Regal China

Alice in Wonderland Series (Disney) (1950s) - Regal China produced a line of figures from the Disney film "Alice in Wonderland." This fanciful series was called the "Alice in Wonderland Series." All the pieces are copyrighted and signed "Walt Disney Productions." Alice in Wonderland pieces are very hard to find. Most of them are considered rare. The pieces that can be found in the set consist of an Alice Cookie Jar, White Rabbit Sugar and Creamer, King of Hearts Jug, Alice Salt and Pepper, Tweedledum and Tweedledee shakers, and a Mad Hatter teapot. The quality of the Regal China pieces is exceptional. The colors are brilliant. Occasionally pieces are found with gold trim.

Bendel / Van Tellingen Snuggle Hugs and Peek-aBoo - Regal China produced a cookie jar and shakers called Peek-a-Boo. This lovely set was designed by Ruth Van Tellingen Bendel. Mrs. Bendel was a well know illustrator for children's books. She also designed our much loved Bendel / Van Tellingen Snuggle Hugs (often called Huggies). Regal China also produced these adorable sets. These shakers were produced under both the Bendel and Van Tellingen names. These lovely shakers were produced in large quantities in a small size. There is also a harder to find large size in some of the shakers. There were bears, rabbits, a girl and lamb, a girl and sailor, a boy and a dog, love bugs, and ducks. All of these shakers came in several different color combinations. The original patent application date on these shakers was 1949 and the earlier issues will be marked "patent pending.". Items with a patent number and marked Bendel are all dated 1958.

Puss and Boots- Regal made this kitchenware cat series. Pieces produced include a cookie jar, covered sugar, milk pitcher, and a salt and pepper. These pieces are often confused with Shawnee's "Puss and Boots" pieces. It is easy to see why, the items from the two companies are so similar. The easiest way to tell the difference between Shawee and Regal is to look at the top of the front of the hat. The Shawnee cat has a bird on its hat while the Regal cat is decorated with a fish. Other subtle differences include a slight difference in the angle of the ears, and the colors and decals used for decorating. The Regal Puss and Boots collection has all the quality you expect of Regal pieces.

Red Riding Hood- Red Riding Hood items were produced by many companies during the 1940s, but the largest and best quality line came from Regal. From what we can gather The Hull Pottery Company owned the Patent for the Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar. Based on this fact, it has been assumed that Regal made or decorated the Little Red Riding Hood line for Hull. I am not sure that I believe this . The Hull cookie jar (produced by Hull) bears very little resemblance to the one made by Regal. The pottery itself is a different consistency. I have seen cookie jars which Hull definitely made, but I have never seen another piece of Red Riding Hood that I believe was made at the Hull factory. I do believe that Regal decorated, and perhaps made some of the Hull style cookie jars for Hull. Perhaps they produced the rest of the line under contract to Hull, but I am not sold on this fact. At any rate the confusion about Red Riding Hood may never be completely worked out. Because of the non-porous pottery, and the fact that Red Riding Hood pieces are seldom ever found with crazing, it is likely that 99% of the Red Riding Hood line was produced by Regal.

The Red Riding Hood Line was extensive. It was produced basically as a kitchen line, but other items were also offered for sale. There are canisters, pitchers, cracker jars , string holders, match holders, lamps, and the list goes on. This is a fascinating and fun to collect pattern.

Red Riding Hood items have been a target for reproduction in the last few years. Reproductions are all over the internet and eBay, being sold as vintage pieces. These reproduction items are very poor quality. The makers mistakenly thought that making these pieces complete with crazing would convince people they are old. REGAL CHINA SELDOM CRAZES. The quality was superb. If someone is offering you a piece of Red Riding Hood with even crazing all over--- CHANCES ARE IT IS BRAND NEW! There is nothing wrong with buying a reproduction item if you paying a reasonable price and know that is what you want. However if you are wanting old Red Riding Hood -KNOW ALL YOU CAN ABOUT YOUR COLLECTIBLE. Make sure that the dealer you are buying from has a good reputation and will allow you to return an item if there is a problem.