Collectible Kitsch Ceramics

My sister, Nancy, received this planter when she recovering from a childhood surgery. She kept it on her dresser when we were kids and, as an adult, used it to hold pens and pencils in her craft room. In fact, she held on to it for 52 years...

It was one of the few things I wanted after she lost her cancer battle...because it brings back happy memories of her as a child.

When Nancy's  husband, Aaron, brought me her scarves two weeks ago, the little planter was in the bottom of the bag.

I didn't think it had a lot of value but I liked the fact that it is dated 1958 ...the year Nancy was six. I looked up the company, Relpo, and learned that they are primarily known for many of the head vases that are so collectible now. 

Although I've been known to say that something looks "kitschy". I hadn't realized until I looked up Nancy's piece that "kitsch ceramics" is a term used to describe the thousands of mass-produced ceramic figurines that were so popular after WWII. Most were cheaply made in Japan...but many are now collectibles.

 

It seems that when I was a young girl in the 1950's, every girl my age had a "collection" of inexpensive ceramic animals, Siamese cats, or poodles on her dresser (displayed on a lacy pastel dresser scarf, of course). Maybe that's because they were available in every dime store in every small town and were one of few things we could actually afford with our 25 cent weekly allowances.

I always had this elephant on my dresser...now it's on my daughter's. My sister, Andi, and I each got one. I remember that the only way we could tell them apart was that one had a tiny green dot of paint on the back and the other didn't...and telling your stuff apart from your sister's stuff was very important as a kid!

My mother displayed a Relpo rooster just like this on our kitchen table in the 50's. Knowing my mother, a product of the Depression years, she's probably still got it somewhere.

My folks passed this ceramic Santa mug on to me at Christmas a few years ago. Inside was a little slip of folded paper on which my Mom had written, "We've put this out every Christmas since you were a baby...it's over 50 years old." (Doesn't every woman wants to be reminded of her age at the holidays?)

I'm happy to have Nancy's little Valentine girl on my dresser now. I feel as if I am taking care of it for her.

Who knows, maybe I'll start collecting more pieces on my flea market travels. Did any of you collect  kitschy little ceramic pieces when you were a kid? Have you saved any of them?

I'd love to hear your stories.

This post is linked to:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life