GERMAN CANDY CONTAINERS

As with my Erzgebirge collection, the beginning of my German candy container collection was a piece I inherited from my mother -- a white Belsnickle (Santa) papier-mache candy container she received as a young child one Christmas along with 10 cents.  The candy container was most likely purchased at the local High Amana Store pictured on our Home Page.  The High Amana Store was kept well stocked with items from Germany, as that is where our roots were and where many still had relatives that they corresponded with regularly.   Times were very hard back then.  Since it was a communal society, the members of the community were given a certain amount of "credit" each month at the local store as payment for their respective jobs.  I still have my grandfather's account books showing what he purchased every day.   No doubt they reflect the purchase of the candy container for that Christmas. 

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Almost life-size French Bulldog candy container with horse hide over papier-mache body molded with great detail.  Large glass eyes.  Removable head.  Interior construction often provides clues as to age of the candy containers.  I love to see remnants of newspaper with old German script -- proof of a very old piece! 

I limit my collecting of candy containers to figural pieces -- mainly animals.  All of these pieces have glass eyes, which are found on the older pieces.   Many candy containers also incorporate tin feet, which are easily bent. 

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Pair of rat candy containers purchased in Germany.  Rare enough individually, but extremely rare to be found as a set.  Again, wonderful detail with whiskers, teeth, pink gums and glass eyes.   Probably my favorite pieces in the collection.

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Candy container with a twist.  Perched atop the elephant candy container is a papier-mache nodder, making it a "cross-collectible" for all the nodder collectors out there!

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