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The Charming Tails collection of figurines and other collectibles was created by artist Dean Griff. They feature his original artwork and designs of a small group of woodland animals who live in the whimsical village of Squashville.
Charming Tails first appeared for Christmas 1992 as a set of 12 ornaments, known at the time as the Woodland Collection. They were released by Silvestri and went on to become some of the best-selling ornaments of the Christmas 1992 season.
In 1994, the Woodland Collection was renamed to Charming Tails. More pieces were added to the collection and the popularity of the range continued to increase; so much so that a collector's club was started at the International Collectible Expo in Rosemont in 1996, called the Acorn Society. The official collector's club was a huge success. In 1997 it was renamed to the Charming Tails Leaf and Acorn Club and it is still active under that name today. The club newsletter is called the Squashville Gazette.
Over the years, a number of unofficial collector's clubs have also been created:
- A Mixed Bag of Nuts (AMBON)
- The Squashville Gang
- The Spring Charmers
- Charming Friends of Central NY
Fitz & Floyd, Silvestri's parent company, ran into some financial difficulties in 1997 and underwent some restructuring. As a result, Silvestri was spun off to Syratech Corporation, but Fitz & Floyd kept Charming Tails as its own division. Charming Tails remained part of the Fitz & Floyd group until May 2009, when the division was acquired by giftware giant, Enesco.
The Charming Tails collection has been honored with several awards throughout its history. In 1997, Dean Griff was the NALED (National Association of Limited Edition Dealers) "Artist of the Year" and Charming Tails was their "Rising Star Award" recipient for the same year. Dean Griff was runner-up for the Artist of the Year in 2001 also. The International Collectible Exposition awarded Dean the "Collectibles Artist of the Year" award in 2000.
In January 1999, Charming Tails Textiles was launched, under license to Manual Woodworkers and Weavers.
There are now well over 1,500 pieces comprising the Charming Tails collection, in the form of resin figurines, hanging ornaments, miniature lighted houses, ceramic, waterglobes, plush, glass and textile. Dean Griff remains actively involved with Charming Tails, creating the original drawings and approving each piece. He can often be seen promoting new pieces on signing tours.
(c)2012 Woolvey LLC |
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