Ceramic Crazy Clips
A rare series of expressive Holt Howard stationery clips whose cartoon faces bring Robert Howard's character design into the world of household and office organization.
Introduction
Introduced in Holt Howard's 1958 catalog as “funny, fanciful, fabulous clips for house or office,” Ceramic Crazy Clips combined Robert Howard's expressive character design with practical, spring-action chrome clips. Each ceramic face was painted with a personality tied to the clip's intended use, making the series feel closely related to Pixieware even though it was not kitchenware.
The line occupied an awkward retail category. According to Walter Dworkin's second edition guide, John Howard explained that the clips were stationery products introduced at a time when Holt Howard was increasingly focused on kitchenware, and the company hoped its sales department could place them in kitchenware departments anyway. That crossover strategy appears not to have worked well, which may explain why surviving examples are so difficult to find today.
Walter pictured fifteen clips in his second edition guide and noted several additional titles from an old Holt Howard catalog. Collector discoveries have since confirmed three additional surviving examples: Homework, Appointments, and Messages. The currently documented checklist therefore stands at eighteen clips.
His & Hers
The His and Hers clips are the most domestic and openly affectionate pair in the Crazy Clips series. His winks toward his companion with a red-nosed grin, while Hers answers with closed, affectionate eyes and a cheerful smile. Together they show how Robert Howard could turn a simple household organizer into a miniature character study.
Urgent! & Mañana
This pair works through contrast: Urgent! is all pressure and panic, while Mañana is calm, content, and completely unbothered. The joke is immediate, and the expressions are among the strongest in the series.
Diets & Desserts
Diets and Desserts turn self-control into comedy. Diets looks worried and tense, while Desserts appears delighted by temptation. It is one of the clearest examples of Holt Howard using everyday anxieties as the basis for lighthearted design.
Tax Deductions & Swindle Sheet
These office-themed companions contrast order with confusion. Tax Deductions looks pleased and well organized, while Swindle Sheet appears baffled, complete with a question mark in place of the expected facial detail.
Party List & Liquor List
Party List and Liquor List bring the same comic pairing to entertaining. One face is overwhelmed by the planning, while the other looks as though the party has already gone on too long.
Groceries & Recipes
The Groceries and Recipes clips are the pair most naturally connected to Holt Howard's kitchenware identity. Groceries looks wide-eyed and anxious, while Recipes seems satisfied and ready to enjoy the result.
Paid & To Be Paid
Paid and To Be Paid translate household bookkeeping into character design. Paid has the relieved look of a completed task, while To Be Paid is still caught in the pressure of the deadline.
Dates & Appointments
Dates was documented in Walter Dworkin's second edition guide, while Appointments was one of the additional cataloged titles he noted as uncertain. Surviving examples now confirm Appointments as part of the produced Crazy Clips universe, making these two scheduling-themed clips a natural pairing for the Archive.
Homework
Walter noted that Homework had been produced but did not illustrate it in the second edition guide. Surviving examples now confirm the design, though its original companion, if any, remains unknown.
Messages
Messages is another post-guide confirmation and one of the most important additions to the documented checklist. Its existence shows that the Crazy Clips line extended beyond the fifteen examples Walter was able to picture.
Ongoing Collector Documentation
The Ceramic Crazy Clips remain one of Holt Howard's least understood product lines. Their limited production, unusual retail placement, and continuing post-guide discoveries make them an active area of collector research. As additional examples surface, this page can be updated to reflect the most complete documented checklist available.