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Thursday, March 13, 2014

The Mystery of the Porcelain Godzillas

Above, the porcelain Godzilla figure I bought. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I was contacted today by an owner of a porcelain Godzilla figure. They were aware that I have one and were wondering if I knew anything about them, such as who made them, where they were made, etc.

The email I received:

I came across your info when doing a Google search for Porcelain Godzillas.
I live in South Carolina with my husband who is also a Godzilla fan.
I recently purchased an identical porcelain figure to yours in a local antique store. However ours is painted blue & white like you would find on asian pottery/dishware. Very unusual!
We can not find any info on this piece! He has no stamps or markings.
We'd love to know if you have any info on when and where these were made?
I'll also send you a pick of him if you'd like!
Thanks! Any info would be appreciated.


Unfortunately, this has been a mystery to me ever since I bought mine around 2000 through eBay. From what I know of mine, it was part of someone's storage unit of goods that were auctioned off due to non-payment of storage rent. I received a second email that included this photo:

Above, the South Carolina Godzilla.

Soon after I bought mine, I contacted Toho in Los Angeles and they checked with the Tokyo office and they had no idea where it came from. To date, I know of three of these figures. They could be very rare items. Like hers, mine has no markings or stamps either.

If anyone knows about these, please feel free to post a comment.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

My sister bought me one of these when she was on business in Tokyo.
It's bluish with the white and gold dorsal fins. No markings as to who
made this one either.

Anonymous said...

My sister bought me one of these while on business in Tokyo. It's bluish with the white and gold dorsal fin. No markings.

Nick said...

I own three of these: one is blue, as pictured; the other two are white -- and one of those in white is half the size (3 inches?) of the other.

I think I got one of these (the blue) SOUTH OF THE THE BORDER in the Carolinas during a family trip -- this would have been circa 1987. The other two, I think were obtained locally (upstate NY) from an Jade Gift-type store at a mall, a few years later (1989 or so).

I do remember the SoB purchase was from -- possibly -- the building that sold fireworks? There were a few of these on the shelf, but not many.

Anonymous said...

Hello! Were you ever able to find out anything about these godzilla statues? I have one sitting on my mantle that I have had since childhood. My father gave it to me in the late 1980s. It looks exactly like the gray and white statue you have pictured. No markings are present on mine either. Until stumbling across your blog I had never seen another one like mine. Just curious about them.

Armand Vaquer said...

No, I never did find out the backstory on the porcelain Godzilla figures. - A.

Anonymous said...

I have one of the blue Godzillas. It has a sticker on the bottom that says, "Made in Japan". What is it worth? I am thinking about selling it.

Armand Vaquer said...

I have no idea on what its worth is. Your best bet is to sell it on eBay and decide on the minimum bid amount and let it go from there. - A.

Armand Vaquer said...

According to Sean Linkenback, who wrote a book on Godzilla collectible, these likely originated from China. - A.

Unknown said...

I have both a blue and grey that I purchased in Japan in 1986

zilla469 said...

I picked up one in the 80's from a Yard Bird's in Washington State. I do have some karkijgs on the bottom of the left foot.as I can't seam to figure out how to post pic's it's my profile pic. Hopes this helps

Anonymous said...

Have the exact blue porcelain Godzilla. Bought it in Japan in 1987. Also bought a blue glazed Triceratops same year. Hoping someone has price on Godzilla

Anonymous said...

I have the same Godzilla, bought in Japan in 1987 at Naval Exchange. Don't remember what I paid. Hoping someone knows price. It's a beautiful blue porcelain

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