Spuds MacKenzie "The Original Party Animal"

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From the collection of Paulo Vik Falcon

The Karl Ens manufacturing stamp is in the form of a blue seal

The Karl Ens manufactory's stamp was used in the design of the porcelain factory's metal fence.

This figurative porcelain mug in the form of an English White Bull Terrier dog was made by the Karl Ens manufactory. Karl Ens porcelain is famous for its animalistic figurines. The birds and animals of this manufactory are characterized by their liveliness and subtlety of execution. The brand was founded by a hereditary porcelain artist and developed by his sons.
The history of the Karl Ens manufactory begins in the small town of Lauscha, located in the land of Thuringia in Germany. Lauscha is famous for its glassblowers and stained glass paintings. It is believed that the first glass Christmas balls were blown there around 1848, and Lauscha was long considered the largest producer of glass Christmas decorations. To this day, Lauscha produces festive glass decorations. With the opening of porcelain manufactories in Limbach and Volkstedt during the heyday of Thuringian porcelain, porcelain painting began to flourish in Lauscha, surpassing the demand for glass painting.
Friedrich Karl Ens was an exceptional artist, but unfortunately, he was not a talented entrepreneur. His work did not bring him official wealth. Even though, around 1855, porcelain painting played a major role in Lausch's income, and Friedrich's workshop employed up to 150 people.
The sons of Friedrich Karl Ens, Karl and Eduard, continued their father's work. They worked as porcelain designers, playing a significant role in the artistic refinements of the products of the Volkstadt Manufactory Trienbner, Ens & Co. Thanks to the Ens brothers, the factory's products gained popularity due to their beauty and exceptional craftsmanship.
Around 1894, the sons created their first figurines, which eventually became the trademark of the manufactory. However, the Ens brothers left Trienbner, Ens & Co, and in 1899, the Karl Ens porcelain factory was established in Volkstadt. This marked the establishment of the Karl Ens company. Karl oversaw the production from 1919 to 1939. More information about the family history and the factory can be found at this link:
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The management of the company passed from son to son: Karl handed over the case to Paul, in 1927. the enterprise was managed by Edward and Herman Ens. The manufactory survived two world wars and in 1959. the main shareholder of Karl Ens became the government of the Federal Republic of Germany. 1972. the enterprise was nationalized and made part of the concern VEB Sitzendorfer Porzellanmanufaktur and became known as VEB Unterglasurporzellanfabrik. In 1990, Karl Ens was privatized again during the reunification of Germany, but later it was permanently closed.
On the outside of the bottom of the mug, there is a blue-colored stamp in the shape of a seal.
The "mill" stamp is the most recognizable stamp of Karl Ens. The underglaze stamp in black was used until 1919, the green stamp was used until World War II, and the blue stamp was used after World War II until the factory was closed in the 1990s. This information is based on the stamp catalogs. Although some porcelain experts claim that it is possible to find pre-war products with a blue stamp and vice versa.
The inscription on the dog's clothes demonstrates an element associated with the Bud Light beer advertising campaign of the late 1980s, which centered on a fictional dog character named Spads Mackenzie.
Spads Mackenzie was a bull terrier known as "The Original Party Animal" who became the face of Bud Light Beer's extensive advertising campaign.
The real dog that portrayed Spuds McKenzie was a female Bull Terrier named Honey Tree Evil Eye, or simply Evie.
Thus, despite the fact that Spuds was portrayed as a male in the advertisements, the real dog was a female.
The Spuds McKenzie advertising campaign was very popular in the late 1980s, but the mascot was retired in 1989.

You can watch a video about this mug at the following link:
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