The Clay Art Company

In 1979 Michael Zanfagna and Jenny McClain were teaching at Mission High School in San Francisco, when they decided to build a business of affordable art. The company became known for their cookie jars, salt and pepper shakers and masks. Their first product was not a jar, but a ceramic hand painted cherub's bottom fanny hook. Too bad that wasn't a cookie jar, it would have been an interesting one.

In a telephone interview (1998) with Michael Zanfagna, he talked about the products they were working on - including adding licensed items to go with their decorative pieces.

Over the years the company produced jars such as: Gumby, Batman, Superman, The Three Stooges, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe Betty Boop and Felix the Cat. The company is known for their black musical jars which included Amazing Grace, Jazz Player and Ragtime.

One of their most anticipated and popular jars was the Babe Ruth cookie jar from the late 1990s.

And if you are a salt and pepper collector, many of their cookie jars had coordinating shakers, as well as banks.

More:

• Clay Art Resources