A History of Department 56 Villages

Have you ever read the background history of Department 56 Villages, and how they initially came to be?  We hope that you find this history as interesting as we did. Incidentally, this information was compiled from various sources found on the Internet. 

Way back in 1971, an elderly St. Louis potter, who created and sold ceramic items that he had made in his garage.  As a demo piece, he brought in a cookie jar shaped like a Victorian house to Bachmann's Florist located in Minneapolis.  Ed Bazinet, a giftware buyer for Bachmann's Florist, asked the potter to modify the cookie jar by cutting out the windows and inserting a light so that it could function as a nightlight and additionally glow like a real house.  Bazinet was pleased with the potter's outcome and many lighted houses were soon to follow. 

Now known as the 'Original Snow Village', which was comprised of 6 different houses,  these pieces initially sold for between $150 and $200 and became an instant hit.  (Not known to many, Snow Village were originally made of ceramic, not porcelain, and continue to be made of ceramic to this day, just as in the originals.)  Production became overwhelming for the St. Louis potter, so Bazinet moved production to Taiwan.  This is when the line was aptly named Department 56, the number assigned to this division at Bachmann's Florist. 

In 1984, Dicken's Village, and English Villages based on the classic "Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, was introduced.  These accessories and houses are made of fine porcelain which lends itself to depicting finer details.  Other Village Collections were soon to follow to include: 

New England Village

Alpine Village

Christmas in the City

Snow Village Halloween

North Pole Village

Disney Parks Village

Snow Frost Village

Downton Abbey (a 2014 debut)

Although Department 56 has produced several thousand different Villages and accessories, they have always enforced high-quality standards.  Each and every collectible figurine comes in a protective fitted styrofoam container and a printed cardboard sleeve. On the bottom of each house, Department 56 is sure to include the name of the piece and the year that it was copyrighted.  It is interesting to note that these dates are usually the year before their actual introduction.  Dept 56 Village pieces are constantly retired at the end of each year which causes even more of a demand by D56 collectors. We have been told from several Dept 56 collectors that the retirement stage oftentimes causes a frenzy amongst collectors trying to obtain that much desired village or accesory before it has been retired. 

Beacon's Glow Collectibles will be initially carrying the following Department 56 Villages but we plan on expanding our offerings in moving forward.  This is just a beginning to determine what both old and new Department 56 Village collectors truly want.

1.  Dicken's Village "A Christmas Carol"

2.  Downton Abbey

3.  Jim Shore Heartwood Creek Village

4.  Original Snow Village (to include Christmas Lane and Christmas Vacation)

5.  Original Snow Village Halloween

6.  Winter's Frost 

We will also be carrying Department 56 replacement parts.  If you are having difficulty finding a replacement part for anything Department 56-related, please email us at info@beaconsglow.com or give us a call at 512-990-9881 and we will do our best to track it down for you.

 

Many Dept 56 houses and accessories are already in stock and available to order, but  we are expecting the bulk of the 2014 introductions to arrive in June.

 

Quote of the Day - "Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present." - Jim Rohn

Erika Cattelani's Amazing Hand-Carved Wooden Dolls

Just received in our first shipment of Erika Catellani Dolls direct from Switzerland.  There was a total of nine (9) dolls in the shipment ranging from 6 - 10 inches in height.

These intricately designed dolls are hand-carved out of the finest maple wood and then Erika handpaints their cherubic little faces and their fingernails.  Each outfit is handmade as well and most contain either embroidery or smocking or both.

These heirloom-like collectible dolls each come from a very small limited edition which usually is 20 pieces.  (Clara, incidentally, is the #2 of an edition of only 6 dolls worldwide!)

10 inch dolls include:

1. Bianca
2. Elisa
3. Victoria
4. Heidi

8 inch dolls include:

1. Clara
2. Lina

6 inch dolls include:

1. Ella
2. Tina
3. Marie

We are so excited to get the opportunity to be an Erika Catellani retailer.  These very detailed collectable dolls definitely have the WOW factor.  Their stock photos are nice, but to see them in person is a different story.  If you look very closely, you can see the patterns in the wood itself which is pretty remarkable.

We have read that Erika has been referred to as a "modern day Geppetto" for her woodcarving skills.  She has won the coveted Eurodoll several years in a row.

Each of these dolls should truly be categorized as an heirloom to be passed down from doll collector to doll collector as time passes.

Quote of the Day - "Do not give up, the beginning is always the hardest." - Anonymous

A History of Boyd's Uncle Beans Treasure Boxes

We love it when we get in a Boyd's shipment earlier than expected.

 

In addition to several Boyd's Bearstones, we got in 8 new Boyd's Treasure Boxes.

 

Did you know the story behind these? Way back in 1996, founder of Boyd's G.M. Lowenthal, created miniature resin boxes ...called 'Uncle Bean's Treasure Boxes'. G.M. was know as the 'Head Bean', hence 'Uncle Bean's Treasure Boxes'. 

 

Anyway, each contains a McNibble miniature resin character that hides inside the hinged box. And there is always an escape hole purposely placed in the treasure box itself so the little McNibble can escape. (Note that in the brand new Cherry's Tomato it is very evident). The cool thing about Boyd's Treasure Boxes is that they take up very little space and there truly is room for just one more! And as is always the case, we place our orders with Boyd's Bears by Enesco very early so we are fortunate to get 1E editions.

Enter to Win in Our First Contest!

Win A Limited Edition Charlie Bear Collector's Print!

"Like" Us on Facebook for a chance to win a limited edition Charlie Bear Collector's print!  Winner can choose a print from 6 different styles - a $68.95 value.

Contest ends Sunday, March 2nd, and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.  Good luck!

Quote of the Day - "The sure way to success is to miss the opportunity." - Victor Chasles

Department 56 Downton Abbey Castle Replica

How many of you are Downton Abbey fans?  Did you know that more than 8 million fans watched the recent third season debut?  The show, aired on PBS, on Sunday nights has an astounding following.

Department 56 is introducing an incredible Downton Abbey castle replica which is expected to start shipping in early June.  We have already received several requests for this piece, and are thinking that this will be a 'must-have' for Downton Abbey fans.

Quote of the Day - "You miss 100% of the shots that you did not take." - Wayne Gretzky

Lorella Falconi Debuts 2014 Collectible Doll "Summer Breeze"

Don't you love this time of the year when doll and teddy bear artists debut their latest creations? 

We have been anxiously waiting to hear what Lorella Falconi Dolls incredible doll creations will be for 2014.  And this afternoon we were pleaed to hear from Lorella Falconi. Her latest creation is "Summer Breeze". 

She is a sweet sun-kissed doll with brunette hair and blue eyes.  Her little pal, Comet, can be ordered separately as well and he is from the 'Lorikens' collection. She is one summer sun-tanned little beauty!

As Lorella has stated:  "Summer Breeze" was inspired by this beautiful quote.

"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach.  One can collect a few, and they are more beautiful they are a few." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Minky Bear Bubbles and the 2014 TOBY Award Competition

It was definitely worth a try but Brenda's little Minky Bear, Bubbles, did not make it to the TOBY(Teddy Bear of the Year) finals.  Bubbles was entered within the "Small Dressed Bear" category.

But that does not mean that she will not stop trying. :)

Quote of the Day - "Commitment leads to action.  Action brings your dream closer." - Marcia Wieder