I enjoyed the movie “Ratatouille” about the mouse (or maybe it was a rat) named Remy that was a Michelin-star chef, but if I see one of the little rodents in my house, I won’t invite it into my kitchen.
I find it a little strange that some people actually collect mouse figurines. Recently, what appeared to be someone’s kitschy collection was scattered across a table at auction. There were mice asleep, mice in clothing, mice in skis, mice ready for trick or treating, and even a brown furry creature that looked like a real mouse.
I shouldn’t be surprised, though, since mice have been popularized in books, movies and song. One of the books among the collection was “The Tale of Two Bad Mice” by famed children’s-books-featuring-animals writer Beatrix Potter.
Disney’s Mickey is an international icon and the most recognizable of his species. E.B. White’s Stuart Little is a classic among mice. Long before that, Aesop created a tale of the lion and the mouse that became friends (and presented in a beautifully illustrated book by Jerry Pinkney a few years ago). Michael Jackson sang lovingly of a little mouse named Ben.
Google “mouse figurines” or “mouse collectibles” and millions of listings turn up – some of them under shops with cutesy names. Mouse figures have been produced in ceramics, glass, metal and all kinds of materials by some top companies, including Bing & Grondahl, Royal Copenhagen, Steuben, Lenox, Swarovski and Lladro.
The Annalee company has created a whole category of tiny stuffed and clothed mice dolls, which I first learned of some years ago when they started appearing on auction tables.
At the most recent auction, the mice figures didn’t pull in a lot of money but they did bring out the playfulness in the auctioneer. She spotted a mice in an attire she recognized.
“That’s a Jewish mouse,” she said, referring to a mouse wearing a yarmulke. “I didn’t know mice could be Jewish.” From what I saw of mice figurines on the web, they could be just about anything the manufacturer could conceive.
The mouse with the yarmulke was sold with a group of others. “You’re the proud owner of a Jewish mouse,” the auctioneer told the highest bidder.
None of the them brought in big bucks: A single mice sold for $10, a conjoined pair sold for $30, and trays of the tiny figurines sold from $10 each and less.
Here are some of the mice figurines from the auction:
