Animal Clocks Come Out of the Fogg
by Bob Brooke
QUESTION:
 While
browsing at a local flea market, I came across a unique papier-mache
clock in the shape of a collie's head. I couldn’t resist, so I bought
it. When I got it home, I realized it wasn’t working, but for the
inexpensive price I paid, I figured it was worth it. I took it to
Bowers Watch and
Clock Repair, my local clock shop here in Atlanta, Georgia, to
be repaired. Now it ticks happily away on my kitchen wall. Can you tell
me anything about my clock—who made it and when? Also, are these types
of clocks collectible?
Thanks,
Janice
__________________________________________________________
ANSWER:
 You’ve
acquired a unique timepiece. Papier mache clocks such as yours have been
around since the 1950s. They’re a fine example of Pop Art and are very
collectible. The artist who created them, Ann Johnson, also know as F.B.
Fogg, has created a whole zooful of animals, from domestic pets and farm
animals to wild animals from around the world.
Haling from Muncie, Indiana, Fogg first got the idea for her animal
timepieces while watching television in the 1950s. Back then,
commercials were simple, but entertaining. News reporter John Cameron
Swayze used to sell Timex watches by standing in a field of black and
white Guernsey cows saying, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”
On cue, a Guernsey would lick the Timex!
In the tradition of most popular art,
Fogg made a black and white cow head and asked her husband to put a
clock works in the nose. She fashioned whiskers which became the clock
hands and a swinging cows tongue became the pendulum. Thus, the first
Fogg clocks began. Now, Fogg sends out 600 cow clocks a year in all the
colors you can imagine, pinks, purples and blues, but black and white
cows with flies or flowers remain her best sellers.
 For
years, Fogg has created her unique paper clocks as commissions for
people who perhaps wish to honor their beloved pet. She’s done them all.
Besides dogs and cats, she’s created clocks from a host of other
creatures, including elephants, zebras, geckos, ladybugs, and even
cockroaches.
Since she hand makes her clocks—no two pieces are exactly alike—each is
unique. Her clocks are not only longlasting, but lightweight, water
resistant, and guaranteed. She signs each one. Today, she’ll produce a
clock from a photo of person’s pet.
Her unique clocks are highly collectible. Many celebrities, including
Steven Spielberg, Goldie Hawn, Helen Hunt, Betty White, David Letterman,
and Adam Sandler, among others.
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