The Phantom Skull Cave Teapot was produced by Monkeys of Melbourne in Australia in 1988. The teapot was produced in Japan before being sold in Australian pop culture retail stores or via direct mail order from Monkeys of Melbourne. The teapot is fully licensed by King Features Syndicate.
Monkeys of Melbourne was established in Australia by Wendy Cochran and Shane Kennedy in 1984. The company was initially based at Banks Street, South Melbourne, before later expanding due to the companies growth to Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick and Chapel Street, Prahran both located in Melbourne.
Monkeys of Melbourne specialized and produced a range of premoulded ceramics (such as plates, lamps, vases, toby mugs and bowls) which were hand-painted and fired in a modernist style. The quality and range of products are highly regarded amongst collectors.
Ceramic works were also hand-signed and year dated, usually as simply ‘Monkey’ on the earlier pieces, then ‘© Monkeys Handpainted Melbourne’ or ‘© Monkeys Handpainted Melb’ or ‘© Monkeys of Melbourne’ as time went by.
In the early 1990s, Monkeys of Melbourne commenced producing licensed merchandise, including Ren and Stimpy, Micky Mouse, Betty Boop, and the Phantom. Most of these items were mass produced in factories, with pre-produced designs printed on goods (such as mugs and glassware) and not hand-painted.
The company ceased operating in 1999.
The Phantom Skull Cave Teapot is produced from Fine Porcelain with a high gloss glaze finish, with a lift off lid located at the top via two finger holes. The round shaped body of the teapot measures 14.5cm in diameter, from handle to spout it measures 21cm and measures 7cm in width. The teapot hold 485 liters of water and was only available in a white color finish. It features an image of the Phantom sitting on Hero who is looking back at the Skull Cave on both sides of the teapot, printed onto the surface and not hand painted as traditional seen with products produced by Monkeys of Melbourne.
The underside of the teapot contains the producers details, copyright information, the year of manufacture and a profile image of the Phantom. The printed text reads ‘MONKEYS OF MELBOURNE © King Features Syndicate Incorporated 1988’.
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