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:
bbnumber.JPG 41.96K 4 downloads
I have no idea how many were in the series. I have numbers 1-11, plus a few anomalies
bb01.JPG 30.66K 5 downloads
bb02.JPG 27.14K 2 downloads
bb03.JPG 33.71K 2 downloads
bb04.JPG 29.44K 3 downloads
bb05.JPG 26.6K 3 downloads
bb06.JPG 26.94K 3 downloads
bb07.JPG 30.82K 3 downloads
bb08.JPG 30.05K 3 downloads
bb09.JPG 29.45K 3 downloads
bb10.JPG 28.26K 4 downloads
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.
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:
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:
bb33a.JPG 29.84K 2 downloads bb33b.JPG 31.34K 2 downloads 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
P1044276.JPG 30.49K 3 downloads 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:
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?