Today I'd like to introduce you to some of my little friends. These are from several quirky collections I have sprinkled around my house. I think every room should have something with a face in it. It gives a room life!
I purchased the Michelin Man at the Ann Arbor-Saline Antiques Show about 15 years ago. He was originally attached to the roof of a Michelin company car in Belgium, believe it or not. The fez-wearing chalkware Shriner and the Schoenhut Felix the Cat were gifts from my brother:
I recently purchased this boudoir doll, sometimes called a "bed doll", from a friend. These dolls were made for young ladies to put on their beds as decoration, not for children to play with. They are very prone to peeling and chipping around the head and neck:
Early plastic and celluloid figures are so fragile, it's hard to find one that isn't cracked or dented:
These little celluloid cuties are ever-so-delicate!
A celluloid bear and a wind-up rabbit strike a pose during a photo session:
Little cartoon characters with pie-eyes like Scrappy make me very happy!
I love the Krazy Kat and Mouse cartoon characters from way back in 1913. A cigar-smoking cat wearing a bowler, and a mouse with big bugged out eyes. Aren't they charming?
This little flapper girl figurine has been my mascot for many years. She has been made into a custom silicone mold that I use to create my own versions of the vintage chalkware carnival dolls:
Next is a gorgeous German made bisque head doll with glass eyes. Just look at her luminous complexion! This is a wonderful example of a high quality doll from the early 1900's:
Here's little Jezebel, my parents' Maltese, with last year's most popular Christmas gift, Zsu Zsu the hamster. It appears Jezebel isn't wowed by Zsu Zsu:
Even though this little guy has obviously sustained a nose injury, he seems to be pretty jolly. I know how to fix such things, but for some reason I like him just the way he is:
Here we have two Teddies with stoic expressions. Have you noticed that older Teddies don't have discernible smiles? The curved smile and exaggerated cutsey-ness took form in the 1960's, I think.:
Another of my favorite characters of all time is Elsie The Cow, here seen frolicking amongst the daisies:
This little Kewpie has an irresistible impish grin, doesn't she? I just love this picture:
I recently finished a batch of my flapper girl figurines. I make these from scratch, from mixing and pouring the plaster into molds to sanding, painting, and embellishing. I'm in the process of listing these on Etsy. I've only gotten two of them on there now, and I'm not happy with the pictures I took. So, another delay in listing until I can set up a better photo shoot:
My best "Little Friends" are my two Westies, Cheswick and Chauncey:
Thanks for allowing me to introduce you to my special pals! Do you have any quirky characters at your house, or cherished pets? I'd love to meet them!
Mitzi
