Frog of the Day

Rakdo - Checking it Twice
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's Wednesday and what a week! It's now three weeks to the day when Frog Central moves to it's new location. Help fund the move by pressing the donate button on the right hand side - over 75 boxes of frogs have been carefully packed and ready to go and there's still more to go!

Today's collectible is a wonderful Christopher Radko ornament. It is from the Kermit Collection and is entitled Checking it Twice. It comes with it's own Kermit Collection box and dates to 1997.

Frog of the Day

Ty - Freddie
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's been a nice day here at Frog Central. Watching the news and you just can't help but feel for the people on the gulf coast and all that they are going to be going through for the next several months. If you are able, please make donations to the Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW or through their website at www.redcross.org.

Today's collectible frog is from Ty and is called Freddie. It is a plush and has a wooden ball croaker. Whenever you move the frog back and forth it gives a loud croaking noise.

Frog of the Day

Annalee - Fabulous Floozy Frogs
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

With hurricane Katrina bearing down on New Orleans and the gulf coast, I thought the Fabulous Floozy Frogs was a fitting tribute to The Big Easy. Here's hoping that everyone and their pets make it through intact.

This wonderful collectible is a special event piece from Annalee. In order to obtain this soft sculpture you had to go to one of the special events held around the country. This particular piece was obtained at The Christmas House in Elmira, New York (a wonderful shop, by the way) and Mr. Thorndike was at the event and signed the piece (you can see the signature across the blue base. This is a great piece called Fabulous Floozy Frogs and dates to 1998.

Frog of the Day

Tea Light Frogs
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's Sunday and looking to have all my candles and tea lights ready in case that hurricane comes this way!

This set of tea light frogs was given to Frog Central by Sarah. There are 3 tea lights and a holder. The candles have a wonderful scent and I love to keep them close at hand! Thanks Sarah for donating these frogs to the Frog Collectibles Website!

Frog of the Day

Land & Sea - Nature Series - Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's Saturday and time to watch cartoons! Oh, I mean check stock portfolios, catch up on the news, pay bills . . . naw, watch cartoons!

This little frog is from Land and Sea's Nature Series. They put out a number of these little guys and I've put up some in the past. This one is glad to be called today's Frog of the Day!

Frog of the Day

Enesco - Paws for Praise - Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's been a hectic week here at Frog Central. Next month Frog Central will be moving to a new location here in Illinois and all the frogs are excited - so excited they keep hopping out of the boxes!

This mug is from Enesco and is from their Paws for Praise collection. The frog has donned his tux and is singing away. The text says "Sing your praise to the Lord!" The back of the mug has a cross with the text of Ephesians 5:19 - Make melody in your heart to the Lord!

Frog of the Day

Kurt S. Adler - Kiss-N-Tell Toad
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

I told you Christmas was coming! Of course mistletoe is another popular frog item that is readily found as mistletoad.

This plush is from Kurt S. Adler and is called Kiss-N-Tell Toad. It is made to be hung in a doorway and has a motion detector that activates a saying when someone passes underneath. It mostly says "Merry Kissmas" and "Quick, kiss someone," both of which are followed by a laugh that quickly becomes annoying! It runs on 2 AA batteries - and remember to remove batteries from your frogs when they are not being used. You don't want a battery leakage to ruin a favorite item.

Frog of the Day

US Postage Stamp - Ornate Chorus Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

Snail mail is a popular mode of keeping in touch for frogs - and they love the stamps!

This United States Postage Stamp is of the Ornate Chorus Frog and was issued last year as part of the Reptiles & Amphibians collection. A sheet of the stamps only has 4 frog stamps on it.

Frog of the Day

Atelier - Witch Toad Paper Napkins
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

I can't believe that Halloween supplies are now appearing at stores. They'll probably have Christmas stuff up by the weekend!

These Witch Toad Paper Napkins are from the Braun Company and made in the European Union. It has the name Atelier Designer Collection on the front. There are 20 paper napkins in a package.

Frog of the Day

Toad Hollow Wines
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

Those frogs know how to party! It was quite a party around the pond last night - and it lasted well into the wee hours of the morning.

These are 3 bottles of wine from Toad Hollow Vineyards located in California. One is a 1997 Pinot Noir, a 1998 Chardonnay, and the last is a 1997 Merlot Reserve. The corks have the Toad Hollow logo on them. If you would like to see all the wines available from Toad Hollow, go to www.toadhollow.com.

