Princes and Princesses - along with children throughout the world - have enjoyed following the adventures of a family of rabbits and their friends on Bunnykins nurseryware for over seventy years. But it's not just the young in age who love Bunnykins, since the rabbit characters on both nurseryware and in sculptural form also appeal to the young at heart.
The first Bunnykins designs were drawn by Sister Mary Barbara: the daughter of Royal Doulton's General Manager, Barbara Vernon Bailey showed artistic ability from a young age. Her father's original bedtime stories about foxes and rabbits inspired a series of drawings, and many books were filled with sketches of other animals and countryside scenes.
In the late 1920s and aged nineteen, Barbara joined the Augustine Order and took the name Sister Mary Barbara. Although most of her time was taken up with teaching, Cuthbert realised that no-one would be better at designing scenes for a fresh series of nurseryware than his daughter. He knew that her charismatic and humorous designs would appeal to all age groups, since the drawings at the end of her letters home entertained him.
With its sense of nostalgia, and an eye for contemporary wit, it's no wonder that Bunnykins is as popular now as it has ever been.
