. |
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| Here is a close-up of four of the tinsel lights. |
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