In 1978 Enesco introduced the Precious
Moments collection of lovingly crafted, bisque porcelain figurines. Based on the
artwork of Sam Butcher and sculpted by Yasuhei Fujioka, the ever-popular
Precious Moments figurines continue to spread the message of loving, caring, and
sharing to collectors around the world.
A man by the name of Sam Butcher began drawing beautiful children over twenty-five years ago. He named his drawings “Precious Moments”, and their charm and sweetness caught on like wildfire. Initially, the Precious Moments® children were only produced on cards and posters. When Sam Butcher and his partner took their artwork to a convention, retailers began swarming around to get a closer look at the drawings. Eventually, the Enesco® Company offered to take Sam’s drawings and bring them to life by producing figurines. The Precious Moments® figurines were born.
The first of the Precious Moments® figurines was entitled “Love One Another”. This was the first figurine to be shown to Sam Butcher by Enesco®, and he was so overwhelmed that he agreed to let them begin producing the entire line. Today, Precious Moments® figurines are a hugely popular collector’s item, and people all over the world have begun to start their own collection. Each year, the figurines are represented by a different symbol on the bottom so that collectors can easily identify their year of production. The first year Precious Moments® figurines were created was in 1981, and the symbol for that particular year was a triangle. Other symbols for the following years are items such as a fish, dove, olive branch, heart, butterfly, ship, and star, among many others.
In 2005, a new chapter in the Precious Moments® story began, as the collection “came home” to join the rest of the Precious Moments® family at Precious Moments, Incorporated. Today, the Precious Moments® line is still going strong. There are several collectors’ clubs that participate in the tracking of new Precious Moments® figurines, and who keep up with their own existing collections. Each one of the Precious Moments® figurines are beautifully crafted and painted in lovely pastel colors. Every figurine has its own theme and title. Precious Moments® figurines make a lovely, memorable gift for children and adults of all ages and are sure to touch your heart.
