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The factory made several pieces of ovenproof ware for the Royal Metal Manufacturing Company. In 1934, they used the OvenServe body to create six plain shapes to fit nickel plated frames made by Royal Metal: pie plate, covered casserole, covered mixing bowl, deep platter, sectioned relish, and a plain cake plate. The special ovenware was decorated with either decals or platinum stamps and was sold under the name Royal OvenServe. For more on this line, see the bottom of this page.
After Fiesta® was introduced in January 1936, Royal Metal became interested in making metal frames for the new solid colored line. Fittings were made for the marmalade, shakers, mustard, both sizes of nappies, cream soup cup, and 7" plates. Between 1936 and 1937, three pieces were created for Royal Metal: the plain 13" oval platter, a cake plate, and the Royal casserole, also known as a promotional casserole.
The casserole was rather plain in comparison to the standard Fiesta® casserole. This was necessary so it could easily fit into the metal frames. Two holders were used: an "open" frame and a standard cylindrical frame with cutouts.
The Royal casserole was put into production in July 1936 and was shipped out to Royal Metal starting in September of the same year. It was made in four Fiesta® glazes: red, (light) green, yellow, and blue. They have been found in the four Harlequin glazes: maroon, spruce, yellow, and (mauve) blue, but they are very rare.
In 1940, the pottery decided to create a special promotion campaign to increase the sales of Fiesta®. There were seven different promotions, including a "kitchen set" consisting of a casserole and pie plate. (For more on the promotion, see this page.) Most of the kitchen sets used Kitchen Kraft casseroles with a base in green and a lid in red along with a yellow pie plate. However, some customers, such as A. C. McClurg, opted for the Royal casserole instead.
While collectors have dubbed the Royal casserole the promotional casserole, the factory never actually called it that. It was usually referred to as a Royal or Old Royal casserole. In one instance, it was listed in company records as a Royal Modern casserole.
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