Critter Sculptures ☜ 

Here’s a brochure-style catalog for Kersten Brothers’ line of ceramic animal-shaped “Critter” vases. Kersten Bros. was a popular American studio in the 1970s and 80s, founded by brothers Rick and Pete Kersten. Best known for their lines of greeting cards, posters, and collectibles, their very distinctive style comes to life in these small clay sculptures, designed to hold dried straw flowers. While it lacks the punch of most of what I collect and post here, this one feels nostalgic. I’m just old enough to remember the dried-flower fad of the late 1970s, and we had a few of these very figures in our household. No date or designer is listed, although co-founder and artist Rick Kersten designed and illustrated most of their products. Kersten Bros. Co., c. late-1970s.