Looking for ID on insect figurines

Good afternoon,

I recently came across a box of insect figurines that had been in my Aunt's basement, and am looking to ID them. All of the items are all marked "BETH" per the image below.




There are anthropomorphic bugs, ladders, a pair of signs saying "Bug Town" and "City Limits", and some things that look like mushrooms and candycanes. I haven't gone through all of it yet, but it's obvious that it's a set or partial set of some sort.

I tried searching things like "smoking insect figurine" and "Beth Bug Town" on various search sites, but didn't come up with anything.

So anyone know what this guy is, or have any recommendations on resources to find out?

Thanks for any information!

 

Any chance 'Beth' was an amateur painter in the family? Perhaps there was a set of blanks marketed at the time. They're the sort of thing your mother keeps to embarrass you in the future.

 

Probably 1950s hobbyist but Id love to see the set ! Very cute,people like cute.

 

This looks like the same thing for a different generation: http://fantasygames.com.pl/

 

Blank figures may have been made in Japan, but don't think this one would say BETH on the bottom if Beth had not had a hand in making it, & not a traditional Japanese name.
You have an entire town. Has to be added value in that. Someone will want them if you don't.

 

As odd as this seems, this post sent me down a search that I'm pretty sure answers the question, and the answer isn't "Made in Japan".

I copied the image, did a reverse image search and got this:
http://www.cyberattic.com/stores/sh...thropomorphic-Beetle-bug-smoking-cigar-figure

Then took the name, did another search for "Beth Barton Figurines" and got this:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beth_Barton_bugs.jpg

Following the usage of the image to Wiki articles, it comes up in "California Pottery" with an artist named Beth Barton being active in the 1940s and 1950s:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_pottery

So it seems to me that there was a woman named Beth Barton who made these figurines either in response to the post-war Japan figurines above, or her work was so popular at the point that occupied Japan started making knock-offs and sending them back.

As for the rest of the pieces, I'm still coming across them in various check box sized boxes - I'll post more up once I have a better idea of how many pieces i am or am not dealing with.

Thanks for the input!

 

That's how we get to answers too. A search for Beth Barton ceramics is fruitful.

 

There are a few in Sold ebay listings.

 

Pricey little things! But it does look like they lead interesting lives!
Don