LOL, Linda....and thank you, Rosalynd....I realized after posting this pic that it's kind of hard to distinguish against the white Haviland. Here's a little better pic of it. The box itself is glazed but the figure is not, and it looks like bisque to me. I believe the box is porcelain because you can see though it when you hold it up to light. You're right about it being a matchbox....inside the lid, which is also unglazed, there are ridges all along the underside. There are no markings at all. When I say it's been in the family "forever" it means that it came from my father's side of the family, and they go back almost that long....lol. I'm almost 50, and my mom was born in 1911, my dad in 1917.....my dad's parents married later than was the norm back then, too. This family hardly ever got rid of anything, so I've ended up with a lot of stuff, not that that's a bad thing. I have many things that were my greatgrandparents', too, but I was curious about this little box. When you have a few minutes, take a stroll though the house, you'll see what I mean.... Here is a link that might be useful: Lori's pix

And a close up of her face. If anyone knows about what time period this could be made/ what country ...or quite possibly who this figurine was modeled after that would be great help!!!

Looks to me like someone - carver/crafter - possibly attempting to put a modern "American" stamp on Japanese Netsuke. The animal faces, etc. are just too cutsy to be Asian, let alone likely Asian antiques. Do dads for a collectibles shelf. I don't mind being wrong, so maybe someone has other ideas.

I'd say it's a French Majolica handled vase. Beyond that, and with the inventory tag covering any markings... If you google French majolica handled vases, the main page comes up with a similar ebay item but with a male figure.