Picking Favorites @ Department 56
There’s an old saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes.” There’s debate on who originated that saying, but after the past week I’m going to say it was a Minnesotan! We went from surpassing 90 degrees last week to being in the low 40s today. Some may hate that type of temperature swing, but I joyfully pulled a fleece back out of my winter tote and am feeling invigorated by the cold weather backdrop to blog about Villages today!
When I take a moment to step back from new development, May is quite an exciting time of year for Village collectors. First is 5/6 Day, which I must thank all of you for making such a success this year. Our first D56 Exclusive Harry Potter “CAST OF CHARACTERS – S/5” was a tremendous hit, even on preorder, and I hope you like the pieces once they arrive in September. I know that Master Artist, Paul Lundberg, spoke with Ms. Lit Town, Melinda Seegers, on the recent Facebook Live about the pieces, but I will add that there are many elements in this set that were intentional. For instance, Petunia and Dursley match perfectly to the 2024 introduction “NO. 4 PRIVET DRIVE”.
But because this piece was a Limited Edition and retired, you will only be able to get the matching lit house on the secondary market unless you are lucky enough to find a remaining piece at your local Village retailer.
And for those admirers of our 2025 introduction “MALFOY MANOR”, you may appreciate Dobby as an additional accessory to sit alongside “DEATH EATERS – S/2”. I cannot confirm nor deny that The Sorting Hat, Fawkes, and Professor Trelawny may be important to future Harry Potter Village pieces, but I will reiterate what I said above: elements in this set were intentional. There’s always a through-story in Villages!
May also marked the announcement of new ownership for Village D-Lights magazine. We are joined by NCC Leadership, past and present, in our excitement for the new owner and publisher, Benjamin Osten, as he takes over the reins of the beloved publication. In support, we have collectively agreed to provide Ben and his team with content, so for those who are fans of A Peek Inside, I encourage you to check out the revamped Village D-Lights for more sneak peeks on what we have in development!
Of course, I’d be remissed if I didn’t mention that May marks the start of many of the 2025 introductions hitting store shelves. It’s a fun time of year for collectors to begin discussing the pieces and declaring their favorites. I intend no conceit when I say that it’s tough choosing just one introduction as a favorite, but it’s a fun challenge, nevertheless. I’ve been asked the question many times over the past months, and it’s not gotten any easier. Favorite Dickens’ Village introduction, easy! Favorite Original Snow Village piece this year, cakewalk! But to choose just one piece as a standout amongst standouts takes a lot of consideration, but I’m prepared to share my shortlist with all of you here.
Coming in at #3 for me for 2025 is “BELDAM”. I studied animation at university, so the movie Coraline always held a special spot in my heart. But after 9 months of back and forth with the licensor, this piece almost did not come to fruition for 2025 (and almost spoiled my love for the film!!). Our challenge was achieving the detail requisite to the licensor, but at a scale necessary to our new Fright Avenue series. In fairness, their requests were not unreasonable, but it was difficult for us to achieve the requisite detail in the tiny scale of Village, so we went rounds and rounds trying to find a design we were both happy with. We ultimately found success in the difficult combination of stone resin for the main figure and cast metal for the intricate bones of her hands. The combination of materials is indiscernible to most, but when you see the piece in person you’ll appreciate how incredibly delicate her little bones are!
In second place for me for 2025 is another figure, actually – “A SHAVE IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS”. We began the coordinating lit house, “A LITTLE OFF THE TOP”, back in 2023, but it got shelved because it lacked a story. For those who have been following my blog, you’ll know that I insist every piece we develop has a story. Even a weak story is stronger than no story whatsoever, and this building began as just an interesting shape. I shelved it because it missed the “why” for me, and it was not until Master Artist, Tom Bates, approached with the figure design that the piece clicked. We debated for a long time if “the Santaverse” should exist but ultimately liked the story of multiple working Santas standing in line for a quick trim and a hope to see the Big Man himself and report on the behaviors of the children they’d seen. In the end, I adore Nick’s, but what I love so much about “A SHAVE IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS” is how perfectly it tells a story all unto itself, not to mention how giftable it is for everyone from your hard-to-buy-for uncle to your barber, or both!
Before I get to my favorite introduction for 2025, I’ll offer an Honorable Mention. “HOME ON THE RANGE” was one of the first 3 lit buildings we intended to launch under our new Christmas Canyon series, but due to unforeseen challenges overseas, the debut of the line had to be postponed until next year. Still, trust me when I tell you that this line is certainly worth the wait! What makes “HOME ON THE RANGE” so special, for me, is not that it starts a Village my Phoenix-dwelling nephews will love, but on the lanai floor, there amongst the teeny tiny terra cotta tiles, are fantastic little Talavera decals by Master Artist, Paul Lundberg. The piece was exceptional as it was, but those tiny little floor tiles are such a perfect example of our commitment to quality that it cemented it as one of my favorites immediately!
I truly do love every piece we launched this year. I could spend days sharing the love/hate journeys we had developing each. But in the end, because I’m pressed, there is one piece that stands out for me as the top introduction for 2025, and that’s “FRAZIER’S FRESH & FESTIVE – S/2”. This set was a three-way collaboration between Master Artists Scott Enter, Kiri Namtvedt, and me. Scott did the design of the building, Kiri created the figure, and I did the paint and decal work. But just because I contributed to this piece is not the reason I love it so much; my reasoning is deeper and more personal.
Even before I was in product design, I used to frequent a boutique greenhouse and gift shop near where I went to university in Ohio, Donzell’s. It’s sadly no more, but back in the day, Donzell’s would erect incredible vignettes of Christmas trees and animated, life-size mannequins to help sell their products. They were meticulously designed and themed to impress, and even if you didn’t need anything, you still found your way to Donzell’s just to see the sights and join in the merriment.
As you stood in line to get into the shop, the smell of pine would fill the air. Freshly-cut swags and stems draped overhead, as wreaths of every manner of greenery brimmed from hooks along the windows. The combination of sight and smell defined a trip to Donzell’s and lives with me to this day. It was only natural when we began planning the initial pieces for our new Scenterville collection, those trips to Donzell’s filled my heart again, this time with inspiration. An artist’s mind is full of influence, and the hometown, high-end luxe that was Donzell’s was muse for the colors and decals I developed on this design.
It also stands to mention that one of my favorite Christmas pieces I display each year was a Department 56 piece I purchased at Donzell’s. “THE PERFECT TREE” – part of the Holiday Silhouettes collection – was one of the most intricately-realized designs I had ever seen and still holds that honor to this day. I amaze myself every holiday that the little candles have survived another year, but imagine my surprise when I was hired at Department 56 to learn one of my reports, the legendary Kristi Pierro, was the artist who designed “THE PERFECT TREE.” It felt symbolic somehow for me to be part of the organization, working with the very artist who created one of my favorite Christmas heirlooms.
I digress a bit, but like the weather, wait five minutes and I may change my mind again. I’m fairly confident what I’ve listed here are my top of the tops for 2025, particularly with regards to FRAZIER’S, but it truly was a challenge to pick my single top piece. I’m very curious to hear from all of you what your favorite piece is this year if you care to leave your vote in the comments, but as one collector friend told me this weekend when I asked what his favorite Department 56 piece is, he said “the next one.” As the sun peeks in my office window on this unusually blustery day, speckling the pile of 2026 artwork I’m tasked to initiate with our sculptors, I must admit how highly favored and blessed I feel to be here helping create “the next one” nearly 50 years in!
Until we gather again …
