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Child Heads-Busts (Page under construction)
Above or below the shoulders?
Over the years Cybis produced two types of busts depicting children. The first busts released were boy and girl sets of children's heads. These included the neck but nothing below the shoulders. While these were marketed as sets, they were sold separately. In 1963, Head of Boy and Head of Girl were released followed by Baby Boy Head and Baby Girl Head in 1967. Numerous others followed. While most were introduced as open editions a few were numbered editions of 500 or less. The first bust (actually a partial figure) to include shoulders, arms and hands was the Baby Bust introduced in 1968. Only two sculptures were made in this style and both were limited editions.
Companion pieces
Subsequent releases were not companion boy/girl sets, but rather sculptures depicting a single child with no companion. However, for most of these single release sculptures, companion pieces were eventually released. This held true only for the busts of the child heads. The partial figure busts (from the waist up) never had companions introduced.
Attached bases
Also, it is important to note that ALL child heads designed with bases were shipped from the studio attached to the base. Two heads were designed and produced without a base. The Native American-Indian children heads were designed and sold without bases. ALL other child head busts had a wooden base. If an item is found with no base (other than the Indian child heads) it is not considered to be in original condition as sold when new. Bases can be removed and are often found loose-but still attached. A loose base can be tightened, but care should be taken not to scratch the surface by allowing the head to rotate on the base. All bases used in production prior to the late 1980's were wooden. Other materials were used to produce bases during the 1990's and later.
Baby Bust - Limited Edition of 239
Released in 1968 as design 456
Introduced as a numbered limited edition restricted to 500, the Baby Bust was completed in 1974. This little guy is one of those sculptures collectors either love at first sight or simply don't care for.
Issue / Completed Price
$375 $550
Retired/Completed 1974
This sculpture presented challenges for the studio. It had serious production problems with more than 50% exploding in the kiln during the firing process. Once orders slowed, the edition was closed. The final number produced was 239, just under half the originally declared edition.
Measures 11" tall
Reminiscent of the piano babies originating during the 1800's, this sculpture is a natural choice and well suited for display on any grand piano. No companion piece was ever created for the boy Baby Bust.
No design variations have been found and the original marketing photograph indicates the sculpture was produced as designed.
No common areas of damage are noted or seen on items sold on the secondary market.
Mary, Mary - Limited Edition of 750
Released 1974
Introduced as a numbered limited edition of 750 copies, Mary, Mary was closed in 1979. Taken from the nursery rhyme, "Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" this piece was one of the largest ever created for the Children to Cherish collection. Had she been a full figure she could have easily been in the 14" range. During her six year production run her price remained constant with no increases.
Issue / Completed Price
$475 $475
Design number 478
Sales for this sculpture were strong. She was quite popular. As late as Fall 1977, the price list indicated no reduction in her declared issue of 750. However, the 1977 Spring price list shows 500 and the 1978 catalog states a final issue of 500. This was a clerical error that was carried forward to the 1979 catalog. Documented sales on the secondary market record numbers 512, 525, 535, 537, 561, 562 and 665 all having been sold since the year 2000. While it is possible the edition was reduced slightly, historical records with pictures indicate at least 665 copies were produced. As other pieces are sold in the future, if numbered between 665 and 750, this issue can be noted as an erroneous entry on the alphabetical listing.
Measures 10 1/2" tall
No companion piece was created to compliment Mary, Mary. The fact she was created from a nursery rhyme that includes no companion is obviously the main reason. However, one can imagine how a boy in green with a straw hat might have looked in creating a pair.
While this is not a particularly delicate piece and not prone to being easily damaged, at least a few copies have been sold on the secondary market with damage to the flowers and greenery in her hands. This type of damage most often occurs due to improper handling with misplaced fingers or thumbs applying enough pressure to snap pieces off.
The initial marketing photo indicates minor differences in the flowers on the pre-production piece. There were three open flowers and one bloom. Each open flower appears to have individually formed petals. All production items seen have four open flower made from molds. Only slight color variations have been noted.
