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Once the patent was granted, everyone using
almost any form of a festoon-to-festoon connector now had to purchase
licenses from C.D. Wood Electric in order to incorporate the device into
their Christmas lighting strings. One company, the M. Propp organization,
challenged the patent and lost. Small companies, who chose not to pay for
the license prior to the patent being granted, found themselves strapped
for cash as sales plummeted. Many of the companies gave in, and licensed
the rights to use the connectors in their strings.
The time was right. The Sadacca
Brothers, Albert, Henri and Leon, proposed that a trade organization be
started, whereby any company who wanted to would be able to join, reducing
licensing and advertising costs to everyone. The brothers, along with
Louis Szel were to head up the association, aptly named The National
Outfit Manufacturer's Association, and it was officially started early in
1925. Accounts of the number of companies who joined vary from thirteen to
fifteen, but I do know that these companies were involved: The C.D. Wood
Electric company, Szel's Five Seas Trading Company, The Tinsel Corporation
of America, The Matchless
Corporation, the decorative lighting division of Deal Electric, Franco,
the decorative lighting division of Monowatt and The Henry Hyman Company.
The United States Electric Company, better known as USALITE, joined for a
short time but then broke away. A major holdout was the M. Propp Company,
who continued (for a time, at least) on their own.
The Association was a great
success. Smaller companies enjoyed the influx of cash brought by
Association membership, and business for the Christmas selling season of
1925 was very good for everyone. Though the companies were members of the
association under the NOMA name, they continued selling under their own
identities. Late in 1926, it was proposed and accepted by the association
members that they officially merge into one company, and the famous NOMA
Electric Corporation was born. The American Christmas lighting industry
was to be changed forever.
 |
 |
| 1927 Box
of NOMA brand Christmas Lights |
Inside
view |
In Christmas of 1927, NOMA
Electric sold products under that new name for the first time.
Aggressively marketed and advertised, the company enjoyed stellar sales.
In 1928, the M. Propp Company finally agreed to merge with NOMA, operated
independently for a while, and finally sold out completely to the company
in 1929. Interestingly, Morris Propp, the owner and founder of the
company that was once NOMA's largest competitor, became
the president of NOMA Electric in 1931. He held that position until his
untimely death of a brain tumor in 1933.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1927-1928 |
1940 |
1948 |
1955 |
1958 |
|
A few examples of NOMA catalog covers
through the years |
The formation of NOMA Electric dramatically
reduced the number of decorative lighting companies in business in 1927.
As the market leader, NOMA began to offer a huge variety of electrical
decorative accessories and lighting outfits to the public, and set the
competitive example for other lighting companies to follow. Through their
years of operation, NOMA Electric developed and/or marketed many "firsts",
including the Tri-Plug connector (this differs from the Tatchon devices in
that the Tatchons are typically found at the end of the string rather than
on the wall plug itself), the adjustable berry bead fasteners to allow
proper positioning of lights on the tree (acquired in the merger with
Propp), intermediate base outfits for outdoor decorating, bubble lights,
and the safety fuse plug (still in use today). Below is a brief timeline
of some of the important events in the history of NOMA Electric
Incorporated:
|
YEAR |
EVENT |
| 1925 |
The National Outfit
Manufacturer's Association was formed. This was a trade
association only, and not an official company. |
| 1926 |
The N.O.M.A. companies
officially merged into a single company: NOMA Electric
Corporation. |
| 1926 |
NOMA Electric
Corporation sold products under its own name for the first time. |
| 1928 |
Offers intermediate base
outdoor light set for the first time as set number 3000: NOMA
Multiple Outfit. |
| 1934 |
Offers candelabra based
multiple wired lighting sets for indoor use. |
| 1935 |
Sells the lighted
character bells for the first time. Subjects included the Mickey
Mouse characters and the gang from Walt Disney's Silly
Symphonies cartoons. |
| 1940 |
Introduced the plastic
halo, a decorative piece that provided a warm candle flame-like
glow around a single light bulb. |
| 1940 |
For the first time,
sells an all-rubber cord with their outdoor lighting set. Even
the sockets themselves were rubber coated in this outfit. |
| 1941-1945 |
WAR YEARS-NO NEW ITEMS
OFFERED During these years, the company diversified
dramatically. |
| 1946 |
Introduces Bubble Lites
to the world. (There are claims that the year might have been
1945, but if true, few were marketed in that year). |
| 1946 |
Offers the new GE G-14
lamps in sets of seven as Glo Ray outfits. |
| 1948 |
Changes Bubble Lite base
from "biscuit" shape to "saucer" shape. |
| 1949 |
Reverts to "biscuit"
base shape for Bubble Lites. (Sells through overstock of saucer
shaped bubblers as well). |
| 1951 |
Introduces the "Safety
Plug" with fuses in the plug itself, an invention still in use
today. |
| 1953 |
"Spins off" and changes
the name of the electrical decorative light division of NOMA
Electric Corporation to NOMA Lites Incorporated. This was done
to differentiate their manufacture of Christmas lights from many
other products the company was making at the time. Opens an
additional manufacturing plant in St. Joseph, Missouri. |
| 1955 |
Introduces the "Safety
Socket" to go with the "Safety Fuse Plug". The sockets have
permanent clips, and a solderless flow-through wire design that
prevents loose connections. The beginnings of the effects of
huge amounts of foreign imports are felt financially. |
| 1961 |
Changes their famous
Bubble Lites to a rocket style due to increasing public
awareness of and interest in the "space race". Imports are now
having a serious affect on NOMA. |
| 1962 |
Substantial financial
struggling due to competition from increasing imported, less
expensive electrical Christmas lights and decorations.
|
| 1963 |
Stops production of
rocket type bubble lights, and sells Peerless style of bubblers.
Company is in severe financial trouble at this point, and begins
selling products from other bankrupt or out-of-operation
Christmas light companies that were purchased at a discount. |
| 1967 |
Files for bankruptcy.
The company will never again be the super power that it once
was. |
| 1967 |
Late in this year, NOMA
is reorganized as Noma Worldwide, Incorporated. Sells mostly
imported goods for the 1965 Christmas season. |
| 1968 |
From this time on, the
NOMA name is a licensed trademark only, and not actually a
manufacturer of Christmas lights. Licensed NOMA products will
now have a "?" symbol by the NOMA name. NOMA/Worldwide
sells almost 100% imported products. |
|
1972-Present |
The name has been bought
and sold many times over the years, and is now owned by NOMA
International, Incorporated. The NOMA name for Christmas lights
is currently licensed by Inliten, LLC. |
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