Vintage Novelty Wood-Handled Salt and Pepper Shaker Wands

This is a pair of vintage novelty salt and pepper shakers featuring elongated metal rods connecting hand-painted wooden handles to wooden shaker heads. The items appear to be mid-20th-century kitchenware, likely from the 1940s or 1950s. The handles are carved from wood in a cylindrical shape with decorative bulbous ends, featuring hand-painted whimsical facial features that resemble stylized panda or bear characters with large eyes and spectacles. The heads of the shakers are also wooden, with one painted red and the other left in a natural or off-white finish to distinguish between salt and pepper contents. Holes are drilled in the top of each bulbous head for dispensing. The construction consists of a metal rod, likely steel or chrome plating, connecting the two wooden components. The condition shows visible signs of age and patina; there is significant paint loss and chipping on the shaker heads, particularly on the white/natural one, and some fading of the handle illustrations. The metal rods show some dulling or minor surface oxidation consistent with age. There are no clearly visible maker's marks or stamps in the current image orientation, though they are typical of Japanese or American novelty imports from the mid-century era. The craftsmanship is folk-art adjacent, characterized by simple turned-wood shapes and charming if rudimentary hand-applied decoration.