QUESTIONS FROM OUR WEBSITE
With election year in full
swing, there’s no time like the present to dip into the “CAS Mailbag” for a
question about the only “political” figurines Ceramic Arts Studio ever
released!
Dear CAS Collectors:
I recently purchased a pair of Ceramic Arts Studio animal figurines.
One’s a donkey, marked “Dem” on the base. The other, an elephant, is marked
“Rep”. Who are these contenders?
Polly Tician
Dear Polly:
You are lucky enough to have two
CAS figurines inspired by a Presidential campaign. Dem the Donkey and Rep
the Elephant were released in 1952, in honor of their respective political parties.
That year, the candidates for President were Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai
Stevenson II (as you no doubt remember, “Ike” emerged victorious.)
Dem & Rep were designed for CAS by “Rebus” (Ulle Cohen), the only
designer besides Betty Harrington to make a significant contribution to the
Studio line. Rebus, a World War II refugee, worked for several years at Ceramic
Arts Studio during the early 1950s, and his figurines feature a modern,
angular flair. According to one CAS decorator, the designer’s animals had
a “lean and hungry look – like Ulle himself”. Betty Harrington recalled that
Rebus would spend hours observing and sketching animals at
Dem & Rep are usually found as shakers, and, like most Rebus
figurines, are rather difficult to acquire. In mint condition, a current value
estimate would be $200-250 for the 3-3/4” pair. Larger 6" versions of
both animals were also released, but very few were manufactured, and seldom
turn up. When found, these range from $400-500 each. (If those are the ones
you’ve run across, you’re definitely an election year winner!)
Incidentally, Dem & Rep aren’t
the only Rebus donkey and elephant in the CAS menagerie. He also created the Mother
Donkey & Young Donkey, and the realistic elephant duo, Tembo & Tembino.
Betty Harrington’s contributions to this theme include the whimsical,
flower-adorned Daisy Donkey &
Elsie Elephant (plus a rare Elsie Planter); Benny Elephant &
Baby Annie; the early Small Elephant -- Trunk Down, (and the nearly
impossible to find Large Elephant – Trunk Down); and the Wee Elephant
Girl & Boy salt-and-peppers (the Girl’s trunk forms an “S” for
“salt”; the Boy’s a “P” for “pepper”.)
The votes for “
And, until next time, we tie up the top of the CAS
mailbag. Do you have a