What are Wade Whimsies?
Whimsies are collectable miniature glazed ceramic animals. They were the idea of Sir George Wade,1 and were originally intended as ‘pocket money toys’ The First Whimsies were available at the British Industries Fair in 1954. They attracted the attention of adults and soon became collectable. The Whimsies were produced and sold in boxed sets usually five per set, a different colour box representing each set. Which were produced for limited amount of time, 1-2 years, some models just for few months, so as not to flood the market and loose their appeal. First Whimsies Models produced from 1954-1961 are known as First Whimsies. 10 sets were produced during that time, nine sets of five per box and one set of four per box. The very first set of Whimsies were: • Leaping fawn. • Horse. • Spaniel with ball. • Poodle. • Squirrel. Packaging The boxes for first Whimsies were designed to be attractive and appealing. First Whimsies complete with original boxes can be worth up to 50% more to collecto
