Question:
I have a Pierre the Chef yellow cookie jar that I inherited from my parents (my siblings and I were in the 1940s and 50s). I am not sure it is a Red Wing because the inscription on the bottom of the jar is very difficult to make out (I see several M’s and then the word "painted"). When I look at pictures of this antique cookie jar, I’ve noticed that mine has a thicker mustache. My twin brother told me that our cookie jar is rare because some were made to resemble Adolf Hitler. Fact or fiction? Could ours be a knock-out manufactured by someone other than Red Wing? Thank you for taking the time! Sue

Answer: The Chef Pierre cookie jar was introduced by Red Wing in 1941. All Chef Pierre cookie jars that were made by Red Wing Potteries are marked with the company name. The mold imparted RED WING USA into the clay, and nearly all jars were also marked with an ink stamp. I am not familiar with a marking that includes a series of M’s.

Each jar was hand painted by one of the artists at the pottery, thus each jar will have slight and subtle differences. It is certainly possible that one painter had a heavier hand when it came to painting the mustache. But this is the first I’ve heard of any Red Wing product being made in the image of Adolf Hitler. Your cookie jar could be a knock-off from another company (especially if there is no Red Wing mark), or it could a Red Wing jar with a heavier mustache than most. But I strongly doubt a pottery in the heartland of America was intentionally making Adolf Hitler cookie jars during the World War Two years.

Larry