1970? Tortoise and Hare salt and pepper shaker set. Made by New England Ceramics. Tortoise stands 1.5" off the ground, while the standing hare reaches 4". $24 from Cathy Rosenwald, Holland, PA, through Ebay, Feb., '00. Click on the image to see it in larger format.
Cathy writes that this set has been featured in Carey and Tompkins 1003 Shakers and Helene Guarnaccia's Book 3. The original stoppers are still in tact. Although this tortoise seems rather standard, the hare is holding his head in his hand and may be sleeping standing up! The few black markings and the purple ear tips on the hare make for a dramatic figure.
1935? Tortoise and hare rug. 25½" x 58".
The rug pictures the hare showing off as a hitter while a female hare looks on. The tortoise is presumably pitching to the hare. The motif is vintage Disney, as checking The Tortoise and the Hare or Toby Tortoise and the Hare (both 1935) will show. The reverse side shows the attempt to repair a tear or hole near the center of the rug. I never thought I would be listing a rug in this catalogue! Click on either image for an enlargement.
1980? Tortoise and Hare Ring Boxes. Felt exterior. Hare 3" high. Tortoise 2.25" long. Unknown source.
Each animal opens to accept a ring, in a slot in the tortoise and flat in the hare. The bowtie may be a first on the hare. Each does his job without a great deal of expression.
1960? Two Racers As Tortoise and Hare. Tonka Toys. Made in Hong Kong. 2.5" in length. Unknown source.
Leave it to Tonka to translate TH into a pair of fast toys! Wherever we got these, they have been well played with! I appreciate the genial smile of the hare and the concentration of the tortoise.
1995? Tortoise and hare pins. Goldtone with two figures connected by a chain, 9 inches long. Hand enameled with genuine Austrian rhinestones for eyes? Unknown source.
This piece has long awaited cataloguing, and so we do not know where it came from. But -- surprise! -- its two figures match those in a piece found 25 years ago. As in that case, the grouping is charming, colorful, and heavy.
One spice jar, 4½" high and 2½" in diameter. The fox faces the tortoise and hare, perhaps at the start of their race. The design is in fact identical with that on the cup, but some of the space between the fox and the other pair is removed on the smaller jar. The jar is marked "Parsley" at its top, and the floral pattern of the top of the cylinder is repeated on the separate lid. $26 from Nona Thompson, Stewartstown, PA, through Ebay, Feb.,' 00.
1900? Paper puzzle woven from strips of paper. TH. "(I?)RIS." $30 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18.
Here is another lovely surprise! I do not think I have before encountered this kind of picture, constructed of a frame and then perhaps 6 horizontal and 6 vertical strips, carefully calibrated to fit together and cover each other to create an exact full-color image of TH. The scene, I presume, has the two near the end of the race as the hare tries to make up for lost ground. I have learned in my minimal handling of this highly delicate object that horizontal strips can easily "droop" a bit and open up white spaces. It is a delicate but rewarding task to bring them back up to their proper position! I can guess that it took significant time and care to weave this picture so well! I wish I knew more about its producer and circumstances!
2022? Mask illustrating TH by Jenna Catton, UK, from Etsy for $10.21, Nov., ’24.
Now, this is fascinating. I checked back when I got the mask. Jenna Catton has translated this vigorous painting into all sorts of things: t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, tanktops, laptop skins, prints, postcards, posters, bath mats, mugs, zipper pouches, greeting cards, and journal covers! I picked “mask” because I thought it was the most surprising. I gather that we are looking at the start of the race. The hare will soon let the tortoise catch up.
2000? Hallmark get-well card. Cover shows a bandaged turtle. Inside: "It's not the speed that matters. It's the getting there. Hope you feel better soon." Gift of Pauli Ruotolo, July, '05.
A clever card like this does not even have to repeat "Slow and steady wins the race." We all know the idea, and the sight of the turtle calls it up quickly. As ever, Hallmark is clever.
1950? Movable TH greeting card for a swift recovery. 5 7/8" x 5" (6" when unfolded). T2208. Made in USA. A trademark shows "GB" on a bell. $6.95 from Mike Edelman, Solon, OH, through Ebay, Sept., '01.
The front reads "Hope you're making steady progress…And break all records for a swift recovery!" As the card is unfolded, the tortoise stretches his neck across the finish line marked "Health." The text on the inside is "Show a burst of speed." A disgruntled rabbit with a flag in his paw looks on. The card is signed twice by "Uncle Joe and Aunt Olive." When you click on this card to see it full-size, be sure to notice the second image showing the expanded version!
