We Made Some Ink! Washingtonian Magazine July 2022

Being residents of the greater DMV (that's DC, Maryland, Virginia for those not in the know), the Washingtonian is our version of New York Magazine or Los Angeles Magazine, with features on local interest, published monthly.  And this month has a one-page feature on the Alice collection, only 6 years in the making!  Pictures below of the cover and our single page, and then an annotated page.

In the photo below, the numbered its are:

1. Regal Mad Hatter Teapot
2. Gund Queen of Hearts Vinylite Stuffed Toy
3. Regal White Rabbit Creamer
4. Zaccagnini (Italy) Cheshire Cat Figure
5. Disneyland White Rabbit Press/VIP Gift from 1984 Attraction Re-Opening
6. Neevel Doll Wardrobe Case
7. Lars (Italy) Bill the Lizard Stuffed Toy
8. 1970s Disneyland Child's Sunglasses
9. National Leather Mfg Co Schoolbag
10. Madame Alexander Doll
11. Larceram (France) Lamp
12. Chad Valley (England) Nursery Play-Toy Tin Stacking Blocks
13. Unknown Tweedledee/dum String Holder (likely unlicensed)
14. Enesco Head Vase
15. Sni-Dor (Canada) Record Player
16. Goebel (Germany) Dodo Smoker Ashtray
17. Unknown (England) Meal Time Dish Set
18. Hassenfeld Bros (Hasbro) Nurse Kit
19. Linemar Mad Hatter's Sky-View Taxi Tin Friction Toy
20. US Time Watch in Teacup Box

DFC Disneyana Expo Preview - Day 1

All this week, while I'm slogging my way cross-country in a cargo van filled with goodies, I'll be posting some highlights of what I'll have in my booth!  Starting with this rarity.  The Regal Mad Hatter Tea Pot.

These come up very rarely and I'm lucky to have this one.  Hake's sold one in 2010 for over $2000.  Come and get it!

Life Magazine Photo - Can You Find All the Alice Items? Answers!

Here's what I found in the photo, from left to right, top to bottom:

• Alice gift wrap (the pink square at the far left edge, not yet posted)
• 3 Vira greeting cards
• Gund White Rabbit and Mad Hatter dolls
• Live Flowers LGB
• unknown Alice candy box (!)
• Alice Madame Alexander doll
• Mad Hatter and March Hare Gund dolls
• unknown Alice child garment (!)
• Regal Alice shaker
• Evan K. Shaw figures - Mad Hatter, March Hare, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, White Rabbit, Mad Hatter again, Walrus
• Alice Tea Cup Watch

You get extra credit if you noticed the March Hare SP figure as a part of the Marx playset

Regal White Rabbit Sugar Bowl

The final piece of the Regal tea set is this White Rabbit sugar bowl. Odd that they did not use a different character for this piece, again I would have thought the March Hare or Dormouse would have made more sense. I think a Mad Hatter tea pot deserves a March Hare creamer and a Dormouse sugar bowl, don't you?

The White Rabbit's head is the lid for this bowl, very fitting given the Queen's favorite sentence.

It has been my experience that this piece is the rarest of the Regal tea set, not the Mad Hatter tea pot.

Regal White Rabbit Creamer

What tea set would be complete without a creamer? Here we have the White Rabbit creamer from the Regal tea set. His glasses and watch are highlighted in gold like some of the Alice shakers.

The White Rabbit makes an unexpected visit here, I would have thought the March Hare made more sense, but I guess the White Rabbit was perceived as a more popular character.

Regal King of Hearts Milk Jug

The only royalty in Regal tea set is this milk jug of the King of Hearts. As I recall this was the first piece of the tea set that I acquired.

He has an interesting design as well, with his crown acting as spout.

Regal Mad Hatter Tea Pot

Quite possibly the most sought after of all Disneyana of the 1950s is the Mad Hatter tea pot by Regal. It was for years misidentified by TOMART as a Shaw tea pot, but it is in fact a part of the Regal tea set.

The design is quite clever, with his hat as the lid, and the tea pot he holds in his right hand as the spout. The handle consists of a stack of tea cups held against his head by his left hand.

I first encountered this tea pot nearly 20 years ago, paid at the time what I thought was an outrageous price for it, but which later turned out to be quite a bargain. If you ever come across one, grab it!

Regal Tweedledee and Tweedledum Salt and Pepper Shakers

Ok, so given that there are 4 variations of Alice shakers in the Regal tea set, why on Earth did they do yet another set of shakers?! Tweedledee and Tweedledum are also a true set, with either 2 or 4 holes in the back of their heads. Their names are applied to their collars in gold, and it frequently rubs off being applied over-glaze.

Regal Alice Salt and Pepper Shakers

By far the most common of the Regal tea set are these Alice shakers.

These full color Alices are a true set, having either 3 or 4 holes in the back of her head.


And what rare Alice item would be complete without a variation or two, and the Regal shakers don't disappoint: there are a total of 4 variations of the Alice shakers. Firstly the full color shakers above, arguably the most desirable and fortunately the most common (although still quite rare). Second is a white variation with gold highlights and painted face, hair, stockings and shoes - essentially only missing the coloration on the dress and base. The paint job on Alice's mouth on this example is a little odd I must say.

Third is a white variation with gold highlights only including facial features. This is the next most common variation.

Fourth and final variation is the plain white shaker. Not sure if this was just a blank or if it was sold this way, I only have the one but have seen others.

The full set does make a very nice display, kinda like Alice in progress.

Regal Alice Cookie Jar

Considered the Holy Grail of Disney cookie jars is the Regal Alice cookie Jar. This jar is a monster. standing 13 inches tall, the centerpiece of the Regal Alice in Wonderland tea set!

Her torso comes off neatly to provide access to the cookies, much better than other figural jars where the head comes off, but I guess that would have been perfect if there had been a Queen of Hearts cookie jar (why didn't they think of that?).

Regal produced a lot of stuff in its day, most notably the Little Red Riding Hood series. But the Alice series is far from small as you shall see in the coming days. Stay tuned!