Storytime Latest News

September 2000

Where is my Olszewski miniature?

Several of the Storytime miniatures were scheduled to arrive at dealers in June. Collectors are wondering where are their Olszewski miniatures.

Five (5) miniatures are arriving at the stores in a week or two: Fireside Thoughts(Pooh at campfire), Ever After (Snow White on Prince's horse), If You Want to be a Real Boy (Jiminy Cricket on 8-ball), Time to Exercise (Pooh looking at clock), and It's a Pixie (Tinkerbell in Peter Pan's hat).

In June production pieces arrived from China to the Olszewski Studios for inspection. Robert Olszewski or one of his Studios painters inspects every piece before sending it to the dealer. The pieces were not to Olszewski's standard of quality. So he took them back to China and showed the factory how to make them.

Three display pieces arrived at the dealers in the beginning of September and more are on their way.

Artist Proofs?

The three display pieces that arrived at the dealers are ...Ever After (Snow White on Prince's horse), Fireside Thoughts (Pooh at the campfire), and Almost Finished (Geppetto finishing Pinocchio). These were among the batch that Olszewski originally rejected. He touched up a few pieces to make them look like the production figurines. In a letter to dealers, these pieces are for display only.

Why do the Goldilocks figures look smaller?

Goldilocks and Hansel and Gretel figurines are made smaller than the Disney figurines because the whole Goldilocks scene or Hansel and Gretel scene must fit under a 5-1/2 inch glass dome. Yes, a glass dome comes with the scene if you buy the whole set.

Of what material are the pieces made?

The miniature figurines are made mostly of pewter and individually hand-painted. Some bronze is used to strengthen a weak part like a thin leg. Resin is used for the trees or other background scenes.

How many different characters will be made from each story?

Olszewski plans to make 13 to 14 characters from each story, but not all at once. For example, he plans to make 13 to 14 pieces from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The pieces tell the story of the animated feature from beginning to end. He plans to release only 3 to 4 characters each year so as not to overwhelm the collectors with too many pieces. Bob listens to collectors, and "not too many pieces at once" is what collectors want.