Toby Jug facts for kids
A Toby Jug is a special type of pottery jug. It looks like a person sitting down, or sometimes just the head of a well-known person. Usually, the sitting figure is a friendly-looking man. He often holds a mug of beer and a pipe. He wears clothes from the 1700s, like a long coat and a tricorn hat.
The tricorn hat on the jug often forms the pouring spout. It might even have a lid that you can take off. A handle is usually at the back of the jug. Jugs that only show a head and shoulders are also called Toby jugs. But, to be exact, these are sometimes called "character jugs" or face jugs.
The first Toby Jugs were made in the 1760s by potters in Staffordshire, England. They became very popular. People think these jugs were inspired by similar ones made in the Netherlands. Soon, other potters in England and then in other countries started making their own versions.
What's in a Name?
People have different ideas about where the name "Toby Jug" came from. Some think it's named after characters from old plays, like Sir Toby Belch from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Others suggest Uncle Toby from Thomas Sterne's Tristram Shandy.
However, the most common idea is that the jug is named after a real person. This person was a man from Yorkshire named Henry Elwes. He was known for really enjoying strong beer. People called him "Toby Fillpot." After he passed away in 1761, a publisher in London, Carrington Bowles, made a popular picture of him.
This picture became very famous. Then, a potter named Ralph Wood from Burslem created the "Toby" jugs based on this picture. Toby Fillpot was also the subject of a well-known poem called 'The Brown Jug' by Francis Fawkes. This poem helped make the story of Toby Fillpot even more popular. It tells how Toby Fillpot, who loved to drink, eventually became the clay for a brown jug.
Where to See Them
If you want to see a lot of Toby Jugs, you can visit the American Toby Jug Museum. It is located in Evanston, Illinois, in the United States.
