History of Precious Moments

More than thirty years ago, the man responsible for creating the phenomenon known as Precious Moments, Sam Butcher, began drawing the endearing tear-drop eye children he called “Precious Moments” as gifts for family and friends. Today, his Precious Moments artwork is among the most recognized art in the world, sharing messages of loving, caring and sharing with collectors from around the globe.

A man of deep personal faith and conviction, Sam demonstrated artistic talent at an early age and, encouraged by his Mother, he pursued formal art training following high school, earning a scholarship to the College of Arts & Crafts in Berkeley.

In the early 1970's, Sam and a friend, Bill Biel, started "Jonathan & David", to produce his Precious Moments art on a line of cards and posters. They took their goods to the annual Christian Booksellers Association Convention and their tiny booth was filled with enthusiastic retailers wanting to order the new line. The crowd became so large that neighboring vendors came over to help the two young men write orders.

Shortly thereafter, Sam was approached by Gene Freedman; head of the Enesco Corporation and together with the sculptor Fujiokasan, a figurine was created based on Sam's artwork titled "Love One Another." Sam was so overwhelmed when he saw the first porcelain sample that he fell to his knees and wept. Thus was the start of a phenomenon which 'til this day has brought inspiration, friendship and love to so many people around the world.

By the end of 1978, the first twenty-one original Precious Moments figurines had been introduced to the market. The response to the collection was incredible. People began to write to Sam, telling him how the Precious Moments figurines had touched their lives in a moving and heartfelt way. In less than a year after their introduction, demand was overwhelming. Retailers were placed on allocations informing them how many of each piece they could obtain for their customers.

In 1989, a Precious Moments Park was built which included a Precious Moments Chapel, in Carthage, Missouri and since then, it has welcomed over 400,000 visitors each year.

Over 1,500 different Precious Moments pieces have been produced with new ones added to the collection each year. Folks from around the world continue to join the Precious Moments Collector's Club and the Fun Club. The success of the Precious Moments figurines was amazing, yet Sam never lost touch with his original purpose to create art that combines his heartfelt emotions with his abiding faith.

In 2005, a new chapter in the Precious Moments story began, as a collection left Enesco and "came home" to join the rest of the Precious Moments family at Precious Moments, Inc. No other collection had touched so many people from so many walks of life as the figurines know as Precious Moments.