Category:Fairylite Foreign

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From the Land of Tea

In this installment of "From the Land of Tea," we take a look at a web page that was funded by my Patreon supporters, who had access to it one full year before the public.

  • Patreon Release Date: February 14th, 2021
  • Public Release Date: February 14th, 2022.

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Fairylite Foreign

All of the material you have access to here -- the fabulous tea cups, the instructive booklets, the nostalgic postcards, the boldly graphic matchbook covers, and all of the historical information researched and shared from the mind of the woman who is making it all happen -- can easily fit into one 8 x 10 foot room in an old Victorian farmhouse, but you would never see it without the investment of the time it takes to produce such a site and the caloric input such a site requires in the form of food for the writer, graphic designer, and database manager, as well as the US currency needed to pay for the computers, software applications, scanners, electricity, and internet connectivity that bring it out of that little room and into the world. So, as you can see, this site is the darling of many, and it is growing at a rapid rate ... but although it is "free," there also is a cost. Your financial support underwrites this cost.

Each new web page or sample pdf is circulated to Patrons as an unpublished galley proof or advance copy. After one year access for Patrons, each web page will be released to the public, while book pages will be available to the public as printed books, and copies will be sent to Patrons who subscribe at the upper two tiers.

Patrons have access to a Private Patreon sub-forum within the Lucky Mojo Forum, and will be accorded special Red Star Avatar badges at the Forum.

My Patreon supporters paid for these 4 pages From the Land of Tea and had access to them one full year before the public did.




Fairylite

Fairylite Foreign backstamp
Original boxed set of Fairylite Foreign cup, saucer, and instruction sheet for tea leaf reading
The Fairylite Empire Made Wheel of Knowledge box uses the same logo type as the Fairylite Foreign Cup of Knowledge, a style copied from the Aynsley Cup of Knowledge instruction booklet
A 1950s Fairylite Empire Made Wheel of Knowledge uses roulette wheel technology to deliver a fortune; here we see that the steel ball has dropped into the King of Hearts pocket, signifying that true love is at hand for the woman who spun the wheel
A 1950s Fairylite Made in England Court Card Pocket Patience game; it is a "15" puzzle using card suits as markers

Fairylite was a British manufacturer and also an importer of Asian-made novelties during the post World War Two era. They dealt in paper goods, playing cards, toys, games, and other small items. Depending on the nature of the merchandise and the place of manufacture, the items are marked "Fairylite Made in England," "Fairylite Foreign," or "Fairylite Empire Made."

Fairylite Foreign

"Foreign" is an old British legal mark for imported porcelain. It was used at a time when the specific nation of origin was not required to be placed on each piece. The Fairylite Foreign mark is only found on porcelain tea leaf reading sets.

"Foreign" is an old British legal mark for imported porcelain. It was used at a time when the specific nation of origin was not required to be placed on each piece. All "Fairylite Foreign" goods were made in Japan, and all were marked "foreign" with an underglazed backstamp. The same products were also made for export to the United States, but with other brand names.

Fairylite Empire Made

"Empire Made" is an old British legal mark for imported goods that were made outside of Britain, but in a nation that was part of the British empire (later the British Commonwealth). The Fairylite Empire Made brand is found on a variety of paper and plastic goods, probably produced in Hong Kong. The same products were also made for export to the United States, but with other brand names.

Fairylite Made in England

Most of the Fairylite products made in England were printed paper goods, paper and chipboard games with plastic markers, or plastic puzzle games.

The Fairylite Cup of Knowledge

The Fairylite Foreign porcelain tea leaf reading sets were made in Japan, and all were marked "Foreign" with a paper label.

The same products, from the same factory, were also made for export to the United States, but with other label names.

The B. Shackman brand used the same instruction booklet that Fairytlite Foreign used, without the Fairylite name.

Both of these booklets were unauthorized copies of the booklet designed to accompany the Aynsley Cup pf Knowledge, made in England. Because the English Aynsley company used a spurious Asian type font and dragon motif for its product, it seems justly ironic that an actual Asian pottery company stole the designs for use on the tea cups and booklets that they exported to England.

The Fairylite Wheel of Knowledge

The most interesting of the "Empire Made" goods -- for our purposes, at least -- is the Fairylite Wheel of Fortune and Knowledge. The logotype, dragon design, and box layout for the Fairylite divination roulette wheel is the same as that used on the Fairylite fortune tellng tea cup. This is a little plastic roulette wheel spinner, 4 inches in diameter, with 52 pockets, each marked with a different playing card. Turning the turret puts a tiny metal ball into play, and when the wheel stops its spin, one card has been selected, which gives the user a daily fortune. The Fairylite Wheel of Knowledge is a miniature roulette wheel contained within a 4 inch diameter bright green plastic case. You can read more about it and other Fortune-Telling Wheels and Spinners at my Your Wate and Fate web site.

The Fairylite Pocket Patience Game

The Fairylite Made in England Court Card Pocket Patience game is a "15" puzzle in which card suits are employed as markers. Its design is art deco, with no fontographic references to Asian motifs.


catherine yronwode
curator, historian, and docent
The Mystic Tea Room

See Also

Pages in category "Fairylite Foreign"

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