Empire Glassworks - Ribbit Small Spoon Pipe – 4.5" Toads & Lilypads Glass Pipe

The Empire Glassworks Ribbit Small Spoon Pipe is a hand-blown borosilicate dry pipe in pale lime glass, with two sculpted toads — one red, one dark brown — basking on green lilypads beside an implosion marble and a tiny glass insect. 4.5 inches long, 94 grams, left-side carb. $49.99 at Angies Boutique, 838 N Broadway, Los Angeles, and in stock for same-day collection.

⚡ At-a-Glance Decision Summary

• What it is: A 4.5" borosilicate dry spoon pipe in milky lime-green with two lampworked toads on lilypads.
• Two toads, two colors. A bright red one with black spots on the bowl, and a dark brown one further along the body.
• There is a sculpted insect too. Empire describe the toads as enjoying "a colorful lunch" — the lunch is a tiny glass bug, worked in beside them.
• Plus an implosion marble set into the body, with the design formed inside the glass.
• Left-side carb hole, per Empire's spec.
• Dry, not a bubbler. No water, no percolation.
• A penny under the maker's price. Empire sell it at $50.00; this is $49.99, and they still have it.

🧠 Our Verdict

The most color of any Empire small spoon we carry — red and brown toads against milky lime is a louder combination than the mossy and terracotta pieces, and there is an implosion marble in there as well. At $49.99 it is the same money and the same size as the Garden Critters, so pick on subject rather than value.

Quick Summary

Borosilicate glass, 4.5" long and 1.8" wide, 94 grams. The body is pale translucent lime with flat green lilypads worked onto it. A red toad with black spots and white eyes sits on the bowl head; a dark brown toad sits further down the body. Between them, an implosion marble and a small sculpted insect. Carb on the left. One pipe in the box, nothing else.

Empire Glassworks Ribbit Small Spoon Pipe – 4.5" Toads & Lilypads Glass Pipe

Empire theme this dry-pipe line on at-risk habitats, and this is the pond. Their own description calls it sibling toads basking in the sun on their lilypads and enjoying a colorful lunch — which turns out to be literal: there is a tiny glass insect worked in beside them. The two toads are done in different colors, a vivid red one with black spotting and a darker brown one, which keeps the piece from reading as a repeated motif.

It is the same series and the same size as the Garden Critters Small. Browse the rest in Empire Glassworks.

Summary: A 4.5" hand-lampworked lime-green spoon pipe with two toads, lilypads and an implosion marble.

⭐ Who This Product Is For / Not For

Ideal For:

• Anyone who wants the brightest piece on the Empire shelf. Red on lime is the boldest pairing in the range.
• Anyone after two figures plus marble work for under $50.
• Collectors of the habitat series — this is the pond entry.
• Right-handed smokers. The carb is on the left, where your thumb lands.
• Gifting under $50 to someone who likes frogs and toads.

Not Recommended For:

• Anyone who wants water filtration. This is a dry pipe with no chamber.
• Anyone who wants a track record. Empire show no reviews for this piece — the Hootie's Forest Small has eleven, all five-star.
• Pocket carry. Two raised toads with splayed limbs are exactly what catches and snaps.
• Anyone who needs an easy clean. Raised limbs and a marble edge both trap resin.
• Anyone expecting the exact piece in the photographs. Each is blown individually.

⚠️ Known Limitations

• No filtration at all. Dry spoon — no water, no downstem, no perc. Smoke is unfiltered.
• The toads' limbs are the fragile part. They are splayed out off the body rather than tucked in, which makes them the most exposed sculpting in the whole Empire small range.
• No reviews at the maker. Empire list zero for this piece. Not a mark against it, but worth knowing if a track record matters to you.
• Same size and price as the Garden Critters. Empire make both at 4.5" × 1.8" and 94 grams and sell both at $50.00. Neither is better value than the other — choose on subject.
• The carb is fixed on the left. Left-handed smokers will cover it with a finger rather than a thumb.
• Small bowl. At 4.5 inches this is a one-or-two-draw pipe, not a session piece.

Summary: Unfiltered, the most exposed sculpting in the range, and no review history behind it.

🔹 Features & Benefits

• Two differently colored toads: One red with black spots, one dark brown. Lampworked separately, so the piece has two focal points rather than one.
• A sculpted insect: The "colorful lunch" from Empire's own description, worked in as a tiny glass bug. Easy to miss until you look.
• Implosion marble: Set into the body with the pattern formed inside the glass, so it cannot chip or wear.
• Flat lilypads: Green pads worked onto the surface rather than raised, which gives the toads something to sit on without adding more to snag.
• Milky lime body: Translucent rather than opaque, so light moves through it — and it makes the red toad read instantly.
• Borosilicate glass: Empire's stated material — it handles repeated heat cycling better than soft glass.

