I thought they were so adorable. And they are cute a for tea parties with my Lexie. She loves that they are green (her favorite color). I've just now gotten around to looking up information on the cups and Ben Seibel, but so far all I could find was this:
"Ben Seibel was a prolific designer. In 1952, when Roseville Pottery Company was experiencing financial difficulties, Seibel was asked to design a dinnerware line that would help revive the company. Raymor Modern Stoneware (see table below) was the result. While this highly desirable potteryware did not revive the company, it did help Seibel make his mark in the design world. His other designs include Impromptu ('52), Informal ('58), Inheritance ('59) and Intaglio ('64), all by Iroquois, as well later designs for Mikasa."
http://www.retrospective.net/BSeibel.htm
During the 1950s, Iroquois introduced a line called Informal by industrial designer Ben Seibel that had a round shape with "a stretched look." Each piece was decorated in either a two-tone white with solid color (with or without design decals) or in plain white with decals. The set consisted of approximately 25 pieces and included patterns such as Blue Diamonds, Sleepy Hollow, Steller, Teuton, Tiara, Rosemary, Lazy Daisy, Harvest Time, Old Orchard and Bombay-Green. The colors in the collection were earthy and bright and included mustard, apricot, avocado yellow, blue, bean brown, nutmeg, cantaloupe, charcoal, dark-green, lemon, lettuce green, oyster, pink, red, turquoise and white. The ware was "flameproof for cooking," a new concept in dinnerware. A pattern from the Informal line called Blue Vineyard was produced between 1969 and 1973.
Seibel also designed a line called Impromptu with designs like Jardinaires, Grapes, Frolic, Aztec, Pyramids, El Camino, Vision, Pompon, Beige Rose and Pin and Beads. The line was discontinued in 1956. A sleek contemporary shape called Bridal White was part of the Impromptu line and was produced in Seibel's name from 1956 to 1973.
Another unique Seibel design was called Diamond White which was solid white with a sculpted diamond design around the base of each piece. Iro-Tan Ripple ware also incorporated the use of sculpting in the design using a ripple effect that wrapped the body of each piece.
The Inheritance line had patterns such as Grecian Gold and Su Shi. The shape was discontinued in 1959.
Seibel designed dozens of patterns for several different companies which were received with mixed reviews, however, the Impromptu, Informal and Inheritance lines he designed for Iroquois proved to be some of the most collectible sets from that period. Another popular set was called Raymour Modern and was designed by Seibel for the ailing Roseville Pottery Company. It was a bold and unusual pattern described as "a man's dinnerware."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois_China_Company#Ben_Seibel_designs
If anyone can find any more information, please share with me! :)
Thank you for posting your sources...headed there, now.
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