Owned and Curated by Glen and Stephen Thistlewood
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Frolicking Bears – United States Glass Company
Frolicking Bears – United States Glass Company
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The Frolicking Bears tumbler has always been a sought-after item for the avid tumbler collector; a piece you might dream of, but never felt you could actually own. Their rarity coupled with the whimsical delight of the pattern, makes it a desirable tumbler – so imagine Bob Smith’s happiness when he eventually acquired this splendid tumbler back in 1999.
The tumbler stands 3.75 inches high, and has a most distinctively shaped, undulating base. The bears (six of them) “frolic” round the tumbler in various energetic poses! In the background are mountain peaks and as an adornment to the pattern there are also grapes and vines. Currently, the Frolicking Bears tumblers are only reported in olive green. 
Frolicking Bears catalogue image
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Frolicking Bears, olive green.
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“What a Novelty!”
The illustration composite shown above is from a United States Glass catalogue (c.1914), where it appeared on a page of “Miscellaneous” Novelty items.
The Frolicking Bears tumbler was described as a “Novelty Table Tumbler”, costing 70c per dozen (12), while the pitcher was called a “Novelty 3-pint Jug” for which the price was $1.90 per dozen. The other items shown on the same page of the catalogue were Toy water, berry and tea sets “to please the little folks”, and their design (known today as “Nursery Rhyme”) complemented the Frolicking Bears perfectly, in fact there’s a bear in one panel of the pattern.
Can’t you just imagine them on the dining table … the parents using their full sized “bear” sets, while the children played with their own toy sets!
The illustration composite shown above is from a United States Glass catalogue (c.1914), where it appeared on a page of “Miscellaneous” Novelty items.
The Frolicking Bears tumbler was described as a “Novelty Table Tumbler”, costing 70c per dozen (12), while the pitcher was called a “Novelty 3-pint Jug” for which the price was $1.90 per dozen. The other items shown on the same page of the catalogue were Toy water, berry and tea sets “to please the little folks”, and their design (known today as “Nursery Rhyme”) complemented the Frolicking Bears perfectly, in fact there’s a bear in one panel of the pattern.
Can’t you just imagine them on the dining table … the parents using their full sized “bear” sets, while the children played with their own toy sets!
Cartoon artist: Glen Thistlewood
The first published mention of the Frolicking Bears tumbler was in 1962, when Marion Hartung and Alice Metz (a pattern glass author) wrote about it; interestingly, both writers called it “Frolicking Bears”. Three years later, Rose Presznick added her commentary, giving the pattern three further names! “Bear”, “Happy Bear” and “Six Clowns”.
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Frolicking Bears pitcher, green. Courtesy of Seeck Auctions
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We wrote a full feature article about the pattern (“Frolicking Bears – the stuff of legends”) in our original NetworK journal in 1999. You can read that full article in our “Blast From the Past” feature (it opens in a new window).
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