Royal Doulton

The Royal Doulton - Dickens Character Jugs - collection.

In 1922, Miniature figures of Charles Dickens characters were produced at Royal Doulton’s factory in Burslem until 1983 and there have been variations in ceramic bodies, size and backstamps over the years.

Sixteen miniature bone china Dickens figures were introduced to the HN collection in 1922 and they were based on earlier stoneware models designed by Leslie Harradine.

In 1932 these HN figures were re-numbered as miniatures M41-M56.

In 1939 the collection was rounded off to eighteen models with the introduction of Bumble M76 and Cap’n Cuttle M77. These pre-war figures can be found with the early backstamps ‘Doulton’ or ‘Doulton England’.

In 1949, the series was briefly withdrawn and then re-introduced in a slightly larger size, most obvious is the increased depth of the base and the lack of any identification numbers. Six new characters were added to the collection in that year, making the set up to twenty-four. The Royal Doulton ‘Lion and Crown’ bone china backstamp was in use on all twenty-four figures during this period. When the ‘bone china’ reference is blocked out on the backstamp, this means that the figure was made in English Translucent China, which was first introduced in 1959.

In 1968, the figures increased in size again, (by approximately half an inch) when the clay body was changed from china to earthenware. All twenty-four figures in the collection were produced in earthenware and they were withdrawn between 1981 and 1983. In 1994, a limited edition figure of Charles Dickens himself was commissioned by Pascoe and Company, making a final total of 25 Dickens miniatures to collect: Check Our Royal Doulton Character Jugs for Sale.

Table: Royal Doulton Character Jugs

The Original Twelve Tinies

In 1940, Royal Doulton decided to produce six tiny character jugs which measured approximately 1 1/4" in height. After World War II, they decided to continue with this collection and introduced six more. These jugs have coined the term 'The Original Twelve Tinies' and are highly collectible due to to their short production time. The tinies required expert decorating skills, and the artists had to balance the tiny jugs on the end of their little fingers.

They were designed by three of the best known Royal Doulton Designers: Leslie Harradine, Harry Fenton and Charles Noke. The 'Original Twelve Tinies' are:

Table: The Original Twelve Tinies

The Royal Doulton figures of the year.

In 1991, Royal Doulton released its first Figure of the Year. This collection has become one of the most collectable and the Figures of the Year are:

Table: Royal Doulton figures of the year

The 'HN' stands for Harry Nixon who was the head of the new figure painting department at the Doulton studio, which included just three artists in the early years. View our selection of Royal Doulton Figurines for Sale.

Royal Doulton - Character Jug of the Year - collection.

In 1991 - The ‘Character Jug of the Year’ collection was launched with the Fortune Teller and each year these large size characters are Royal Doulton’s best selling jugs.

The subjects of the jugs are very varied, from nautical heroes to literary stars, but the one thing they all have in common is top quality modelling with excellent detail. It is a great honour for the artists to have their work chosen as the ‘Jug of the Year’ and Stan Taylor currently holds the record with five awards, closely followed by David Biggs with four.

Occasionally the ‘Jug of the Year’ commemorates specific events, such as the Jesse Owens tribute that was launched to mark the 60th anniversary of his medal winning games, and the Count Dracula jug, which celebrated the centenary of Bram Stoker’s original vampire novel.

For a brief period, between 2001 and 2003, the ‘Character Jug of the Year’ was produced in a limited edition of 1,000, but mostly they are limited to the year of issue.

The Character Jugs of the Year are:

Table: Royal Doulton Character Jug of the Year Collection