Mary, Mary was one of the true redheads released by the studio. While each artist's style heavily influenced the tone of any sculptures coloring, this piece is most always true to the intended color.
Head of Boy & Head of Girl
Released in 1963
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Design numbers 435 & 436
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Measures 10" tall
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Hall of Fame Introductions
In 1990 the studio began the release of retired sculptures in smaller sizes and/or new color variations. In 1991 the molds used for the Head of Boy and Girl were downsized and released as Boy Head and Girl Head. These open editions were sold separately but also marketed as a pair with discount pricing.
Issue / Completed Price
$250 each $500 pair $295 each in 1999
Released 1991
The Hall of Fame sculptures were given new design numbers as well as new names. Boy Head was assigned number 5075 and Girl Head was assigned 5076.
Measures 7 1/4"" tall
These items were over priced at the time of their introduction. They were available for purchase only from the studio which opened to the public in the early 90's. Few were sold and are rarely seen on the secondary market.
The Hall of Fame pieces were decorated with more color than their forerunners. Hair color on both pieces as well as the skin tones were noticeably darker.
The reissued items were attached to porcelain bases painted black.
Hall of Fame sculpture next to original release. While heights vary, the average difference between the original and reissued sculptures is about 2 3/4" to 3".
Baby Girl Head & Baby Boy Head
Released in 1967 as design 452 & 453
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Retired 1968
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Measures 11" tall
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Eskimo Child Heads - Snow Bunting & Nanuq
Released 1972
Introduced as an open edition Snow Bunting was retried in 1981. His 10 year availability was due to strong sales and he is found easily on the secondary market.
Issue / Completed Price
$165 $365
Design number 466
While design variations on the basic mold are discussed below, no significant color variations are known to have been sold. Only minor color variances have been noted in his shirt collar and in the shading of the fleece around his head.
Measures 10 1/2" tall
While other child head sculptures produced for several years can be found on a variety of bases, the studio did maintain consistency with this piece. All Snow Bunting sculptures are found on the same wood base with the walnut finish.
Based on the sheer number of pieces available on the secondary market at any given time and the overall popularity of this piece it's likely anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 copies were sold.
There was a design revision resulting in a significant variation shown above. The collar of his shirt was redesigned as a turtleneck and his hood was changed to a continuous fleece pullover. Also noted are variations in his hair. Some are more detailed than others.
Released mid 1970's
Nanuq was Introduced as a numbered limited edition. The exact release date and pricing has not yet been found. The second version Snow Bunting mold was modified adding a cap with a tassel and some additional texturing. A redesigned lower wood base in white was used to give the sculpture more of an Arctic feel.
Issue / Completed Price
$ unknown
Design number unknown
The sculpture was released as an event item promoted as available only at special Cybis dealer gallery events. There were at least 300 pieces sold as the example shown here is #296. Secondary market sales record numbers 251, 267 and 284 having been sold which indicates at least 300 were made if not 400 or 500.
Measures 9 1/2" tall
Because the studio did not publish event sculptures in brochures or catalogs, details on event pieces are often only available from dealer ads found in local publications or from mailers sent directly to clients.
The base used for Nanuq is a wood base painted white. This base style was first used on Eskimo Mother and later on the Arctic Fox. While rare, the paint on some bases has been noted as cracking and flaking off. This generally is a result of too much direct sunlight or getting wet when improper cleaning techniques are used.
Two of the Christmas edition child clown heads also had white bases and are seen in the Circus collection. Other sculptures found with painted white bases that are not arctic themes are the horse head Satin, unicorn head Prince Brocade, Sea King's Steed Oceania and Great Spirit, Wankan Tanka.
A possible companion piece, assumed to be a girl, was sold at auction in the 2019 liquidation of the studio's archives. This sculpture is not believed to have been produced and only a couple of prototypes are known to exist.
Child clown heads found in Circus Collection
Circus child clown heads
Cybis introduced six clown heads which are featured in the Circus collection.
