The story of the toucan lamp
The vintage toucan desk lamp that so many people remember from the 90s was designed by H.T. Huang in Taiwan. Toucan Lamp is a new, 3D-printed revival of that retro design.
From vintage icon to retro revival
- 1970
Italy: an earlier toucan
Enea Ferrari launches his Toucan lamp with Old Timer Ferrari, later Linea Zero. A different design from the one most people picture.
- 1990s
Taiwan: H.T. Huang's toucan
H.T. Huang's toucan desk lamp is made in Taiwan all decade: molded plastic, bold two-tone colors and a beak that folds down. It sells as Huanglite, Huangslite and Tungslite.
- Today
A vintage collectible
Vintage originals sell on 1stDibs and Chairish, and the Nordiska museet in Stockholm keeps one in its collection.
- Now
Retro, reborn
Toucan Lamp brings the retro design back, 3D-printed in Michigan with a warm LED and a touch dimmer.
The original vintage H.T. Huang toucan lamp
Collectors credit the vintage toucan lamp to H.T. Huang, a Taiwanese designer. The lamp was made in Taiwan through the 1990s. The Nordiska museet in Stockholm keeps one in its collection, recorded as the Toucan Pelican Desk Lamp, designed by H.T. Huang of Taiwan.
It is molded plastic in bold color pairings, with a long curved beak that holds the light and folds down against the body. It shares the playful, color-blocked spirit of Memphis design, which is why this retro desk lamp still reads as pure 90s.
Vintage originals
Photos of original H.T. Huang toucan lamps are on the way. Until then, these illustrations show color pairings that turn up on vintage listings.
The beak that folds
The detail everyone remembers from the vintage lamp: the beak swings down to rest against the body, then back up to light the desk. The retro revival keeps that same fold.
Names the vintage toucan lamp goes by
Huanglite, Huangslite and Tungslite are the brand names on many vintage listings, and Toucan Pelican Desk Lamp is the name in the Nordiska museet record. If you searched for an HT Wong toucan lamp, you are most likely looking for this one: the designer's name is usually written H.T. Huang.
Retro colors, then and now
The vintage originals came in bold color pairings, like sea green with yellow. The retro revival comes in eight. Hover a lamp to switch it on.
Buying a vintage toucan lamp today
Vintage Huang toucan lamps now turn up on marketplaces such as 1stDibs and Chairish, often listed for a few hundred dollars. Most are decades old, so expect yellowed white plastic, aging wiring and older light sources, and some were made for 220 to 240 volt outlets.
- Made
- Taiwan, 1990s
- Light
- Original bulb or tube
- Condition
- Decades old, varies
- Colors
- Whatever you can find
- Made
- Michigan, 3D-printed in small batches
- Light
- Warm white 2700K LED
- Condition
- New, with a 1-year LED guarantee
- Colors
- 8 colorways, mix and match
A new retro toucan lamp
Toucan Lamp started as a personal restoration project: bringing an old vintage toucan lamp back to life for a family friend. It turned into a mission to keep the design around. Each lamp is now 3D-printed in small batches in Michigan from a plant-based PLA (polylactic acid) blend and finished by hand.
It keeps the retro shape people love and updates what's inside: a warm white 2700K LED in the beak, a brushed-aluminum touch dimmer on the base, and a 12 V DC power supply. It comes in 8 colorways, and every lamp has a 1-year LED guarantee.
The other toucan lamp: Enea Ferrari, 1970
There is also an Italian vintage toucan lamp: the Toucan by Enea Ferrari, launched around 1970 by his company Old Timer Ferrari, later Linea Zero, which has since reissued it. It is a different design from H.T. Huang's. Toucan Lamp revives the Taiwanese one.
Source: Nordiska museet, object NM.0333350, via DigitaltMuseum. Dates and brand names for vintage examples come from collector and dealer listings. Images on this page are renders of the new Toucan Lamp.