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Orbit was the first shape designed by Vincent Broomhall when he became Art Director at HLC in October of 1962.
Flatware for any particular treatment was picked up from either Brittany or Rhythm. (Cavalier was used instead of Brittany for the Morocco line.) All of the bowls came from Rhythm. Since Rhythm didn't have a chop plate, one had to be created to fill the gap. Brittany's older 12" chop plate was enlarged to 13".
The following Orbit hollowware was made in November and December of 1962: coffeepot, shakers, teacup, sugar, creamer, and sauceboat. The covered butter was modeled in February 1963 and the line was put into production soon after. Modeled in 1969, the teapot and covered casserole were added to the line rather late. As a result, they are the most difficult pieces of Orbit to find.
Plates and saucers were the only pieces to receive decorations in one of the following forms: decals, stamps, or silk screen.
Hollowware was made with solid color exteriors. This makes any piece of colored hollowware usable with several different types of decorated flatware.
Dinner plates were often marked with a backstamp and date code. Small plates, bowls, and hollowware were almost never marked. This was a trend that continued with most Homer Laughlin dinnerware made from the 1960s until the 1980s. Orbit itself was discontinued in the mid-1970s.
Colors used on Oribt hollowware include:
- Tropic Blue
- Turquoise
- Avocado Green
- Butterscotch
- Spice
- White (clear glaze)
- Black (coffee pot only, used with other lines)*
- Sunny Yellow (coffee pot and shakers only)*
(*) Black and Sunny Yellow were used with the Continental shape.
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