Two Cookie Jar Discoveries

Two Cookie Jar Discoveries
by Kathryn Park

Do you have any jars in your collection that you can't identify? I do, of course, but recently was able identify the manufacturers of two of my jars. For several years, I have collected vintage cookie jars, relying on the various books by Joyce Roerig, Mike Schneider and others for information about the jars I have and those still on my Wish List. I have two jars, however, one of which is not in any book and the other one, in the Schneider book, is simply listed as by an unknown maker. I had some luck and was able to establish which manufacturer made both jars, and will share the stories with you.

THE HOSPITALITY HOSTESS JAR
This jar is just terrific. It is a figural jar of a lovely smiling woman wearing a fetching pink striped dress, and carrying a basket with a banner that says "Hospitality Hostess". The jar is unmarked and is not listed in any book. The pottery is obviously older, as there is crazing typical of a vintage jar. A dealer located on the West Coast found this jar. And with it, she found a little matching bell, clearly bearing the sticker "Poinsettia Studios California." Poinsettia Studios was a California based pottery manufacturer, that operated in the 1950s, according to Mike Schneider's book entitled CALIFORNIA POTTERIES, THE COMPLETE BOOK. I have been able to find very little additional information about this company, and I know of no other cookie jars that it produced. Occasionally, on ebay, I have seen other Poinsettia Studios pieces, particularly little bells, similar to the one that matches my jar. The dealer I purchased this jar from believed that it might have been a prize for a Welcome Wagon lady. I remember those ladies from an early move during my childhood, bringing local information to my mother. Its nice to think that this jar might have been a prize for an especially dedicated Welcome Wagon hostess, but I will never know. I am proud to have this beautiful rare jar in my collection.

THE ELF ON THE BEEHIVE JAR

If you have perused Mike Schneider's cookie jar reference book as often as I have, you will recognize this jar of a cute little elf boy sitting on a beehive bearing the word COOKIES. The jar is shown on page 261 of the second edition of Schneider's book, next to a similar jar of a little bear on a hive. That bear jar has been identified as an American Bisque jar by Mary Jane Giacomini in her ABC guide. For Christmas a dear friend of mine sent me an unexpected present. I arrived home after work to find a UPS package waiting. When I opened the box, there was the elf on the hive jar smiling at me in perfect condition. But to my even greater surprise and pleasure, it has on the underside of its base an equally mint American Bisque Company sticker. And as far as I know, it is the only elf jar ABC made!

CONCLUSION
I would love both of these jars even if I never knew which company had made them. But I am pleased to be able to share this bit of cookie jar info, as it contributes a little knowledge to the history of this collectible. So little is really known about our vintage jars -- they were made inexpensively, and sold inexpensively, and few at the time thought to keep records or otherwise document the jars.

Matching Bell