Ornaments - In Progress
Back in 2006 I wrote an article “Did You Know Homer Laughlin Makes Ornaments?” for the quarterly magazine “The Dish”. (Vol 9 No.2 pg. 8-11).
Below are portions of that article with pictures that were published. I revised some of the text and included additional pictures and information. This page will give you some history on the evolution of the Fiesta® ornament, as well as some interesting facts about some of the early designs.
Please remember that this was written in 2006. There have been a LOT of ornaments produced since then. There were a lot of aftermarket ornaments produced and sold as well.
You can find a detailed list with photos of the ornaments that we have been able to document as being produced by the factory. Just click on this link “Ornament Photo Gallery” to view.
Dish shaped ornaments have officially been produced in all colors EXCEPT: Rose, Apricot, Periwinkle Blue, Sea Mist Green, Lilac, Sapphire, Pearl Gray.
However, the above colors are known to exist.
Evolution of the Fiesta® Ornament by Maryann Cannon
You would not believe the number of times we heard at the 2006 HLCCA Conference, “Homer Laughlin makes ornaments?” In fact, since 1996 when the first idea of an ornament being added to the Fiesta® line was discussed, there have been 80-plus (as of 2006) ornament designs either made by or licensed by the Homer Laughlin China Company.
The First Ornament Designs
When HLC first started designing the ornament, Johathan Parry (former HLC Art Director) designed round, ball-type ornaments. They measured 3-3/8 inches in diameter and incorporated the familiar Fiesta® rings embossed on the sides and around the circumferences. He even included the Fiesta® incised stamp on the bottom of the ornaments. As he designed the molds for these ornaments, he realized that this design would not be able to be put into production. Can you imagine what would happen to your Christmas tree branches if you hung just one of these weighty ornaments on it?
The illustration to the left is me taking the photos of the original ornaments under the watchful eye of David Conley, the former director of retail sales & marketing for Homer Laughlin China.
The below illustrations are of the first ball shaped ornaments. There were two designs that were provided for me to photograph.
Remember these were 3-3/8″ in diameter and made of clay.
How the Ornaments Evolved
I am not positive on which “plate” ornament style came first, but from my research I’m taking an educational guess on the order they were designed.
The first prototype “plate” style ornaments were extremely flat. The front had lots of rings, and a ridge around the edge. The reverse side had a dry foot (unglazed) around the outer edge and an incised backstamp. (see below illustrations in Turquoise)
Thank you to Denyse Wentland for the use of her photo to the right. (Lilac and Perwinkle)
The next attempts more closely resembled the actual Fiesta® classic rim dinner plate: slightly curved with the concentric rings in the center of the ornament and around the edge. The reverse sides also evolved into a design resembling the back side of a Fiesta® dinner plate, including the dry foot.
Different style hangers evolved from an elaborate layered finial to a little less elaborate design.
HLC then experimented with a simple loop style which resembled an ornament wire hook. This design was problematic, as the thin-style loop which broke quite often during production. (note: the notch at the bottom of the ornament on in the left photo.)
HLC next tried a slightly-filled-in loop with a fairly large hole (left), and finally the current thick, filled-in tab with just a small hole for the hanger. (right)
Ornaments Go Into Production
Fiesta’s® first officially produced ornament was the Holly & Ribbon design dated 1997 (shown right). This decorated ornament was released in March 1997 and was available through the HLC retail outlet store in Newell, WV. This Holly & Ribbon design has been produced almost every year from 1997 to 2022.
Dish shaped ornaments have officially been produced in all colors EXCEPT: Rose, Apricot, Periwinkle Blue, Sea Mist Green, Lilac, Sapphire, Pearl Gray. However, theese colors are known to exist.
Dancing Lady Ornaments
HLC also designed a Dancing Lady ornament in 1997. This design was applied to solid-colored ornaments (non White). There have been numerous different Dancing Lady designs over the years. The first design was used from 1997 to 2000.
From what I’ve been able to research, HLC did not produce this design from 2001 thru 2003.
In 2004, HLC brought back the Dancing Lady ornament, but with some design changes. Her dress was now solid, and the date became larger. This new design was produced since 2004 (except for the years 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013) through approximately 2022.
In 2020 FTC released a new Dancing Lady on White with the Dancing Lady’s dress done in the newest glaze color.
Embossed Ornaments
The early embossed ornaments have been the hardest to research. Jonathan Parry designed these ornaments sometime in 1996. Until 2009, there were nine known different colored embossed ornaments; White, Cobalt Blue, Yellow, Turquoise, Periwinkle Blue, Persimmon, Pearl Gray, Juniper, and Cinnabar. They were all done with an embossed disc pitcher.
However, the rarity of these ornaments changed when the HLCCA (Homer Laughlin China Collectors Association) had a teapot version produced (0917) for their organization in 2009. The club released about 3 new colors each year. In 2013 they re-introduced the embossed disc pitcher (1435) ornaments and included the 1996 tested colors of White, Turquoise and Cobalt Blue in their color lineup. As of this printing, 2017 was the last year HLCCA produced these types of ornaments.
In 2011 HLC produced a special 75th anniversary embossed ornament in 12 different colors. The colors were: Black, Cobalt Blue, Ivory, Lemongrass, Marigold, Paprika, Peacock, Plum, Scarlet, Sunflower, Tangerine, and Turquoise.
While on a factory tour, during an HLCCA conference, the 75th anniversary ornaments were being produced. There were racks and racks of 75th anniversary bisque ornaments waiting to be glazed and fired.
Blank Ornaments
When visiting the HLC/FTC Retail Factory Outlet in Newell, WV, you can occasionally find blank (undecorated) ornaments. These are sold at the outlet as they could not be used for decaling due to a production flaw.
There are blanks in every Post 86 color glaze including raspberry.
Licensed Ornaments
Creative Imagination, Inc. was licensed by HLC to produce miniature resin ornaments styled after Fiesta® dinnerware. They measured 2 3/4″ h x 2 5/8″ w x 2″ d. There were four different colors: yellow, green (sea mist), blue (cobalt blue) and red (persimmon) in five different Fiesta® shapes: cup and saucer set, vintage carafe, sauceboat with small oval platter, disc pitcher, and vintage covered casserole.
Unlicensed Ornaments
Seasons of Cannon Falls produced a yellow miniature ceramic look-a-like of a vintage Fiesta® pitcher. It measures 2-5/8″ h x 2-1/2″ w x 1-3/8″ d. These were produced without the consent of The Homer Laughlin China Company. Needless to say, Seasons of Cannon Falls was forced by HLC to take these cute little look-a-like ornaments off the market. You can occasionally find them on the second hand market.
The illustration to the left is the Seasons of Cannon Falls ornament (left) by a Post 86 mini pitcher (right).