Here is the box that Dolly's Living Room came in. On one end, it tells us to 'Just clip ends of flex to torch battery', and on the other end is the brand name:
"Another Fairylite Regd Novelty"
As you can see, all the box states is that it is 'Empire Made' (that is - or rather was - the British Empire). The base of the seats gives a bit more information:
It's not very clear, but it says 'Made in Hong Kong'. So Callsmall and Redrickshaw's guesses of Blue-Box were very close! Actually, I don't know which Hong Kong company made these for Fairylite - and I don't know whether Blue-Box made any sets to be sold under another company's brand name, rather than their own. But these were definitely made in Hong Kong.
MyRealitty's guess of Spot-On was also spot-on, as the chairs, stool and bookcase are copies of Triang pieces. (The fireplace is a plastic copy of a plaster Dol-toi fireplace, and I think the lamp is a copy of a Lundby design.)
Fairylite in blue on the left, Tri-ang Spot-On in red on the right.
Fairylite bookcase on the left, Tri-ang Spot-On bookcase on the right.
The differences in the bookcases are clear - a very different colour, and no sliding doors on the Fairylite version. (I do have a better Spot-On bookcase, with books, but this came straight out of a boxed set.)
The chairs are much more similar in appearance. The difference becomes apparent holding them - the Spot-On chair is much heavier, as its base and legs are metal, whereas the Fairylite chair is all plastic.
Here's the boxed Spot-On set the chair and bookcase came from:
More of it next time!
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Hello Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteGreat find. I love the style of the furniture.
big hug,
Giac
Hi Giac, Thanks for visiting! I love these boxed room sets, as much for the designs printed on the "walls" as the furniture, I think. I'm about to show more of the Triang room setting!
DeleteA copy in the same scale... Interesting... Would you know where the Fairylite lamp comes from ? Is it a copy too of an existing lamp ?
ReplyDeleteFairylite from the 60s put their brand on imported goods (I don't think from that period they actually made anything themselves any longer but maybe they still had exclusive products/toys made for them in Japan, Hong-Kong or the Empire as the Lady Penelope doll, etc.)... They started (30s - earlier ? - 40s, 50s) with metal toys/objects, then Made in England plastic toys... A very interesting brand... :O)
Hi Ysé, Well, at first I thought the lamp was a copy from Triang, then I thought a copy of Lundby, but having looked through catalogues I don't see it - and I think I was thinking of the Lundby red kitchen ceiling light, that has the white bottom part. So I don't know!
DeleteFairylite is interesting - they sold imported Japanese celluloid dolls and cane dolls house cradles before the war, as well as after. Apparently they also made dolls houses in the 1930s, though I don't think I've ever seen one, and I don't know if they were cardboard, wood, metal or what ... I expect they sold other sets of plastic dolls house furniture, besides the living room - so now I'll be looking out for them! It would be interesting to see which brands they copied for other rooms ;-)