Most of what we sew is one toy for one person. But as the studio grew, every now and then a job came in for many of the same toy. This one, shown on our Russian site in 2015, was a flock of sheep. Not the sitting kind. These are custom hand puppets: you slide your hand inside and the sheep waves back. The whole batch was made to order as New Year gifts, nothing pulled off a shelf.
Meet the sheep
Shaggy cream faux fur makes the fleece. The head and the big floppy ears are smooth cream plush, so the face stands out against the fluff. On top sits a curly black tuft, a little messy, like the sheep just woke up.
The face is embroidered in black: round eyes looking a bit to the side, a small curved nose, a wide grin and a few freckles on the cheeks. The arms end in black hooves. Put your thumb in one arm and your little finger in the other, and the sheep can clap, wave or hide its face.
A gift that does something
Sheep made sense for that New Year: 2015 was the Year of the Sheep on the Eastern calendar, and in Russia the year's animal is a popular small gift. A puppet does more than sit on a desk, though. Kids grab it for a show, and somebody always ends up doing the "baa" voice. Sheep puppets have a long TV career, too. Lamb Chop has been at it since the 1950s.
How a batch goes
Every batch starts with one puppet. We draw the character, sew a sample, and you check it in your hands. The rest of the run is sewn only after you approve that sample, so every puppet in the box matches it.
Want puppets of your own?
Send us a sketch, a logo or a few words about the character, maybe your company mascot or the animal of the coming year. We can make it a hand puppet or a regular soft toy.
See more one-off and batch puppets in our custom puppets section, and more company orders on the custom mascot plush page, like these New Year snakes. A different sheep, a curly prototype with pink bows, is here.
The puppets are sewn from shaggy cream faux fur and smooth cream plush, with the face embroidered so nothing can come off.
- Shaggy cream faux fur for the fleece body
- Smooth cream plush for the head and floppy ears
- A curly black tuft on top of the head
- Black hooves at the ends of the arms
- Black embroidered eyes, nose, smile and freckles
- An open bottom edge, so a hand fits inside
For your batch we pick the fabric and colors to match your character or brand. A logo or a name can be embroidered on the puppet or go on a sewn-in tag. A puppet can also come as a regular stuffed toy if you'd rather it sat on a shelf.
A batch runs in two steps: one approved sample first, then the whole run. The time depends on how many puppets you need and how detailed the face and fabric are, so we quote it per project.
The sample takes the most thought. That's where the sketch becomes a pattern and the puppet is fitted to a hand: wide enough to slip on, snug enough for the arms and head to move. Once you approve it, the rest of the flock follows that sample.
Planning puppets for New Year, a holiday party or an event? Tell us the date in your first message and we'll say right away whether it fits.
We ship worldwide. Delivery usually takes 7–20 business days, depending on your country and the carrier. Couriers slow down before big holidays, so leave some room.
For anything tied to Christmas or New Year, order by November 1. If the puppets are meant for a set date, like a holiday party or a school show, start early: the sample, the batch and the shipping each need their time.
Before the batch leaves, you get photos of the finished puppets, so you know exactly what will arrive.
We've made toys to order since 2009. Most are one-offs, and every so often a company or an event asks for a batch.
A batch never starts blind. The character is drawn and approved first, then the sample, and only then the rest. You see photos of the finished batch before it ships.
Need more puppets than we can sew by hand? We also make plush prototypes and sewing patterns a factory can work from. The details are on our Patterns & Prototypes page.
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