QUESTIONS FROM OUR WEBSITE
Dear CAS Collectors:
I recently ran across a
cute figurine of a little girl playing a drum. She’s marked “Ceramic Arts
Studio,” and the dealer told me there’s a whole set of child musicians by CAS.
Are there? If so, I’d like to collect them all, as I’m a musician myself!
Pia Nola
Dear Pia:
Yes, CAS did release a set of kids playing musical
instruments. Two sets, actually. There’s the Musical
Trio (Accordion Boy, Banjo Girl, and Harmonica Boy), and the Children’s
Orchestra (Flute
Girl, Drum Girl, Saxophone Boy, Guitar Boy, and Bass Viol Boy.) That
means you need 7 more figurines to make beautiful music with your Drum Girl.
Both sets date from 1948, and all the figures were designed
by Betty Harrington, the primary designer for Ceramic Arts Studio. As Tim
Holthaus notes in our book, Ceramic Arts Studio: The Legacy of Betty
Harrington, “the
complete suite is one of the most charming entries in the CAS children’s
series. Harrington’s ability to breathe life into her figures is especially
evident here; one can almost hear music coming from the instruments,
and feel the energy as the group plays to an audience of proud family
members. A continuing theme of Harrington’s action figures is their ability to
magically transport the viewer into a situation.
This set is a perfect example of her talent in that regard.”
By the way, there’s a rare variant of the figure you already have. It’s the Drum Girl Bank. Although not difficult to manufacture (it simply entailed cutting a
slot in the greenware), the process was evidently not employed very often; this
variation seldom appears on the market.
Today, the child musician figures, in good condition,
average $50-75 each. Best wishes on your quest to “strike up the band!”
And with that, the drawstrings are pulled tight on this
issue’s “CAS Mailbag.” For answers to your CAS-related questions, just send
them to Donald-Brian Johnson’s attention at: donaldbrian@msn.com. Hopefully, he
may even be able to come up with the correct solutions!