Frog of the Day

MSR Imports - Frog Clock
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

Does anybody really know what time it is? Lalalala. Sorry, I was croaking along with the frogs this morning and lost track of the time!

This Frog Clock comes from MSR Imports. It is battery operated and croaks on the hour.

Frog of the Day

Cairn Studios - Renfield
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

Another night filled with lightning here at Frog Central - I haven't heard the strike count but it had to be close to the night before. Thank goodness the frog wrangler is not afraid of the noise (or of the house shaking from all the rumbling). This morning Renfield was early to greet the rising sun.

This collectible from Cairn Studios is done by Tim Wolfe and is called Renfield. He sits upon his rock with the his eyes looking upwards. A beautiful, realistic rendition. This is edition number 91, Cairn stock number 9011, and dates to 1991.

Tim Wolfe now has his own studio and his artwork can be seen at www.wolfetracks.com.

Frog of the Day

Frog Statuary Pair
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

This pair of frog statuary are looking a little bemused today. It sure contrasted from their horrified hopping last night - over 94,000 lightning strikes from 10 last night until 4 this morning. It was quite a light show!

This pair of frogs and their cute goofy smile were the popular pair over the last several years. It seems everywhere you looked, there they were. And they have gone by a variety of names. I received this pair as a gift. They are hollow and actually a bit fragile for outdoor use - so they grace the halls of Frog Central by sitting on a shelf. They are made in China. No other information is known.

Frog of the Day

Frog Welcome Mat
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

Thought I would keep with the theme of frogs under foot today. With all the frogs hopping around here at Frog Central, it sometimes feel like they are indeed under foot!

This item is a Welcome Mat. The only information that I have with this is that it has a Made in the USA sticker. I received this as a gift in 2004.

Frog of the Day

Toland - Frog Car Mats
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's the heat of the summer and time to jump the car, turn on the Beach Boys, and go for a drive.

This frog item is from Toland and are floor mats for the car. The mats are like a work of art and I could not bring myself to put them in the car! I don't know if the company is still there - I could not get their web site www.tolandnet.com to come up, but there has been that recent virus problem.

Frog of the Day

Dept. 56 - Porcelain Frog Candy Dish
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

I thought I'd get a head start on some fall cleaning today. And emptying out the candy dish is a good way to start!

This cute collectible is from Dept. 56 and is a porcelain frog candy dish. Dept. 56 has some wonderful frog items, but are often hard to find.

Frog of the Day

Avon - Lil' Hugs - Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's Monday and it's rainy - need I say more?

It's never to early to get little ones into the love of frogs and this item from Avon is just the ticket. It is Lil' Hugs Freddy the Frog Bath Set for babies. The frog is a soft, cuddly bath pillow that support baby's head while in the bath. The set also comes with body wash and shampoo.

Frog of the Day

Cookie Jar/Chalkboard Holder Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It seems to me that with all the bad luck frogs have had in the kitchen, they'd want to stay out of there. Yet, here's a frog with his chef hat on ready to go! I just wish he'd change the special of the day - it's been bugburgers every day for a week.

This ceramic cook jar and chalkboard holder was purchased from the Fingerhut catalog five or six years ago. Other than the "Made in China" stamped on the box it came in, I do not have any information regarding this item.

Frog of the Day

Frog Tea Pot
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's a little after 10 o'clock here at Frog Central. I think it's time for some mid-morning tea.

This collectible is a Frog Tea Pot. It comes from China, with no manufacturer stamp on it. I purchased this in 2000.

Frog of the Day

Cairn Studios - Prince
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

How many days are there till Christmas?

This collectible is from Cairn Studios. It is item number 9147, edition number 2. The artist is Wolfe. It dates to 1998.

Frog of the Day

Avon - Springtime Animal Standees - Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

Remember when the days were warm and the nights cool? Now it's just hot day after day. Even the frogs are wishing for more spring-like weather!

This item is from Avon's Gift Collection and is a Springtime Animal Standee - Frog. A cute little frog to remind us of all the good things about spring.

Frog of the Day

Well, back to the kitchen! Today I thought I'd finish up the frog kitchen collection that I started a couple of days ago. Here is the salt and pepper shakers - there are 3 sets that came wih the collection.




And what kitchen would be complete without a wide mouthed frog to hold that scrubbey?




This is a lotion holder to keep the hands feeling good!




A set of 12 drawer pulls keep the frog kitchen theme all tied together.




And finally, when all is said and done, grab yourself a cookie, go sit in the recliner and put your feet up and relax!




