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Department 56 offers nearly 3,000 different collectible, giftware and holiday decorating products. It began as the wholesale gift import division (department 56) of Bachman's, a premiere retail florist in Minneapolis. Now an independent company, headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Department 56 has become a leader in the giftware, collectibles, and holiday decorating industry. The lighted village series within The Original Snow Village® and The Heritage Village Collection® are the cornerstone of the Department 56 product line.
The Snow Village, introduced by Department 56 in 1976, has become one of the most successful collectibles available today. These ceramic buildings depict America through the years from the 1930's until now. In 1994 the first building featuring a licensed brand name was introduced: the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. Since then there have been many buildings with familiar names such as McDonald's, Hershey's, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Lionel, Ford, and Krispy Kreme. While the accessories have never been in scale, the original contrast was even greater than today as downsizing took place in the late 1980's. Children are featured in the accessories to a much greater extent than any other village. The largest of the villages, annually introducing and retiring the most pieces, it is also the only village to be made of ceramic.
The Dickens' Village Series®In 1984 Department 56 introduced its first porcelain village
the Dickens' Village.
Named for the famous author Charles Dickens, it features buildings and accessories based on Victorian England
and depicts the
places and people one might visualize while reading one of his
novels. Several of Dickens' stories have been the basis for the village's designs
including: Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist,
The Old Curiosity Shop, and especially A Christmas Carol. The
Dickens' Village portrays all that is England including countryside pieces with
thatched roofs, maritime pieces, beautiful churches, formidable castles and
palaces, and some of the nation's most famous structures.
In 1986 Department 56 introduced a second porcelain village the New England Village. This village which captures the spirit and character of New England also includes Pennsylvania farms and the New York-based story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
The Alpine Village Series®In 1986 Department 56 also introduced a third porcelain village the Alpine Village. The buildings and accessories in this village characterize the picturesque villages of the European Alps surrounded by snow-capped peaks and deep-blue alpine lakes. Many of the names on the buildings in this village appear in German.
he fourth porcelain village, Christmas In The City, was introduced in 1987. It depicts the hustle and bustle of Christmas in the big city with Santas on the street corner and shoppers hustling on sidewalks.
In 1987 Department 56 also introduced its fifth porcelain village, Little Town Of Bethlehem, depicting the Nativity story. From 1987 to 1999 it was the only village to be sold as a complete set. It included twelve pieces and no individual pieces were ever added or retired. In 1999 the set was retired, but within weeks new releases were announced that added to the series. Now pieces can be purchased to complement the original set or to begin a new set. The new accessories are crafted in resin rather than porcelain allowing for more detail. In 2001 Little Town Of Bethlehem became a subseries of The Holy Land™ Collection.
The sixth porcelain village
features the make believe world of Santa's Village. Introduced in 1990, it
includes Santa's workshop, toy shops, candy makers, elves, and reindeer. In 1998 Elfland®, a
sub-community within the North Pole, was introduced. These buildings are
slightly miniaturized to accommodate the smaller elfin figure, feature a unique
architecture achieved with Byzantine onion-dome roofs, and include tiny gold
bell attachments on each building for a melodious effect. In 2000 Department 56
began construction on a second housing subdivision, North Pole Woods™. This
whimsical treetop community, located in a dense forest at the edge of the North
Pole, is the perfect place for Santa, Mrs. Claus and the reindeer to relax and
unwind high above the everyday world. The North Pole Woods Collection was
retired at the end of 2002.
Introduced in 1994, it was the seventh of the Heritage Villages, and was fashioned after existing buildings in the Disney Theme Parks. Retired in 1996, it was the first village to be completely retired.
Introduced in 1998, this village depicts a turn-of-the-century American resort village. It features the Shingle Style architecture popular at the time. In addition to the porcelain buildings, it also includes a variety of pewter accessory figurines dressed in period attire and structures such as pavilions, gatehouses, fountains, stone walls, and carriages. Although it is not part of the Heritage Village Collection, Seasons Bay has become very popular and is especially designed to be decorated for any season: spring, summer, fall, and winter. The Seasons Bay Series, including the lit buildings and accessories, was retired at the end of 2002.