Character & Toby Jugs

Royal Doulton Character & Toby Jugs

Royal Doulton porcelain character and toby have been made since 1930′s when the firm’s art director, Charles J. Noke, produced a series of colorful character models based on English songs, literature and history. Character jugs model the character’s head (and sometimes shoulders), while toby jugs model the full body. The handle is most often designed featuring icons related to the character.

In 1934, the first of over 200 eventual character jugs, John Barleycorn, was produced. The next Doulton jugs were Old Charley, Sairy Gamp, Parson Brown and Dick Turpin and their success prompted the firm to add others each year. The character jugs were produced in different sizes: large 6″ to 7.5″, medium 5.5″, small 3.5″, miniatures 2.5″ and a few rare tiny examples that are 1.25 to 2 inches. In recent years the character subjects of Doulton jugs have expanded beyond England with special collections of sportsmen, celebrities and two-faced jug collections such as “Star-Crossed Lovers” and “The Antagonists”.

In 1939 toby jugs were added to the line as well, portraying many of the same characters from English life and history with accurate costumes and accessories. One of the most famous is Winston Churchill, which was issued in 1940 in three sizes. Churchill jugs were made until 1991.

Historically, Doulton products have been well marked making them easy for a collector to identify and date. A typical Doulton backstamp includes the potter’s name, copyright year, subject’s name, and a series of identification numbers.