ZANY ZOOKIES

Susan Brewer dusts off some caricature animal ornaments

- Susan Brewer

If you are a fan of happy animals, someone who likes to see smiley giraffes or grinning tigers, then you should look out for Zookies, a range of distinctive animals and birds that first appeared in 1956. At the time, many people collected ornaments, and homes had collections arranged on a sideboard or mantlepiece. Probably the most prolific maker of animal figures at the time was Wade, which specialised in miniature, dainty realistic pieces, the opposite of the large chunky caricature Zookies.

Zookies were made by JH Weatherby & Sons of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. The company was founded by John Henry Weatherby, in 1891, often using the tradename Falcon Ware. Confusingly, there were three Falcon potteries in the Stoke-on-Trent area of Staffordshire, all separate concerns. At first, Weatherby concentrated on manufacturing domestic items such as basins, tableware and vases, before later producing china for the hotel and catering trade. Just as with similar factories, during World War Two, the company's decorated items, which required many people hours, were designated luxuries and were mainly sold abroad to earn foreign currency. However, undecorated china was produced for the British domestic market, and the restrictions were not fully lifted until 1952.

The Weatherby family had a long tradition of pottery connections, beginning as far back as 1726 when a potter named John Weatherby moved to London, and 24 years later became a part owner of the Bow Pottery. John Henry Weatherby, born in 1843, was a descendant who worked in several potteries before realising his dream of owning his own factory. He opened a concern at Tunstall, Stoke-onTrent. In 1892, after various problems with the business and the lease, he moved the business to premises in Hanley, which had been the site of a defunct Falcon Pottery.