The term Snow Babies in the context of antiques refer to the small child figurines made initially by Hertwig and Company of Thuringia. The Snow Babies were made of bisque and glitter sand is spattered upon them. They were originally intended to be reusable cake toppers and Christmas decorations. After World War I, Japanese Snow Babies were exported to US. Department 56 began to manufacture replicas of original Snow Babies in 1987.