Baaaah, It's Easter time!

It's almost Easter again and 

I've been busy decking out the house

for the season!

Do you notice anything new

on the dry goods pantry? 

 Let's go in for a closer look.

 Presenting the new, but very old, 

lamb head cookie jar! 

 So whimsical and fun,

 I think he's just adorable!

 I won him on Ebay!

I've been wanting to add a lamb to the 

Ozark Easter collection for some time, 

I just couldn't find a design that appealed to me.

That is, until I spotted this cookie jar!

 With his pastel colors, a super sweet face,

 a smart bow tie, and that little straw hat, 

I just knew he'd fit right in.

This was one of the few listed that included 

his lamb crier noise box still in place, 

tucked inside his hat.  

Unfortunately time has taken its toll

and dry rot has claimed the inner bladder

so it doesn't make any noise.

I found very little info about this jar online.

However, I do know it was created by 

Metlox Pottery under their "PoppyTrail" line.

Maybe sometime in the 60's or 70's. 

 My jar's label is still attached to the 

shirt collar, the embossing is there 

but the black ink has faded away.

 Here's a pic of a pristine "PoppyTrial" label.

Metlox Pottery got its start in 1927

in Manhattan Beach, California 

Next to the Santa Fe Railroad track

for easy shipping.

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The name Metlox is a combination of 

Metal and Oxide, which refers 

to the pigments used in their glazes.

They started producing brightly 

colored dinnerware in 1932.

image source

Introduced in 1934, "PoppyTrail,"

 named after Evelyn White's

book on California wildflowers,

"California Poppy Trails,"

became one of the company's most

popular and enduring product lines,

its pieces still sought by collectors.

source

image source

In 1946 Metlox hired Bob Allen 

and Mel Shaw as art directors.

Both Allen and Shaw worked as 

animators for Harman-Ising Productions,

image source

and Shaw had also worked for

Walt Disney Studios.

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The two had formed a design partnership

that included toy design, architecture,

and ceramic design.

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Under the leadership of this artistic duo,

Metlox began to introduce some

wonderfully creative shapes, and uninhibited

and imaginative patterns in the 50's and 60's

source

I must admit, I can definitely see a 

cartoonist's influence in the

design of this little lamb cookie jar.

He already looks right at home 

with the other whimsical Easter treasures.

Thanks for stopping by

and happy hunting!