S is for The Search for Charbens' Cake Decorations . . . or not! Part Two - More Likely

This was originally going to be the 'Less Likely' post as I was sure the carol-singers were visible in the Musgrave Museum shots, but scouring them in the PW Special and the on-line shots I couldn't find them, the Festival carol-singers are there, which is where I was getting my wires crossed I think.

The significance of those photographs being the tying of Festival and Gem together, not pertaining to these; which puts these in the 'up for grabs' category and eminently likely to be the/any missing Charbens cake decorations.

Seen here before (as have been the other set below, but sometimes things are worth a second visit, with new imagery) there seem to be the five figures; Adult middle-aged male, old lady, pre-teen and a small boy and girl, I say 'seems' as no bagged or packeted set has been seen (to my knowledge) so the exact contents remain unknown, but only these five have turned-up, often together as a quintet.

Equally it's unclear if the two older males are holding presents or lanterns, given the slightly Dickensian dress, I favor the latter; a couple of glass-lined, iron-cage, candle boxes. Also the 'choir-master' goes quite well with those AWI cake decorations, perhaps drumming-up support for the insurgency by reading the Declaration of Independence!

Colour variation could point to a long run over some time, or just 'the two' out-painters competing with each other! I favour the former likelihood, they do turn up about as often as average Gem or Culpitt's stuff. Note also the two sculpts of the mid-sized boy.

However, back to the Charbens thing, they are glossier than typical Charbens, although that could have something to do with food-hygiene, chalk, talc or other additives of the type used for paint adhesion being also prone to bacteriological contamination through migration.

And further arguing against myself (or just arguing 'with' myself), the two dimples or depressions on some of the bases (usually assumed to be mould-release pin-marks) are more like similar markings from the mould-banks of Hilco or Cherilea?

The same size variation and base-marks are to be found on the other likely-candidate set, which we looked at here not that long ago I think? Noticed since I last shot them - is that the clown-dwarf-'little person' has a spigot for his left hand, presumably for attaching to a missing 'thing'; ball, umbrella, another clown?

I don't think that bringing the two collections together has improved this line-up since last time and unlike the pretty-well set, five-count of the choir, the full contents of this set are unknown to me and may well be quite a few more?

Again arguing against them being Charbens, why didn't they copy items from their substantial circus set in 54mm, which was itself - in part - taken from the earlier hollow-cast range, and by a company who both reused poses and weren’t above a bit of plagiarism (Timpo GI's)?

However the plastic on most of mine and some of the slightly flat sculpting is very Charbens? The elephant is a copy of Britains 54mm hollow-cast baby one, which ties us back in with the hunting set? The clown on the ball seems to be vaguely familiar too . . . American slush-cast?

To sum up the two posts

Hunt 1 - From lead-solid imports - Could be Hilco - 3 items known

Hunt 2 - From Britains Lilliput - Could be Britains - 5 items (6 per bag - 2 dogs)

Carol-singing Choir - Could be Cherilea or Hilco - 5 items

Circus - Could be Cherilea or Hilco - unknown contents-count

But one or all of them MIGHT be the missing Charbens' cake decorations.

The pink bases of the circus would seem to suggest (given the mores of the time) that they were aimed at girls, the hunt/s would be aimed at boys cakes and the choir covers Christmas . . . that's a small range with three or four lines!

And you watch; I bet branded stuff comes out of the woodwork now; Charbens or not!