The Precious
Moments collection by Enesco is one of the world's most popular collectibles
and boasts the world's largest collectors’ club. Enesco Group,
Inc. unveiled the Precious Moments collection in 1978, featuring 21
teardrop-eyed porcelain bisque figurines bearing inspirational messages.
In the 25 years
since its debut, the collection has expanded to include many more figurines
as well as plates, bells, ornaments, photo frames, musicals and home
decor accessories. Within the collection, Enesco has launched several
lines, including Sugar Town, a porcelain village based on artist Sam
Butcher’s hometown (1992); the Precious Moments “Forever
True” wedding line (1994); Little Moments (1996); the Precious
Moments Jewelry collection (1997) the Tender Tails plush collection
(1998) and “Hugs For the Soul” Collectible plush collection
(1999). Precious Moments porcelain bisque figurines can be purchased
only through authorized retailers.
Precious Moments
was created by artist Sam Butcher who originally drew the teardrop-eyed
children for inspirational greeting cards. Enesco’s Founding Chairman
Eugene Freedman discovered the cards and convinced Butcher to allow
Enesco to develop porcelain bisque figurines from his artwork. Freedman
then turned the drawings over to Japanese Master Sculptor Yashuei Fujioka
who sculpted the first Precious Moments figurine "Love One Another."
The original 21 figurines were unveiled to retailers in the fall of
1978 followed by four more figurines in 1979. To date, more than 1,000
Precious Moments figurines have been created.
Each year, Enesco
introduces new figurines to the collection and retires or suspends existing
figurines. Once a figurine is retired, the mold is broken and it will
never again be produced, while suspended figurines are indefinitely
withdrawn from production. Retirement is the "highest honor"
bestowed upon a figurine as it enhances the piece’s value and
‘collectibility.’
To help collectors
learn more about the collection, Enesco launched the national Precious
Moments Collectors' Club in 1981. The Club is the world's largest collectors’
club with more than 100,000 members worldwide. The collectors' club
offers Precious Moments enthusiasts the opportunity to learn more about
the collection as well as meet with other Precious Moments collectors
in their area. In 1985, the Enesco Precious Moments Birthday Club was
formed to introduce children to the art of collecting. In 1998, Enesco
launched the Precious Moments Fun Club, replacing the Precious Moments
Birthday Club, providing collectors with additional benefits and opportunities
that support collecting Precious Moments as a family.
To celebrate
the collection’s 20th anniversary, Enesco created the Precious
Moments Care-A-Van, a 53-foot-long traveling museum. In 1998, the Care-A-Van
embarked on an eight-month tour across the United States and Canada,
stopping at more than 200 cities to spread the Precious Moments’
message of loving, caring and sharing. The Care-A-Van features the artwork,
figurines and the history of the Precious Moments collection. Because
of the overwhelming popularity of the tour, the Care-A-Van continued
its nationwide tour in 1999 and 2000. The 2001 tour made stops at 90
retail locations across the country, collecting quilt squares for the
Precious Moments Pink Ribbon Quilt collection which helped raise breast
cancer awareness on behalf of the National Alliance for Breast Cancer
Organizations (NABCO). More than 4,000 quilt squares were collected,
enough to make more than 100 quilts.
Precious Moments
figurines have had extensive recognition within the collectibles and
giftware industry and have been presented to Presidents Clinton, Bush,
Reagan and George W. Bush. The collection also has received many awards
from the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED), including
a Special Recognition Award in 1998, Ornament of the Year for 1994,
1995 and 1996, Figurine of the Year for 1994 and 2002, and the 1992
and 2002 Collectible of the Year. The collection also was named the
2002 Plush of the Year by NALED for its 25th Anniversary plush bear.
In 1992, NALED named Butcher Artist of the Year, and in 1988, Freedman
was honored with the association's highest honor, the Lee Benson Award,
for his contributions to the industry, specifically Precious Moments
collectibles. The Precious Moments Collectors' Club has also been honored
by NALED as Collectors’ Club of the Year in 1991, 1992, 1993,
1995, 1996, 2001 and 2002. In special recognition for the collection’s
25th Anniversary, Eugene Freedman, Sam Butcher and Yasuhei Fujioka were
awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Krause Publications for
their dedication and work with the Precious Moments collection since
1978.