Summary: Two lampworked toads, lilypads, an insect and an implosion marble on translucent lime borosilicate.

🔌 Compatibility & Requirements

• Type: Dry hand pipe / spoon pipe. Nothing attaches and nothing detaches — no joint, no removable bowl.
• Dimensions: 4.5" long × 1.8" wide, per Empire Glassworks.
• Weight: 94 grams.
• Material: Borosilicate glass.
• Carb: Left side of the bowl.
• Maker's part number: 2272.
• In the box: One Ribbit Small Spoon Pipe. No case, no tool, no accessories.
• Age restriction: Sold to adults 21 and over only.

🛠️ How to Use

1. Pack the bowl lightly — a loose pack draws better than a tight one on a dry spoon.
2. Hold the body in your right hand with your thumb over the carb on the left.
3. Light the bowl and draw with the carb covered.
4. Release the carb to clear the chamber.
5. Tap the ash out rather than digging at it. The glass around sculpted detail is thinner than the body.
6. Set it down on the underside, never on the toads — their legs are the first thing to go.

🧴 Care & Maintenance

• Soak in isopropyl and coarse salt, then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
• Be especially careful with this one. The toads' splayed limbs are the thinnest, most exposed glass on any Empire small spoon we stock.
• Use a pipe cleaner through the stem and carb rather than forcing a brush past the figures.
• Do not shake it with loose salt inside — on a piece with limbs sticking out, that is how they snap.
• Do not go from a hot soak into cold water. Borosilicate tolerates thermal shock better than soft glass but does not enjoy it.
• Store it where nothing can fall on it. The sculpting cannot be repaired.

Summary: Soak, never scrub or shake, and treat the toads' legs as the weak point they are.

📊 Comparison

Four of these are the same piece of glass. Empire make the Ribbit, Garden Critters, Bug's Life and Hootie's Forest all at 4.5" × 1.8" and 94 grams — same blank, different sculpting, two price points.

Summary: At 4.5" and 94 grams you can pay $49.99 or $69.99. The $20 buys more sculpting and, in Hootie's case, a real review record — not more glass.

💬 Common Questions & Answers

Q: Is it frogs or toads?
A: Empire call them toads — twice, in both their description and their feature list for this piece. The pipe is named "Ribbit", and our own listing for the bigger 6" version calls them frogs, so you will see both words. If you came looking for a frog pipe, this is it.

Q: Is this the same as the Toad Spoon Pipe?
A: No, that is a separate Empire product at $69.99 and it is out of stock here. This is the Ribbit Small, part number 2272.

Q: What is the little bug for?
A: It is lunch. Empire's description says the toads are enjoying a colorful lunch, and there is a small glass insect sculpted in beside them. It is the kind of detail you notice a week after buying it.

Q: How is this different from the Garden Critters Small?
A: Only the subject. Empire make both at 4.5" × 1.8" and 94 grams and price both at $50.00. This one is a pond with toads and lilypads; that one is a garden with flower marbles, daisies and a ladybug. Neither is better value — pick the one you want to look at.

Q: Is this the big Ribbit pipe?
A: No. This is the 4.5" small, part 2272. There is a 6" version at $119.99 listing two frog sculptures, two implosion marbles and five tadpole marble eggs — that is a different piece with a different spec, and ours is sold out.

Q: Where is the carb hole?
A: On the left side of the bowl, which Empire specify. Hold it in your right hand and your thumb falls onto it.

Q: Does it hold water?
A: No. It is a dry spoon pipe with no chamber and no downstem.

Summary: Empire's part 2272 — a 4.5" lime-green dry spoon with two toads, lilypads, a marble and a glass insect.

🛒 Pick It Up Today in Chinatown

In stock at 838 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012 — walk in and we will put it in your hand. For the same money and the same size with a garden instead of a pond, the Garden Critters Small is the other $49.99 option, and the Lady Bugs Small at $39.99 is the cheapest Empire piece we carry. Browse the rest in Empire Glassworks or all our spoon pipes.

✅ Authentic Empire Glassworks

Authentic Empire Glassworks borosilicate glass, part number 2272, hand-lampworked as an individually crafted art piece from their habitat dry-pipe series. Empire publish no GTIN for it, so no barcode is asserted. Priced at $49.99 against the maker's own $50.00 retail price. Angies Boutique has traded from 838 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012 since 1990, and this one is on the shelf for same-day collection. Sold to adults 21 and over only.