Because it was mass produced and relatively cheap, it was given as premiums with purchases and awarded as prizes at fairs.
Articles produced included plates, bowls, vases, oil lamps, dresser sets, salt and pepper shakers and candle holders.
These companies produced pieces that consisted of lines of pressed glass known as intaglio and painted opalescent glass.
The term "goofus" now refers more to the technique of using unfired enamel paints on a piece of glass rather than to the glass itself.
The term generally excludes milk glass and painted jewelry, items produced after the 1930s, and items produced outside the US.