Designer: Ashley Rosebrook (b. 1973)

Item: Swid Powell Bugs Bunny Ice Bucket

Manufactred by: Plata Lappas, Buenos Aires for Swid Powell

Country of origin: Argentina

Year made: 1996

Materials: Silverplate over brass

Dimensions:  10 ¼” x 8” diameter

Description: Swid Powell was contracted by Warner Bros. Entertainment to produce several objects for sale that were sold at the Warner Bros Studio Store as a limited-edition promotional object.  The designer for this object was Ashley Rosebrook, an in-house designer for Swid Powell who was hired as a recent graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in industrial design. Only 150 were produced, and this was number 17 from that production.  These are very hard to find to begin with, so finding one mint and in its original box and packaging is very rare.

An example is in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery donated from Nan Swid’s personal collection.  A water pitcher with Bugs Bunny’s profile as the handle was also produced in an edition of 150.  They also produced a pair of ice tongs and a pair of salad serviers with Buggs Bunny’s paws.  Swid Powell also did some design commissioned objects for Walt Disney Company, but in much greater numbers.  The well-known Mickey Mouse ears letter opener for Swid Powell was in an edition of 3,000 pieces.

Condition: Mint in original box and packaging with original insert edition certificate.  We removed it from its sealed plastic bags because plastic damages silverplate finishes.  There is one spot on one of the ears that shows a small amount of corrosion to the silverplate that was a result of being stored in the plastic for over 25 years.  It is hard to see, but we did our best to have it photographed.  The original box is missing its lid, has a corner seam split and is dented, but it retains its original $350 price label as shown.