Spotlight on Artist Scott Enter
Village artist Scott Enter has designed hundreds of Village lit buildings, accessories and general animated pieces since he started working at Department 56 in 1990 as a photographer.
His first design project, The Original Snow Village "Greenhouse" (56.54020, 1991-1995), was planned as an accessory but Scott, who loves to tinker with technology, figured out how to make it light. Scott can be credited with upgrading numerous additions to The Original Snow Village, Snow Village Halloween and other Villages over the years. "Collectors are always asking us to add more sound and animation to their Villages, which prompts me to keep thinking creatively on how to make the Villages come alive." It is the tinkering that has prompted Scott to come up with many of the technical additions for sounds and animation for buildings that take a well designed piece into a classic with just the right combination of sound, design and appeal.
One of the first, the “Haunted Mansion” (56.54935, introduced in 1998) had an interior unit with ghost silhouettes that turn and appear in the frosted windows. “The idea came from a carousel nightlight used in his daughter’s bedroom. After playing with the idea, drawings were sent back and forth from our factories until the idea became a workable unit. Since that first bit of animation, Scott has designed several others for the Halloween Village, and all are among the best sellers in the line.
Continuing with the popularity of the Snow Village Halloween, Scott shared that “Esmeralda’s Shoe Shop” for Witch Hollow, was his personal favorite lit building for 2018, and for the Original Snow Village, it was the “Grapevine Winery.”
This piece was developed because of a close relationship Scott has established with one of our retailers, “Good Things For All Seasons” in Grapevine, TX. When we asked Scott about his other favorites for this year, he answered like a proud father – “all of them”, he started with Esmeralda’s and added that he very enjoyed the technology and sounds added to the “Monster Mash Party House.” “We worked for a long time to get the licensing rights to include the original song by Bobby Pickett. It would not have been as effective to use any other recording.” The animation of the house includes the sounds of the original song from 1962. It is sure to be one of your favorite Halloween pieces!
Because all Village pieces start with ideas, the many brainstorming sessions for concept and design plans held at Department 56 has proven to be Scott’s favorite part of the production process. “These meetings get the creative juices flowing and we are all anxious to get to work.”