Recorder Elf - Balboa

Name: Balboa
 
Type: Figurine
 
Year: 1950s–1960s
 
Set: No
 
Mark: Balboa -  Original red foil label: “Balboa – Hand Made – Hand Painted”
 
History: This cheerful, mid-century ceramic elf figurine shows a stylized child-like figure in a white costume playing a recorder. The impish grin, closed eyes, and whimsical posture are typical of postwar Japanese and Taiwanese export figurines that embraced cartoonish charm, particularly for Western markets.
 
 
The red foil label clearly identifies it as a Balboa figurine. Balboa was a known brand during the 1950s–60s, producing hand-painted ceramics for export, often in Japan. These figurines were made with molded ceramic bodies, then decorated with pastel glazes, fine painted features, and gilding accents — seen here in the gold on the shoes, belt, and hat pommel.
 
 
The figure’s delicate crackle glaze, detailed lashes, and rosy cheek paint reflect the hand-finished nature noted on the label. These small figurines were typically sold in novelty shops, as shelf sitters or decorative miniatures, often as part of a set of musical elves or anthropomorphic characters.
 
 
Due to its intact condition and presence of the original maker’s label, this figurine holds decorative and modest collector value — particularly among fans of mid-century kitsch or Christmas elf-style figures.
 
Flaws: None