Toy OTD: Enesco's Kermitage Collection: Miss Piggy As 'La Danseur' (1983)

I had no idea how far back Enesco existed as a company, since my first real awareness of them was only about eight or nine years ago, starting with their Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer figurine line. As it turns out, their history stretches back much further than that!

I'm still not sure how old the company is, but now I know they go back at least as far as the early eighties, when they made a couple of Muppet figurines based on famous works of art. I'd say that they're a spin-off of Miss Piggy's Treasury of Art Masterpieces from the Kermitage Collection, a published gathering of Muppet art parodies. This one in particular is a mash-up of Miss Piggy and Degas' bronze Petite Danseuse De Quatorze Ans. I'm not really a big fan of this sort of thing, but this is a decent example of this merchandising genre.

Overall, the sculpt could be better. I don't think it's capturing the essence of the pose as well as it could (though that's tricky, considering the completely different, um, physiques of the subjects), and it's not all that on-model in terms of Miss Piggy's likeness, either.

The color work is delicate and subdued, which seems appropriate for conveying a light, balletic feeling. Ideally, it would have been great to mimic the bronze's coloring and finish (not to mention the addition of a fabric tutu), but I'm sure that it would've alienated more potential buyers that it would've attracted. Too bad, as I think that would've heightened the contrast between the form and content, strengthening the joke.

It's fairly well executed, but while the softness of the sculpt and paint work are appealing and support the mood, it makes the overall effect a little fuzzier than I think was intended. Fortunately, the eyelashes are crisply painted and draw the viewer's eyes to the face.

The base is similarly tentative. It's virtually the same color as everything else, contributing little to the piece's look. The plaque's font doesn't feel all that pretentious, and the titling falls uncomfortably between the necessary brevity and a silly caption. Doubling up the articles is playful, and while I would've preferred a parody of the true title, it probably wouldn't have drawn in more potential customers.

The packaging is appropriate, striking the 'high art' tone in order to set the stage for Piggy's contrast. The colors are primarily deep reds and golds, and the fonts are more severe. There's a nice photo of the figure on the box face, and Miss Piggy's 'signature' is reworked by way of Van Gogh (I'm assuming his handwriting is more recognizeable as having a 'high art' feeling).

Unfortunately, there's none of these figurines available for sale online right now. Warm up another eBay favorite search... good luck!