meet pearl

Every kid needs a pet, right? Even paper doll kids need a pet. So this season the Oliver + S paper dolls have adopted a new friend. Here’s Pearl.

Pearl is a dachshund. We’re not sure if Pearl is a boy dog or a girl dog, but that doesn’t matter much because Pearl is a great companion to the Oliver + S paper dolls.

And here’s the exciting part. Pearl can be a faithful desktop companion for you too. More on that in a minute. But, first, some credits are due.

Have you heard of John Martin’s spool pets? We hadn’t either until April, of April 1930s, sent us some reproduction postcards a while ago. In the early 1930s, John Martin (1865-1947) illustrated several animals for a series of Coats and Clark promotions. Each animal was printed on card stock and featured a rhyme along with instructions for cutting out the animal and gluing the front and back sides to an empty spool to make a stand up, paper doll-like pet. Martin did a dog, a pig, a cow, a cat, a bunny, a horse, and possibly a few others.

We loved the idea and decided (in honor of Martin’s originals) to update the concept. Dan Andreasen, the illustrator of our paper dolls, painted Pearl’s front and back sides which we’ve turned into a new Oliver + S postcard featuring Pearl. (Dan illustrates some interesting things, but this was the first time he has been asked to do a dog’s rear end!) Like in Martin’s originals, there’s a poem on the card that tells a bit about Pearl, and then Pearl provides instructions for cutting and gluing the images to a spool to create a standing pet.

Pearl has been designed with Gutermann’s long, thin spools in mind. (Remember, Pearl is a dachshund. Get it now?) Here’s what Pearl looks like with our paper doll friends.

Starting next Tuesday, while supplies last, all website orders for Oliver + S patterns will ship with a complimentary spool dog postcard so that you can make your own standing Pearl. Postcards will also be available on a limited basis at select retailers who are carrying our new Fall 2009 patterns.

We hope you’ll stand Pearl up on your worktable to watch over you while you’re busy sewing the new Jump Rope Dress and School Days Jacket and Coat.



 

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9 Comments

  1. Love her! And love the homage to a past treasure too.

  2. She is super cute! What a treasure. 🙂

  3. Soooo cute! My children were betting on a new pet for Oliver and S.

  4. How perfect! We have an aging mini-d, and she has been an amazing companion for 14 years!

  5. I don't even know what to say. Delightfully charming is all I can muster. It thrilled my heart with a smile permanently on my face for a day and a half when I first heard the news of Pearl.

    Did I only send you the dog? I have the cow and a lion, too, I believe. I'll do some digging and send them to you if you don't already have them.

  6. Wow, amazing.

  7. Cute! I love Pearl!

  8. Cute! I can't wait to order my coat pattern.

  9. Ruth Singer

    Pearl's spool body could also be wrapped in yarn to make a woolly dog! Oh, and wee coat in felt. I'm getting carried away….

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