Mug, Russ Berrie, Coffee Mug, Christmas Santas with Hearts #9497, Ceramic, Vintage

• Vintage Mug, Holiday Coffee Mug, Santas with Hearts, Russ Berrie Mug Collectors, Ceramic Retro Holiday Design, Christmas Drinkware, Kitchen Decor, Office Gifts, (Discontinued)
• Made in: Korea
• Vintage: 1970's - 1980's (estimated)
• Details: Delightful Christmas holiday mug from the folks at Russ Berrie.  The entire mug is wrapped with a retro design, back to back Santas with long white beards, red outfits trimmed in holly & berries, on a golden background.  It is marked on the bottom: "Russ, Russ Berrie & Co. Inc Oakland N.J. Item No. 9497, Made in Korea". A great gift for a Russ Berrie collector, or mug collector.  Or just perfect for your own holiday enjoyment.  
• Material:  Ceramic
• Dimensions:  3.5 inches Tall,  3.25 inches in Diameter (mouth opening).  Holds 10oz.
• Condition:  Vintage - Used.  Very Good Vintage Condition.  Please review all pictures and make sure you love this item before purchasing, we can't accept returns.  Please remember these are ANTIQUE and VINTAGE items, they are NOT new, every effort has been made to show any scratches, wear and tear and imperfections.

Russ Berrie and Company was founded by Russell Berrie in New Jersey in 1963.  By the end of that first year he had made $60,000 in sales as a one man operation.  He created toy collections like: Fuzzy Wuzzies, the Bupkis Family, Sillisculpts and Trolls.  Originally he designed the toys but had them made in Asia, after 1973, he decided to bring manufacturing operations back to the US, including a stuffed animal factory in California, which proved to be one of his best sellers.  However, very rapid expansion and unfamiliar with production resulted in near bankruptcy and Berrie went back to manufacturing in Asia.  Starting in 1977 with Korea, 1979 in Taiwan and lastly in 1983 he opened "Tri Russ International" in Hong Kong to oversea the Asia operations.  The company continued to grow and acquire many other companies, by 1987 they reported profits of $56 million. Russell Berrie passed away in 2002, the company continued acquisitions and started subsidiaries like: Sassy, Inc. (July 2002), Kids Line LLC (December 2004), Applause (picked up in a bankruptcy auction in 2004), CoCaLo, Inc. and LaJobi, Inc. (April 2008).  In December 2008, the company divested its gift business operations to The Russ Companies, Inc., however they retained the Russ and Applause brands, and licensed them to TRC. In April 2011, The Russ Companies filed for Chapter 7 Liquidation Bankruptcy and no longer exists as an entity. It now operates under the name Kid Brands, developing and distributing infant and juvenile branded products.