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Buddha Babies


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#1 fuzzbuster

fuzzbuster

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Posted 16 January 2021 - 04:48 AM

I have a handful that I got from vending machines circa 1998-99, and have managed to add a few more to my collection over the last couple of years.

 

There does not seem to be much info about them anywhere that I have found, other than a brief mention on a gardening blog I stumbled upon that implied that they may have been called Buddha Buddies in the UK.

 

They are each marked with a number and the generic CHINA on their backs:

Attached File  bbnumber.JPG   41.96K   3 downloads

 

I have no idea how many were in the series. I have numbers 1-11, plus a few anomalies

Attached File  bb01.JPG   30.66K   4 downloads

Attached File  bb02.JPG   27.14K   2 downloads

Attached File  bb03.JPG   33.71K   2 downloads

Attached File  bb04.JPG   29.44K   2 downloads

Attached File  bb05.JPG   26.6K   2 downloads

Attached File  bb06.JPG   26.94K   2 downloads

Attached File  bb07.JPG   30.82K   2 downloads

Attached File  bb08.JPG   30.05K   2 downloads

Attached File  bb09.JPG   29.45K   2 downloads

Attached File  bb10.JPG   28.26K   4 downloads

Attached File  bb11.JPG   29.5K   3 downloads

 

I have at least one double of numbers 1-11. There are no variations in color or material in the first ten. They are cast from a slightly flexible material that is the same tone as the heads and hands with their garments, accessories and accents painted on.

Attached File  P1044277.JPG   43.51K   3 downloads

 

 

#11 differs in basic design from the others with it's hollow base and extra number stamped inside. It also is cast in an ever so slightly firmer material that is the same color as the garments, with the heads, hands, etc. painted on.

 

The two I have are slightly different shades of yellow:

Attached File  P1044275.JPG   50.52K   2 downloads

 

And then there is #33. I have three of this figure, one with a broken drum stick, each a different color:

Attached File  bb33a.JPG   29.84K   2 downloadsAttached File  bb33b.JPG   31.34K   2 downloadsAttached File  bb33c.JPG   29.54K   2 downloads

In the same style as #11, they are hollow-based and have their number stamped on the inside in addition to the numbers on their backs

Attached File  P1044276.JPG   30.49K   3 downloadsAttached File  bb33back.JPG   42.69K   3 downloads

Oddly, the yellow #33 only has one 3 on his back, though he is marked 33 inside the base:

Attached File  bb333.JPG   29.96K   2 downloads

The similarities between #11 and #33 makes me wonder if the figure(s) missing from the sequence are also similar, signifying a design change that occurred once the numbers went beyond 10.

I also wonder if the numbering system changed as well, perhaps doubling digits for the next 10 or so in the series. Instead of 11, 12, 13, 14 and so on, maybe it went 11, 22, 33, 44, etc.

 

The only way to learn more about this obscure line is to wait for more examples to surface. Somewhere out there could be a vending machine display card that is still intact, or maybe these were even sold in packages at some point.

 

Anyone else remember these?


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