From time to time, I fall into what I call “deep thinking about teddy bears.” You can read some of my earlier thoughts in a couple of blog posts from 2015 (1 and 2).
My recent musings have been drawn to two interconnected themes: world building and anthropomorphism. These are intriguing things to ponder for those of us who are driven to make animal characters and other fantasy creatures.
- What’s the blend of human+fantasy?
- And what about the world building we unconsciously do when making choices about what kind accessories we give them, what kind of world they inhabit?
- And ultimately, do I care about following an internal logic that spans the creatures I make?
There’s a range of choices. Do they live in our world, repurposing human-sized objects and settings for their lives? Stuart Little, the Borrowers (or Pippa Mouse).
Or do they have their own world, where they have the same things that we have, only in miniature, like the Brambly Hedge universe or Marjolein Bastin’s glorious Vera the Mouse?
Or is it a blend, like Eileen Lam‘s Blythe-centric Little Mischiefs, little characters with their own objects in a big world? Her video gives some insights into how she thinks about her characters and also showcases her fearless embrace of being an elegant grownup who loves to play with dolls.
And world building aside, I ask myself the same questions about anthropomorphism in the animals I make–how humanlike are they?
Annie Montgomerie really teases this one with her amazing creations.
…and if you haven’t yet discovered Maggie Rudy and her Mouseland, you’re in for a treat. Like Eileen Lam, she’s a children’s book author/illustrator who creates intense dioramas, then photographs them as illustrations for her books. But her stories feature animals instead of dolls. set in the intricate worlds she builds. Her Instagram grid never fails to delight me.
Sootypaws is her Cinderella re-telling–I can hardly believe her level of skill to create these vivid scenes that she blends from human and animal elements. Rudy is very generous in sharing her processes with a “Making Mouseland” page and a video that’s a lovely visit to her studio
Finally, I just can’t leave this topic without a nod to Tatsuya Tanaka’s delightful work, even though it’s pretty much “beyond toys”. Pistachios become alien seedpods while french fries and catsup combine to make a campfire. Yes! and there are hundreds of them to explore. Just plain brilliant!
Of course, there’s really no need to do “deep thinking” about the pleasures of exercising imagination and the sheer fun of play. But if you’re like me and also enjoy playing with your thoughts about how and why you play, I hope you’ve found something fun here!
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