Those Wonderful Wacky Figurines from Japan

We've all seen them. Tiny little porcelain figurines marked on the bottom "Japan". During wartime, Japan exported these figurines by the millions.  For a while, the U.S. forced the Japanese to mark these figurines "occupied".  Many of these figures are now very collectible and depending on the manufacturer, can be worth hundreds of dollars.  And some unfortunately, are not so wanted. 

I've gathered some photos from around the web to show the variations of of the Japanese molds.  Most were whimsical and cute in nature. But some were downright wacky in design and color choice. 
Here's a couple that show disproportionate limbs and impossible movement.  Many figures had human-like features like eyebrows, moustaches, eyelashes, and big smiles.

In the next few photos, look at the human clothing they wear and the bright colors.  It made no difference if they painted eyes red, or ears a different color than their bodies. Figurines were also made to wear glasses, smoke pipes, read the newspaper, and sit on the toilet!

Note: All photos belong to their respective owners.