The Department 56 Story
One Christmas evening, a group of friends set off to enjoy a dinner of celebration at a small country inn nestled in a quiet river town. As they rounded a bend in the road, they saw the small, old-fashioned village decorated for the holidays. The lights, like fairies, glowed and sparkled amid the freshly fallen snow. All evening, the conversation was full of Christmas memories and the visions the tiny town had evoked. Amidst the jovial banter and magical memories, the idea for a lighted Christmas village was born. That spark of an idea became a reality when, in 1976, Department 56 introduced a series of six hand-painted, ceramic buildings. The rest is history.
Where are they now?
Now headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Department 56 has become a leader in the giftware, collectibles and holiday decorating industry and is best known for their hand-crafted lighted villages, Snowbabies® figurines and extensive lines of holiday and home decorative products.
Department 56 continues to come up with great holiday decorations for every season. These are some of their premiere “Village” collections: The Original Snow Village, Christmas in the City, Dickens', Alpine, North Pole, A Christmas Carol, Peanuts and Disney Villages as well as their Snowbabies collection.
Meet the Artists and their stories
Kristi Jensen Pierro
For over 33 years Department 56® artist, Kristi Jensen Pierro has captured the beauty and splendor of winter in her Snowbabies™’ designs. Her personal experiences are artfully designed into each Snowbabies’ piece and carefully named to ensure a sentiment of love, friendship or inspiration. “Each piece I design tells its own story. It’s the story that makes each Snowbabies’ figurine special and unique.” She gets ideas talking with collectors at events, recalling experiences from her own childhood as well as her children but says, "the evolution of many of my designs comes from the inspiration of the thousands of enthusiasts and collectors everywhere. You tell me what you like, and what you don’t. And I listen.” Her new sub-series, “Peaceful Kingdom” features a herd of animals both big and small that are special to the Snowbabies, and celebrate the bond shared between baby and animal.
Scott Enter
Scott Enter has designed hundreds of Village lit buildings, accessories, and general animated pieces since he started working at Department 56 in 1990 as a photographer. His first design project, The Original Snow Village "Green House", was planned as an accessory but Scott, who loves to tinker with technology, figured out how to make it light. Scott can be credited with upgrading numerous additions to The Original Snow Village, Snow Village Halloween and other Villages over the years. "Collectors are always asking us to add more sound and animation to their Villages, which prompts me to keep thinking creatively on how to make the Villages come alive.". One of Scott’s more popular sub-series is the Snow Village “Christmas Lane”, a group of overdecorated homes that started with “The Noel House” in 2003. Inspired by his love of the holidays and decorating his own house for Christmas, Scott enjoys thinking up new designs for this series. Scott loves the brainstorming sessions for concept and design.
Tate Yotter
The newest artist on the team is Tate Yotter. She joined the Department 56 Creative team in 2013 as a Village accessory artist and Classic Brands designer which means that she works on many Villages as well as their giftware lines. Tate brings a fresh perspective to everything she is involved with. She is graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she earned a degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Comic Art. Tate works on many of their licensed giftware lines – the Grinch, Dr. Seuss, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Peanuts, Pusheen, Girl Scouts, Margaritaville, Elf on the Shelf, and Disney. With her background in graphic and comic design, she is at home with the variety of assignments she is given. And she’s one busy lady! “But I like it that way, keeps me going and keeps the creative juices flowing.”