Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
My Folding Jelly Lounger Amazing Thrift Store Find
The 1980’s jelly tri-fold lounger was all the rage when I was a kid. My mom had one and I remember the little tubes getting soft and warm in the summer sun. One person reminded me how the vinyl tubes pinched their legs and I remembered that too! I’ve been trying to find one for many years, and a recent trip to a thrift store made my folding jelly lounge chair dreams come true.
My avocado or pea green jelly lounger
Is My Thrift Store Find 1970’s or 1980’s?
In my research, I’ve seen many vinyl tube loungers be referred to as 1980’s. The jelly loungers that were a bit heavier and VERY colorful (think: yellows, pinks, bright blues and whites) and were able to be folded into one nice neat square (tri-fold) were popularized in the 1980’s, but some may have been produced in the late 70’s.
This one that was a KURZ folding deck chair was sold at First Dibs and was researched to be from Germany in the 1970’s. I do believe my find is more along the lines of an early to mid-1970’s version. It’s vintage, but has a very “vintage modern” vibe.
My glasses and swimsuit are vintage too
My Swimsuit and Glasses
My swimsuit is a polyester vintage eBay find and I loved how it had a green in the skirt that matched the chair. The polyester suits really are thick, but hold up well when taken care of! I have several polyester vintage swimsuits. My sunglasses are also a thrift store find and are really vintage.
See my fun take of revealing my thrift finds for this article in my 15 second YouTube video below:
You have to watch how people call things “vintage” when shopping in some thrift or vintage stores. I’ve seen some sellers try to say something is vintage, then I look it over and find a tag that says “Made in China”.
I’m proud I finally found a vintage jelly lounger!
In today’s world, that will tell you it’s probably not an old find when it comes to many clothing and décor items. I just saw this recently on a beautiful dress. It looked vintage, then I saw the Made in China tag and realized it was a costume. You get better at spotting true vintage finds the more you shop vintage and thrift stores.
This chair is fab and comfortable!
Grannie Florida loves thrifing and going to estate sales with her Hulken bag. See some of her finds in the less than a minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Where Did You Find Your Jelly Lounger?
Walmart reproduced the 1980’s version of the jelly lounger without handles a few years ago and sold them for around $20. I didn’t see them then, or I would have purchased one. They are fairly comfortable and also fun to look at. My lounger, which is in great shape was a part of a package deal at a thrift store we found in Bonita Springs, Florida.
I took these self portraits at my home on Sanibel Island, Florida
The man working at the shop said to take the three beach chairs we were eyeing (the lounger, and two other beach chairs) for $20 so he didn’t have to keep taking them inside every day. We said “sold!” and took all three chairs. It was a great deal, especially because Hurricane Ian ruined our former beach chairs in 2022.
My beach lounger is lightweight
Many people are trying to sell vintage jelly lounge chairs on eBay and other marketplaces for $40 and up (+ shipping) and I am happy to have found one I love in super great condition at a perfect price. I can’t seem to find many reproductions at the time of writing this, but here are some similar loungers I’ve found:
3-in-1 Beach Lounge Chair with Holes, Amazon, $90
Inflatable Suntan Tub, Amazon, $30
Outdoor Lounge Chair with Sunshade Roof, Amazon, $69
Ostrich Lounge Chair, Walmart, $64
Web Chaise Lounge, Walmart, $104
Sun Squad Outdoor Folding Beach Lounger, Target, $45
The Lakeside Collection Folding Lounger, Target, $24
Vintage loungers are fun!
Pea Green + It’s “Genetics”
My jelly lounge chair is pea (or maybe avocado) green (VERY popular 70’s colors), is much lighter in weight than the 80’s versions I remember because it’s aluminum. This is also why it’s not rusty, even after sitting outside for a long while in the salty air of southwest Florida, where I found it. It also has wood handles. The vinyl tubes are almost all intact.
I will store my jelly lounger indoors when not in use
These tubes, over time, crack from sun and heat exposure, but whoever owned this one, kept it on a porch or inside when not in use. I see one tube that was removed or cut off and one other is cracked slightly, but otherwise, it’s a great vintage find that was well taken care of and I will continue to take care of it by NOT leaving it outside.
My pups love hanging out and creating with me!
The Click-Click Sound
To me, my jelly lounger is a bit classier than the traditional 80’s jelly loungers as it’s more adjustable and the wood accents make it look higher-end. The “click, click” noises that the 1980’s chairs made as you adjusted the head and the “foot” doesn’t happen with my thrift store find.
I found a 1980’s jelly lounger a couple of years ago and almost bought it, but when I sat in it, it collapsed. This was a very common thing with the clicky loungers. I couldn’t get the back to stay up and the fold out legs were wonky, so I didn’t get that one.
Hanging out in my jelly lounger
My lounger’s arms have about 3-4 adjustable poses, with small links for the adjuster to sit in. It folds up in thirds, and is also able to adjust for the foot to sit on the ground or has a leg to adjust to help you lounge out.
If you remember jelly loungers, have one or have some more interesting facts or stories about them, tell me about it in the comments below!
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: My Love Affair of Comfy Jelly Shoes
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.