1999 Tortoise and Hare Earrings. Made in China. Topanga, California: Zarah Company.
On each earring, both a tortoise and a hare hang down from a floral arrangement. Hand-painted enamel on sterling silver.
1998 Tortoise and Hare Earrings. Hand crafted with pride in Oakdale CA by the Heberts. "Mrs. Bear's Woods." Quilted maple and California walnut.
The rabbit is a darker and larger earring with a long wire fastener. The turtle is smaller and lighter in color. Which should you wear on which ear?
1997? Tortoise and Hare Earrings. Jade colored stone with a bead for each character. Made by Maryellen Hains, Kalamazoo, MI. From an unknown source.
Like the Heberts' earrings, this pair gives one character to each ear. The maker varies the two by the arrangement of character and bead.
1996 Black and white cup featuring Robert Dole and Bill Clinton as tortoise and hare. Artist: Milt Prigee. China: Linyi. Silver phr nix. $1 from Sharon and Kelly Smith, Hayden ID, through eBay, August, '04.
The curious thing about the design on this mug is that Clinton is heading in one direction and Dole is heading in the other! The design is signed ""MPriggee. KPBX. '96. Spokane."
1900? Cufflinks of a tortoise whose shell opens to reveal a hare. Made in England? Hallmarket Silver? Source unknown.
This is some of the most delicate small work in the collection! Each cufflink has a hinged tortoise back. Opening it with clumsy fingers is not easy! Does the Hallmarket Silver box belong to this exquisite pair? And what brings a person to wear openable tortoise-and-hare cufflinks? Matched tortoise cuffliniks seem common enough on the web. I have not yet found TH cufflinks.
2000? Tortoise and Hare cross-stitch with French "goal" sign. 8½" x 20".
Though the seller notes a small flaw among the flowers, this is still a lovely creation! Framed and ready to hang.
Tortoise and Hare cookie tin. No identifying markings other than a TH illustration on its circular pink cover. Plain white sides. 7¼" in diameter, about 2¾" high.
1960? Tortoise and Hare Cookie Jar. 12" x 13" x 8". Marcia Ceramics.
The base of this cookie jar is exactly the same as that in the first jar I had found. But here the tortoise on the jar cover is entirely different in conception. He holds up cookies that he is eating, apparently while he lounges on the roadside. Marcia Ceramics of California was established in 1942. The sellers found an ID mark "9.USA" but I have not been able to locate it. Click on the image to see an enlargement.
1960? Tortoise and Hare Cookie Jar. 12" x 11" x 8".
My first fable cookie jar! The plodding turtle carries the hare--complete with carrot--on his back! Now where in the world would something like this have come from?
1980? Tortoise and Hare Checkers Board Game. Board, supporting base, instructions, and thirteen pieces each of tortoises and hares. Beige. About 12" square. The supporting base is broken. Hand-made in China. Hen-Feathers, King of Prussia, PA. $17.50 from ReturnBuy, Inc. through Ebay, May, '01.
I should have expected that someone would create a tortoises versus hares checkers game! This is a heavy set of pieces. The board has nice raised tortoise and hare motifs around its border, while the base has two sides depicting country roads. One of the curiosities of this item is that it misspells its own address as in "King of Prussla, PA." Click on either the overview or the detail view to see it enlarged.
1980? Tortoise and Hare Candle. Hand painted. Animal Antics. 5" high. Made in Hong Kong. Unknown source.
This candle is still readily available online. The candle-makers use the tortoise's shell as backing for the candle. The tortoise looks down with paws at his ears in wonder over the sleeping hare. The hare, who has eaten half of a carrot, sleeps on. Is it a sense of humor that fills out space with an alarm clock?
2005 Tortoise and Hare Border Print. Designed by Nancy Barrett for P&B Textiles. Printed in 2005 as a retired print. 18.5 x 22”. Cotton 2005. Two identical cloths. Unknown source.
This piece of cloth raises third questions for me. Even though I have looked it up, I am not sure how this is a border cloth. Even more, I am not sure how the many hares and many tortoises here work together, except perhaps as a piece of whimsy taking off from Aesop's TH. A third question seems to be answered on the web. As I examined our cloths, I wanted to know how each level continued. Of course I thought that our pieces each came from a larger cloth that continued the story of each level. The web shows in each case exactly the piece that we have; apparently there is no larger cloth from which it is taken.
2023? Tortoise and Hare Bookplate. Set of 50. Etsy.
Here is our first bookplate, meant to be pasted into a book to ensure that people know who had this book earlier or even first. Here in 2025 is a new category for us!
