Brew Crew

What better way to kick off the Halloween season than with a lively tea party? And who better to preside than this fun-loving witch, here seen erupting from the chimney during a game of tag with a ghostly housemate. Look at those faces!
Dated 1993 on the bottom, this 24-ounce “Omnibus” novelty teapot was made in China for Fitz and Floyd, purveyor of ceramic giftware and dinnerware. The company is famous for exuberant holiday serving pieces, notably its line of imaginative—and highly collectible—witch pitchers and cookie jars. “Impractical,” some might say. True, these things aren’t really sturdy; I spy several flakes in the glaze on this teapot (delivered yesterday, just in time for the season). Oh, well.

Though its department store heyday is past, Fitz and Floyd is still in business, still offering handsome china and delightful decorative ceramics like this.

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