The leader in everyday dinnerware unveils the first of three celebratory collections – mixing bowls – in a limited anniversary year color, available f

This year, FIESTA® Dinnerware not only centers around the traditional introduction of a new hue at the International Home & Housewares Show, in Chicago, Sunday, March 16 through Tuesday, March 18, 2008, but the first of three celebratory collection pieces as The Homer Laughlin China Company™ approaches the 75th anniversary of the brand in 2011. FIESTA Baking Bowls, three perfectly large nested shapes, will be available in the company’s newly unveiled anniversary year color—Marigold—for a mere 75 weeks.

“FIESTA is a lifestyle brand,” says Rich Brinkman, vice president of sales and marketing, The Homer Laughlin China Company. The most collected china in the U.S., FIESTA® Dinnerware also tops bridal registries as the must-have in the everyday dinnerware category. “The 75th anniversary campaign is new for Homer Laughlin. We’ve introduced limited fires to the marketplace, but nothing of this magnitude,” he adds, referring to the three corresponding items in the limited availability color.

The baking bowl set will be available in Marigold, as well as seven of FIESTA’s standard contemporary colors, including: Scarlet, Cobalt, Tangerine, Sunflower, Peacock, Shamrock, White and Evergreen.

Availability in the anniversary color, however, will be limited to 75 weeks—April 1, 2008 thru Sept. 1, 2009. “Marigold is not just for the collector,” says Brinkman, “it’s for the enthusiast…providing a unique opportunity to become the next generation of collector.” Sept. 2, 2009, the baking bowls, in Marigold only, will officially retire. Thereafter, says Brinkman, “You will only find the baking bowls in the seven other glazes.”

The 3-piece baking bowls, ranging in size from 6-1/2 to 2-1/2 quarts, will be displayed in a show-stopping glass case – in Marigold – at the Homer Laughlin Booth No. S2003, South Building.

The perfect companion piece – expanding on the current bakeware line – each baking bowl emulates the brand’s celebrated design with sculpted, concentric rings, contemporary inspired color palette and beloved back-stamp. “We’ve created a new back-stamp celebrating the 75th anniversary,” says Brinkman. Homer Laughlin, too, has modified retail packaging to acknowledge the company’s landmark year and limited availability collections.

“This is what drives collectors,” says Harvey Linn, a collector since 1986. The baking bowls resemble the original pieces from 1936, “making them all the more appealing,” finishes Linn. The bottoms of the baking bowls in the remaining glazes will feature the signature FIESTA stamp or embossment.

Dinnerware and accessories in Marigold will follow according to Brinkman—and like the other anniversary color collections to be introduced April 1, 2009 and April 1, 2010, 75 weeks later, each will officially retire. “We’re offering the opportunity to purchase special anniversary collections four years in advance of the actual date,” he says. As for details regarding the future 75th anniversary introductions, ‘mum’ is the word. “All we can tell you is to look for Marigold,” says Brinkman, “and when you find it, get it, because 75 weeks later, it will no longer be in production.”

“We want limited colors that we know will eventually retire and filter into the secondary market,” says Sandra Bond, president of the Homer Laughlin China Collectors Association (HLCCA). “We collectors…we’ll go to great lengths to get our hands on limited pieces,” she finishes. The Association boasts more than 1,000 members nationwide.

Look for FIESTA Baking Bowls at select fine department and specialty stores, as well as catalog and online, April 1, 2008; MSRP $189.99, MAP $129.99.

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About Fiesta® Dinnerware
Designed by Frederick Hurten Rhead in 1936, FIESTA® Dinnerware is now the most collected china in the United States and among the most collected china in the world. It has been featured on many popular TV programs, including ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover and the Today Show. The product was discontinued in 1973 and reissued in 1986 with new contemporary colors to mark its 50th anniversary. Its unique Art Deco style has landed FIESTA® Dinnerware in the collections of numerous museums from the Smithsonian Institution to the Andy Warhol Museum.

About The Homer Laughlin China Company™
The Homer Laughlin China Company™, headquartered in Newell, West Virginia, is the largest domestic producer of china dinnerware in the United States. The company’s distinctive FIESTA® brand is featured on dining tables across the country and coveted by a large, enthusiastic group of collectors. For additional information, please visit the Homer Laughlin™ Web site at www.hlchina.com.