Original boxes and packaging are desirable among many serious collectors of any item. Merry Mushrooms are no different. The sturdy boxes that Merry Mushrooms were packed in are just as interesting as the pieces themselves and went through design changes over the years.
The Merry Mushrooms wall tiles pop up from time to time on eBay, but these were the first I've seen new in the package. In the catalogs, and confirmed by the packaging, the tiles are described at being .02 inch thick aluminum with a baked epoxy finish. Sold from 1978 to 1984, the pack of 24 tiles included 14 plain white tiles, 4 tiles with a large mushroom decal, and 6 tiles with a small mushroom decal. This item sat at a very modest price until a bidding war sent the price up to $129.50 plus shipping! They sold on November 16, 2020.
Turning any item over is instinctual for collectors. Is there a maker’s mark? Import sticker? A date or artist initials? All these are clues to identifying, verifying authenticity, and dating the object. Many Merry Mushrooms are backstamped, or marked, with some variation of “©Sears, Roebuck and Co.” and a variation of “Japan.” Some have printed or hand lettered text in black, others have one of three stickers. Other variations are with or without a year, or a comma after "Co.". Maybe it has a maker's mark. To keep things interesting, a few pieces seem to have no marks at all. This is a huge topic with many unknowns that will, hopefully, become known as this investigation deepens. You can help by sending photos of marks on your pieces.
In an effort to keep things organized, I'm planning a series of posts about marks, each one focusing on a single product that documents the different marks. And I picked a doozey to be first! For more on this topic, see UPDATE: Merry Mushrooms Maker's Mark. I came across this set of three round metal (aluminum?) enameled containers at the tiny The Shepherd's Attic thrift store in the equally small farming community of Chilton, Wisconsin.
This set absolutely caught my eye and made my heart jump. How did I not know about this?! The covered bowls nest cozily inside each other, which is how I found it. Taking off the largest lid, I found another container with a lid, and then the smallest, also with a lid. Simpson's, a Canadian department store, partnered with Sears in 1952. Their stores were known as Simpsons-Sears until 1984 when the partnership consolidated under Sears Canada. Though access to nearly 50-year-old foreign department store catalogs is challenging, Merry Mushrooms appear around 1973, three years after their debut in the U.S.
Today, Canadian Merry Mushrooms are regularly listed on eBay and other auction sites, often with prices in Canadian dollars. At first it can be daunting to differentiate between foreign and domestic fungi, due to the strong resemblance of the embossed and decal designs. But after taking a moment to consider the differences, identification can be done with confidence. Let’s start with a look at four Canadian ceramic pieces with embossed designs and compare them to their U.S. counterparts. Future Family Album posts will cover other ceramic pieces, including uniquely Canadian products, and cookware. Ceramic pieces were described in the Simpson-Sears catalogs as “made in Canada” and “hand-painted and created by Canadian artisans.” The ceramic pieces differ slightly in detail and color from the pieces available in the United States. Recently, the dangerous business of digging through bins of kitchenware at thrift stores finally paid off when I found this Merry Mushrooms carving knife. It is in rough shape but it is undeniably part of the collection. And for a very affordable $.99. But when I took a closer look, something clicked and I realized that the handle designs changed!
On July 4, 2019, the third season of Netflix's Stranger Things dropped. Stranger Things is a sci-fi horror series that is chocked full of 1980s pop culture nostalgia and references for of those of us of a certain age.
This season begins in June 1984 but most of the action takes place from June to October 1985. In the first episode, Suzi, Do You Copy?, Winona Ryder's character, Joyce Byers, comes home and finds that her two sons are not home. She microwaves a solitary meal of Stouffer's lasagna and peas before settling in to watch Cheers. Prominantly featured on the counter are two embossed ceramic Merry Mushrooms canisters. There was a spike in interest in our favorite fungi around that time. Coincidence? Wonder if Stouffer's experienced the same surge in attention. One of the most interesting and unusual Merry Mushrooms pieces is the Ice Cooler/Stool. Billed in the only catalog it appears in as "great for patio, kitchen, boat, etc.", this cooler is 21" high and 14 1/2" in diameter.
Because it has such apparent limited availability, I was very surprised (so was the cat) to find one listed on eBay. Given its age and the fact it has been used, it is in great condition. Before I could justify spending the money, it sold on less than a day later on July 29, 2020 for the buy it now price of $150.00. Are you the lucky buyer? Are you going to use it on your boat? Send pics!
It may be from October 2014, but it demonstrates the passion we Merry Mushroomers have for our favorite retro kitchenware. I love hearing that clink of the canister lids!
How did I miss this?! The listing on letgo.com only says it sold 1+ month ago, so it may be years. Whoever bought all this for $22 was very, very lucky. However, because it was sold to benefit a no-kill animal shelter makes me wish the lot went for so much more.
Look! There are two plant water spikes! A round cheese board with the cover! And the teapot! There are even original boxes lurking in the background. Though I missed out on this, it is exciting to see the plant water spikes in the wild. |
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