Fiesta Tableware Company facts for kids
| Private, Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Ceramics |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Founders | Homer Laughlin Shakespeare Laughlin |
| Headquarters |
,
U.S.
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Area served
|
Worldwide |
The Fiesta Tableware Company makes beautiful ceramic dishes. It's located in Newell, West Virginia, USA. This company started way back in 1871. It's super famous for its colorful Art Deco style dishes called Fiesta. In 2002, a big newspaper called Fiesta "the most collected brand of china in the United States."
In March 2020, the company sold parts of its business that made dishes for restaurants and hotels. They sold these parts, along with the "Homer Laughlin" name, to a British company called Steelite International. The company kept its part that sells dishes to regular people, including the popular Fiesta line. They also kept their factory and offices in Newell. After this, they changed their name to the Fiesta Tableware Company.
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History of Fiesta Tableware
The Fiesta Tableware Company began as Laughlin Pottery in 1871. It was a small pottery shop with two kilns. Brothers Shakespeare and Homer Laughlin started it near the Ohio River in East Liverpool, Ohio. Shakespeare left the company in 1879.
In 1889, William Edwin Wells joined Homer Laughlin. Seven years later, they officially formed a company. Homer Laughlin then sold his share to Wells. The company won an award in 1876 for making the best white dishes.
The company grew very quickly. In 1903, they opened a new, much larger factory in Newell, West Virginia. This is where the company's main office and factory are today. By the late 1920s, all their dishes were made at the West Virginia factory. The old Ohio location was no longer used.
In 1920, the company hired Albert V. Bleininger. He was a scientist and helped change the factory to use more efficient ovens called tunnel kilns. In 1927, an English ceramist named Frederick Hurten Rhead joined the company. He worked on designing new products and trying out different shapes and colors for the dishes.
His work led to the creation of the famous Fiesta line in 1935. The company made the most dishes in 1948. They produced over 10 million items that year!
In 2010, the company, then called Homer Laughlin China Company, bought The Hall China Company. This meant they owned two pottery companies in the area. As of 2015, the company continued to make all its products in the United States.
In March 2020, the Wells family, who owned Homer Laughlin China Company (HLCC), sold their food service parts of the business. They also sold the "Homer Laughlin" name to Steelite International. HLCC kept its retail business, including the popular Fiestaware. They also kept their factory and main office, and changed their name to The Fiesta Tableware Company.
The food service part of the business had not been making money. It was hard for them to compete with cheaper imported dishes. Since the "Homer Laughlin" name was used for the food service business, it was sold along with that part of the company. Elizabeth Wells McIlvain, who was the president, said the family sold that part of the business to focus only on Fiesta. Fiesta is their very popular American brand sold in stores. Today, you can visit a special center, a museum, and a factory store at their main office.
Different Dish Collections
In the 1920s, the company said it was the biggest pottery company in the world. They have made an amazing number of different dish designs since they started. Some guess they've made between 25,000 and 35,000 different patterns!
Fiesta Dinnerware
Homer Laughlin started making the popular and colorful Fiesta dishes in 1936. Fiesta dishes were made until the late 1960s. New colors were added over time. The whole line of dishes was stopped in 1973.
But good news! Fiesta was brought back by the company in 1986. It is still being made today. The new Fiesta dishes use some of the original shapes. However, the clay they use now is harder. This meant they had to change the molds a little bit. So, some shapes are slightly different from the old ones.
Also, the new clay shrinks more when it's fired. This means the new dishes are a tiny bit smaller than the old ones. Many new shapes have also been created for how people use dishes today. Just like the original line, the current Fiesta dishes come in many different colors that change over time.
Other Popular Dish Lines
Besides Fiesta, the company made two other colorful dish lines in the 1930s. These also had bright, solid colors. Harlequin was introduced in 1938. It was a cheaper option than Fiesta. It was made only for Woolworth's stores.
The third line of bright, solid-colored dishes from that time was Riviera dinnerware, made in 1938. Riviera dishes are special because they have triple-scalloped corners on a square shape. Riviera came in colors like red, yellow, light green, mauve blue, and sometimes cobalt blue. During World War II, it was also made in ivory. Riviera dishes stopped being made around 1948 or 1949. Harlequin was made until 1964. It was briefly brought back in 1979 for Woolworth's 100th anniversary.
Epicure was a dish line introduced in 1955. It was based on popular colors and shapes from the 1950s. A student of Russel Wright designed it. Wright's own dishes were made by a rival company nearby. Epicure dishes are now sought after by collectors. But when they first came out, they weren't very popular. They were stopped just one year after they started.
The Golden Wheat Line was made by Homer-Laughlin Company between 1949 and 1966. These dishes were given away in Duz Detergent boxes to encourage people to buy the soap. These dishes have a picture of wheat bending in the wind in the middle. They also have a trim on the edge made of 22k gold.
Partnership Dish Lines
Modern Star was a special china dish set. It was made by the Homer Laughlin China Company with the Taylor, Smith and Taylor Pottery Company and Quaker Oats Company. Modern Star isn't a shape. It's a dish set with a cool "atomic style" starburst pattern on each piece.
The dishes were made for the Quaker Oats Company. This was a way for Quaker Oats to sell more of their breakfast products. Back then, companies like Quaker Oats would offer dishes and household items. Customers could collect box tops from their products. Then, they would send the box tops to Quaker Oats. They could buy dishes at a lower price. Customers could buy small sets or a complete set for up to 6 people. Modern Star was one of the last dish lines Homer Laughlin China Company made with Taylor, Smith & Taylor Pottery Company. The Modern Star Line was stopped in 1958. It is now very popular with collectors.
Dishes for the Government
The Fiesta Tableware Company also has agreements with the United States government. They supply china and dishes for many different uses. This includes fancy dinners and dishes for US troops at military bases and in the field. Some of these designs are made only for the US government.
