Joseph or Josef Originals?

I began acquiring collectibles at a young age, in fact my first love of collecting are figurines. Though I collect many different figurines one of my favorite are referred to as Josef Originals. And like many antiques they too have an interesting past.

                                                                     Photo of Josef Original, courtesy of Jennifer Cox

These unique figurines all started with a California woman named Muriel Joseph in 1942. Muriel had been making Lucite jewelry under the name “Muriel of California,” however World War II affected the price of Lucite making it an unaffordable product to produce. In 1945 Muriel decided to convert her skills into making ceramic figurines out of the basement and garage of her home. Now you may have noticed that Muriel’s last name “Joseph” does not match the spelling of “Josef” in “Josef Originals.” That’s because their printer misspelled the name on the label and due to time constraints had no time to reprint and fix it. Thus “Josef Originals” was born! 

                                               Photo of J.O. "Dutch Girl" & "Ballerina" figurines, Courtesy of Jennifer Cox

Muriel’s earlier pieces were mainly of children, pixies, and animals of all kinds which she greatly enjoyed designing. But in the early 1950s she discovered that cheap reproductions were being made in Japan. In response to this news she decided to make some very beautiful detailed pieces that would not be so easy to copy. However these newer pieces were more expensive and the knock off product began to strain the business. Eventually in 1954 there was a discussion of moving the production of these figurines to Japan to help reduce expenses. In 1960 they opened a factory in Japan and Muriel spent six weeks there teaching the workers how she wanted things done. After her time in the factory she would create the designs at home in California, send them and instructions to the factory, and then the pieces were sent back for her approval. With majority of the work being done at the factory Muriel was able to take the time to create many beautiful, cute, and highly sought after pieces. 

           Photo of two J.O. figurines "Girl holding a basket" and a "Happy 9th Birthday," courtesy Jennifer Cox

Muriel continued to create new designs until 1985 though she had retired in 1981. The company was bought by George Good in 1982 and sold to Southland Corporation in 1985 in which the Josef Original name now belongs to Applause, Inc. However the most collectible pieces are those made during the ownership of Muriel. When searching for the “real deal,” look for figurines that are signed, have a high gloss finish, black eyes, and usually are marked on the bottom, or have a black oval sticker stating the name “Josef Original” in silver or gold lettering. Most figurines are worth between $30 and $50. Though some are worth as much as $125 to $150.00!

Muriel Joseph passed away in 1992, but lives on through her many beautiful creations.

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