Do You Remember Schultz and Dooley?

Growing up in New York in the 1950s, I was one of the many television viewers in the Northeast who were introduced to the West End Brewing Company (WEBCO) “spokesmugs,” Schultz and Dooley, through a series of award-winning commercials for Utica Club beer. Unlike the ceramic Schultz and Dooley character steins now marketed by WEBCO, the original TV characters were made of wood. The renowned puppeteer Bill Baird is credited with bringing the steins to life, along with comedian Jonathan Winters, who supplied their voices, complete with German and Irish accents.

from Beer Stein Article

Literally hundreds of thousands of Schultz and Dooley series characters have now reached the marketplace, leaving little room for doubt regarding their continuing popularity with collectors…

Although generally unrecognized by collectors, the original Schultz and Dooley steins hold a place in steinmaking history, in that they were in all probability the very first character steins produced specifically for an American audience. By comparison, the original “Bud Man,” Anheuser-Busch’s initial character stein, did not arrive on the scene until 1976, some 17 years later. Moreover, the on-going series of companion steins is in itself a likely first in the history of steinmaking. Although there are several groups of character steins that might qualify as “sets,” there has never before been anything to compare in scope or staying power with the Schultz and Dooley series.

Another factor contributing to the popularity of these steins is that there are any number of people for whom Schultz and Dooley help to evoke fond memories of an earlier time in their lives. In a sense, this reaction to Schultz and Dooley is not unlike that of the many servicemen who did tours of duty in Germany and whose memories are recaptured through stein collecting.

Finally, the Schultz and Dooley series is just plain fun and also readily obtainable. The cartoon-like nature of the steins is appealing to people of all ages and they’re available at prices almost everyone can afford.

from Beer Stein Article