I hope you enjoyed the kitchen set. All totalled, there are 135 pieces to the dishes and companion pieces. It is a lovely set and a nice addition to my frog collection. Now if I could just get the frogs to do the cooking!

Frog of the Day

Cairn Studios - Jumping Jack
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

I decided to take a break from the kitchen - it's just too hot! So instead I though I'd take a break and go play a game of leap frog with Jack!

This collectible is from Cairn Studios and is called Jumping Jack. It is designed by bothe Clark and Wolfe. It is item number 6311 and dates to 1994. The edition number is 81. This was the Collector's Society Piece and was not available to the general public.

Frog of the Day

Today I'm continuing with a multiple picture entry to show you the companion pieces that I bought with yesterday's dishes. I don't believe that these were made by Tienshan, although they were shipped from the same place in Hong Kong. The first picture is of the spice rack.





The second picture is of the canister set.




The next picture is of the butter dish. The base is a lilypad which is also featured in some companion pieces such as the soap dish (not pictured).




The last piece of this collection that I'll showcase today is the creamer.




There are still quite a few pieces to this collection, which I will continue with tomorrow.

Frog of the Day

I'm posting a bit differently today because I want to lump several photos into one post. While I was rooting around in the deep recesses of Frog Central I came across my wonderful collection of Tienshan Stoneware. Of course the pattern is Frog. I had passed up on the Otigiri collection when I first saw it and have kicked myself ever since - I did not make the mistake with the Tienshan. I have not seen the pattern since. Here is the dinner plate:




The stoneware set includes 32 pieces for a service for 8. Along with the dinner plate, also included is a salad plate, bowl, and cup. Here is the cup:




The set also contains a 16 piece glassware set. Here is one of the juice glasses:




And finally, to round out the Tienshan collection is a 40 piece flatware set. I have taken a close up of a handle of one of the pieces so you can see the pattern.




The place I bought them also had a wide variety of pieces of ceramic frog pieces that while not specific to the Tienshan Collection were sold along with it. I hope to showcase all of those pieces tomorrow.

Frog of the Day

Kathleen Kelly - Hop the Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

A nice cool night last night and a cool morning today too! I hopped into bed and didn't want to get out.

This cute collectible from Encore is by artist Kathleen Kelly and is called Hop the Frog. Kathleen Kelly frogs are highly collectible and often sell out fast. This one dates to 2002.

Frog of the Day

Royal Oatmeal Cookies - Reggie Royal Spokesfrog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

As you already know, many frogs are royalty. And since there are so many royals running around Frog Central, some have decided to find jobs suitable to their stature. Being a spokesfrog was just the job for Reggie!

Royal Oatmeal Cookies, made by the Royal Cake Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina knows that a good spokesfrog will sell their product. They use Reggie Royal the most royal frog from Royal Land.

Many companies have frogs as their mascot. I especially am interested in obtaining matchbooks, napkins or menus from restaurants and pubs that are frog or toad named. Golden Toad is a popular name found in several states. So you frogophiles have your assignment! Let's see how many restaurants and pubs we can find.

Frog of the Day

Bean Bag Pals - Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

An early morning here at Frog Central as it started to rain - all the frogs began croaking that they wanted to go outside and play. The house will be a mess later with all the muddy frog prints!

This froggy is from CVS Pharmacy and is called Bean Bag Pals - Frog. With a rose in hand and those big eyes looking up at you, who could refuse to bring him home?

Frog of the Day

Images & Editions - Frog Note Card
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

Finally here at Frog Central there may be movement on the air conditioning repair. I'm not holding my breath, but they have at least acknowledged their is a problem. And it only took two weeks - now that's progress!

This frog item comes from Images & Editions and is a blank note card. The photograph on the front was done by Stephen Dalton/NHPA. This card was printed in England. I bet it hopped the whole way here!

Frog of the Day

Frog Ornament - Guitar Player
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

It's time to come back from the beach. And since it's going into the 90's today, I thought a good day to showcase another ornament. Fun is the name of the game with this "Made in China" ornament. It draws upon the silliness of the Red Hat Ladies. All this glass blown ornament needs is a lavender frock, then she's be already for tea. But drawing upon the ever popular theme of frogs playing musical instruments, this frog is playing the guitar. It is one of a set. It dates to 2004.

Frog of the Day

Beach Frog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino.

Well you didn't expect me to leave yesterday's frog at the beach all by himself, did you?