American Toby Jug Museum 

Buttercup large size toby jug designed by Clarice Cliff and produced by Shorter & Son of Stoke-on-Trent, England, circa 1950. From the 1885 Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "H.M.S. Pinafore", Buttercup, also known as Little Buttercup and whose real name is Mrs. Cripps, is a Portsmouth bumboat woman who has designs on Captain Corcoran. "H.M.S. Pinafore", or "The Lass That Loved a Sailor" is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London in May of 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical theater piece up to that time. "H.M.S. Pinafore" was Gilbert and Sullivan's fourth operatic collaboration and their first international sensation. With permission from D'Oyly Carte, Shorter modeled this series based on the actor and costumes from the operas and posing in scenes from the operas. The red ribbon from Buttercup's hat forms the handle of the jug. The small size Buttercup toby jug stands 5" tall.