Due to the tremendous success of the Canadian Red Rose Tea Wade Whimsy promotions the geographical area was extended into the United States of America in 1983, where Red Rose Tea is owned by Redco Foods Ltd. The first American issue of the Red Rose Tea miniatures was a set of fifteen miniature animals.
The majority of these fifteen models were from the English Whimsies collection 1971-1984 and were given a single colour glaze make over. The exception was the squirrel and the hare, which were taken from the Tom Smiths British Wildlife series of 1986-1987. This first Red Rose tea miniatures series finished in 1985 and it was during this same year that the second set of miniature animals began.
This second set of miniatures had already been offered in Washington earlier in 1982. Obviously they must have been the usual success as they were then rolled out in all the American States. These second issue Red Rose tea miniatures were similar to the highly popular first animal set, and once again contained fifteen single colour glazed animals all taken from either the English Whimsies or Tom Smiths Wildlife series.
In 1990 Red Rose tea added another five miniatures taken again from Tom Smith but this time from his Family Pets series of 1988-1989, to the second issue of animals to make a total of twenty miniature animals which comprised their third issue. In some parts of America the Red Rose tea miniatures were not included as premiums inside the tea boxes; instead collectors had to send the UPC code along with a small charge for postage in order to receive their model.
It was quite common for overlaps of issues to happen between states. Where one American state would be offering one specific issue of Red Rose tea miniatures another would be onto another. And this is what happened with issue four which began in 1992 whilst the third issue of miniature animals did not really finish until 1996.
Once again America offered its fourth issue as a mail order purchase rather than as a free tea premium, this was mainly because the packs of decaffeinated tea were not designed to hold a little Wade whimsy. The whole of this collection of twenty miniature animals were the same as the animals from the previous third issue.
In 1993 Red Rose tea miniatures brought out its fifth issue which lasted for six years and this time consisting of a new theme - ten circus models. The moulds from the Tom Smiths Circus Animates Crackers 1978-1979 were used but given a different colour glaze from the originals. However in 1996 five completely new circus models - made specifically for this set - were added to make the sixth issue, which ran until 1998.
The seventh Red Rose tea miniature issue began in 1998 and consisted of ten Endangered North American animals. Seven of these models were brand new designs with only three being remodelled from previous issues.
The Endangered North American Animals series ran until 2002 and it was in this year that the American Red Rose tea miniatures issue of Noah's ark was released. This issue contained two brand new concepts; the first being that one of the models, Noah, was issued next to his wife and the second that the ark was only available to purchase through the mail. The issue consisted of Noah and wife along with seven different animals. There was both a male and a female version of each ark animal, making sixteen pieces in total including the ark.
As a separate item but to coincide with the Noahs Ark issue Redco Foods offered a money box to their American collectors in 1993. This was in the form of a white Dove of Peace carrying in her beak a dark green twig.
At the end of the Noahs Ark miniature issue in 2006 a ninth Wade whimsy issue was introduced, again with the main element having to be purchased from Red Rose tea. There are twelve models in this Pet Shop friends set including the pet shop itself that has to be purchased separately.
These nine issues of American Red Rose Tea miniatures along with the previous four Canadian Red Rose Tea issues have been so successful that reports of 200,000,000 + Wade models have been circulated via the Red Rose Tea promotions. And with success like that I think Red Rose tea will go on offering their Wade ceramic premiums for many more years to come.
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