Caroler Chronicle: Newsletter

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"Rocking horses were very popular toys in the mid 1800s. When I found this rocking horse I thought, 'What fun . . .again a new challenge--a figure without a base.' We purchased two gross of the rocking horses, and I made each one of them, as our artisans had enough on their plates with Scrooge's hands. " ~Joyce

"She is one of my favorite Christmas figures. This charming little girl with long blonde hair, a long white gown and candles on her head brings Christmas breakfast to her family while they are still in bed. " ~Joyce

"Our customers like bicycles, so we have created several versions of a boy with a bike. The first was a Dutch boy with a basket of flowers on the handlebars. The 2008 figure is a newsboy announcing our 30th Anniversary just as he announced our 25th Anniversary in 2003." ~Joyce

"The original Victorian Santa was the first Santa not in Christmas red. He held many goodies including a cinnamon stick and a basket of spices, which gave him a lovely fragrance." ~Joyce

"In 1983, I was reflecting on the fact that there is a lot more to Christmas than song and good cheer. We needed Scrooge to give us some balance. The original figure posed the challenge of hands. Our artisans rose to the occasion by sculpting thousands of mini clay hands. Because of the amount of breakage, the clay hands were later replaced with mittens." ~Joyce

"In 1982, there was little attempt to dress the Carolers in historically-correct costumes. One figure was actually dressed, more or less by accident, all in black with a black stovepipe hat and a long, colorful scarf. This was about as close as we got to the true fashions of the mid-1800's. Betty Steward, a New England rep fell in love with him and named him 'Ichabod.' From that time on, orders started arriving with requests for Ichabod. " ~Joyce

"Old Befana, the frequently requested well-loved Italian Christmas Witch, has returned. Those of you who visit Byers' Choice at Christmas are lucky if you happen to meet our own beloved Befana, Maria, who--when she isn't handing out special treats--is hard at work behind the scenes at Byers' Choice. " ~Joyce

"Charles Dickens described Sandwich Board Men as 'a layer of flesh between two boards.' These boards were used to advertise everything and anything a 19th century man could want. The 2008 Sandwich Board Man is advertising Tom Smith's Christmas Crackers. " ~Joyce

"The original Parson was to be a reverent man, and a great deal of attention was given to posing him with his Bible. If you have one of these figures, you can see that a portion of the Bible is actually printed in his mini missal. " ~Joyce

"The Apple Lady launched the series 'The Cries of London.' She was a huge success and has remained the most sought-after figure we have ever made. We sold many more Apple Ladies than we anticipated and ran out of fabric several times. Consequently, different stockings--some striped and some not-- and different skirts were used." ~Joyce