Several years ago, I had the honor to blog for R. John Wright. I'm posting one of those blogs here in his memory.
RJW DOLLS WITH ANIMALS-
Figures and Fauna by Ellen Tsagaris
Children know what adult collectors sometimes do not; that even dolls
have their companions, and that a beloved toy friend for a child can be an
animal.
R. John Wright has known the important link between dolls with animal
friends from the first dolls he designed. He also knows the importance of creating dolls
and animals that have literary histories.
Making beloved characters spring to 3D form makes them even more real to
children of all ages, from 1 to 100, who love them.
The earliest stories and books for children
highlighted the affinity between children and animals. At first, the animals were there to teach
children their alphabet, kindness to others, moral lessons, even responsibility. One of the earliest alphabet books dates
form the 17th century, and is called Comenius’s Orbis
sensualium pictus.
As paper became
cheaper, and people more literate, the market for children’s books opened
up. There were more of them in the 18th
century, and animals were characters; sometimes, they even acted like
people. Some stories came from ancient
tales and myths with their origins in Aesop’s Fables and Grimm’s Fairy
Tales. Others were written specifically
for children.
Many writers included
toy animals or real animals as companions to their characters, especially
Johnny Gruelle, a political cartoonist who created Raggedy Ann and Andy and
their stories a little over 100 years ago.
R. John Wright has created his own version of Raggedy Ann, but he has
also given us his interpretation of Raggedy Ann & Andy with his Camel With
the Wrinkled Knees and Raggedy Ann & Andy and the Little Brown Bear.
Bears are popular
characters in children’s stories, and the classic tale of Goldilocks is one of
the most famous. The original tale of
Goldilocks was written by Robert Southey, poet laureate of
In the charming
Wright version of “Goldilocks and The Three Bears”, a curly locked Goldilocks
looks sideways at the three bears, who are realistic bears, but who wear
charming embellished clothing.
Goldilocks knows she is being naughty, and the Bears are truly speechless
at her trespass. The set was originally
commissioned by the Puffin Publishing Group,
Other Wright bears
include 1988 - Patrick with Teddy Bear includes the first R. John Wright
bear. Patrick and Teddy are made of
molded felt. Patrick, with his winsome
face and mop of curly hair, is fully jointed. He was created in a limited
edition of 200. Two other favorites are Teddy
& Me, and Teddy Roosevelt with Cub. Anyone who collects bears knows the
story of how Teddy Roosevelt refused to take the life of an orphan bear cub
brought to him as a trophy. The origins
of the Teddy go back to Marguerite Steiff and Morris Michtom of the Ideal Toy
Corporation, with some evidence showing that toy bears may have actually sprung
up in
Of course, there is the most beloved literary bear of all, Winnie
the Pooh, which R.J Wright commemorated with a series of dols from 1986-89 - Christopher
Robin with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga & Roo; A.A. Milne created a
true community of friends with the Pooh books.
The first Pooh book appeared in 1926, and the little boy protagonist was
names for Milne’s own son, Christopher Robin Milne. Young Christopher had toy
animals, including a bear named Winnie. Winnie was named after a female bear
that lived at the London Zoo. Pooh was a swan the Milnes had seen a family
vacation. When A. A. Milne wrote the Pooh books, included his son’s other toys,
Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga and Roo. The same characters were produced in
miniature in the 1990s as the "Pocket Series" with the addition of
Rabbit and Owl.
Certainly, though,
bears are not the only companions of children and dolls. Heidi with Snowflake
the Baby Goat is the R. John Wright version of a beloved childhood heroine. Heidi was written in 1881 by Swiss author
Johanna Spyri. The story of the little
girl who lived in the
Children love their
rabbit stories, but dogs are not only man’s best friend, they are also the best
friends of children and their dolls. Childhood stories are full of them,
including the brave Toto and the dogs in film that made everyone fall in love
with them, like Charlie Chaplin’s Scraps. Toto actually speaks in later Oz books, as do
other animals. The original Toto was a
cairn terrier named Terry, who lived to be 11 years old. She now has a permanent memorial to her in
the
R. John Wright’s
dolls from the Oz books by L. Frank Baum look as though they will come alive
and speak their lines. They also appear
as fairy tale mice characters, and are just as adorable. Dorothy and Toto
comprise one of the most famous dog-child couples in literature and film. Toto was a small terrier drawn by W.W.
Denslow. He was a constant sidekick of
the heroine of the Oz books, Dorothy Gale. Dorothy is an orphan living with an elderly
couple she calls her aunt and uncle.
They live on a bleak farm in
Charlie Chaplin with Scraps is one of the
newest Wright creations. They are superb portraits in felted material and take
doll making and cloth doll artistry to a new level. Chaplin had a rich and varied career in
Scraps is Chaplin’s
co-star in the silent film A Dog’s Life, 1918, where Scraps plays a hero. He helps Chaplin and the heroine of the film,
Edna, to escape all kinds of misadventures and to find a better life. Charlie and Edna care for scraps and hide him
when necessary to protect him. Scraps is
no particular breed, and has been titled, “a thorough bred mongrel.”
These are only some
of the wonderful doll groups R. John Wright has created from beloved character
in literature, popular culture, and film.
They teach a whole new generation about these wonderful characters and
their stories through another dimension, the 3D world of doll making. They belong in the finest libraries and
collections in the world, side- by- side with well loved editions of their
books and films that they honor.
Selected Bibliography
Aesop’s Fables. http://read.gov/aesop/
Animal Tales. https://www.bl.uk/animal-tales/articles/childrens-animal-tales
Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. (1900) .Millennium Books, 2017.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (1865), Illus. John Tenniel. The Planet, 2013.
Charlie Chaplin: A Dog’s Life. http://www.charliechaplin.com/en/films/12-A-Dog-s-Life/videos/1592-Charlie-Chaplin-saves-Scraps-from-a-wild-pack-of-dogs-from-A-Dog-s-Life-
Encyclopedia of the
Gordon, George, Lord Byron. Don Juan. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/21700/21700-h/21700-h.htm
Gruelle, Johnny. Raggedy Ann Stories. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/18190/18190-h/18190-h.htm
The History of Goldilocks. https://owlcation.com/humanities/goldilocks-and-three-bears
Orbis Senusalium Pictus. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/orbis-sensualium-pictus-animal-tales-space
R. John Wright-Collectible Dolls and Animals. http://www.rjohnwright.com/